| Middle East , Bahrain , Denmark Anti-government protesters have held several "days of rage" in the run-up to the racing event [Reuters] Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel has won the Grand Prix in Bahrain while rage boiled beyond the track among protesters who say the ruling family that crushed Arab Spring demonstrations last year should not have hosted the race. High security kept trouble well away from the track on Sunday, where Red Bull's 24-year-old driver had started in pole position, before securing the twenty-second triumph of his career, in a race that passed without incident. As the race came to an end, protesters called for afternoon protests in the capital Manama's Pearl roundabout, the site of last year's unrest targeting the ruling al-Khalifa family. Similar protests were held outside the London offices of Formula One chief, Bernie Ecclestone, with demonstrators chanting "down, down Bernie" and "shame on you Bernie". Inside the circuit, however, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Manama said the crowd in the stands were largely foreign expatriates. "It seems like Bahrainis themselves are choosing to stay away from their Grand Prix" said our correspondent, who cannot be named for security reasons.

Initial reports say attendance at the 45,000 capacity track had fallen through the floor. Protests Online reports say 10 female activists were able to make it into the circuit area itself before being arrested by police on site. There were also reports of arrests of foreign journalists - two Japanese journalists covering protests, Colin Freeman, chief foreign correspondent for the Sunday Telegraph, along with his fixer, and a news team from Britain's Channel 4 news. Live Box 2011121613259449703 Freeman's fixer, Mohammed Hassan, who had been detained for the second time in as many days, took to his twitter account following his release to send a message to the nation's Interior Ministry. "I'm offering my service for free as a way to express my refusal for @moi_Bahrain continuous abuse, tell any jorno in need of help", said Hassan using the shorthand that has become synonymous with the popular micro-blogging service. Opposition activist, Ala'a Shehabi, who had met with Ecclestone in London prior to this weekend's race has also been detained.

Protesters have also been calling for the release of detained Abdul Hadi al-Khawaja, who is on the 74th day of a hunger strike. At a candlelight vigil in the village of Shakhurah, demonstrators were reported to be carrying pictures of al-Khawaja with them. Khawaja's deteriorating health has raised fears that he may die in custody, but Bahrain's interior ministry said on Sunday that he was in "good health" and would meet Denmark's ambassador later in the day. Khawaja is a dual citizen of Bahrain and Denmark. Political problems Kalil al-Marzooq, a spokesman for al-Wefaq, the country's main opposition bloc, told Al Jazeera that Bahrainis felt the race was "not a big question". "We have political problems. Especially the opposition itself ... [is] neutral about this event. We have people being killed. We have demands to return the power to the people rather than concentrating it on to the hands of the rulers," he said.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Mansoor al Jamri, editor of the independent Al Wasat newspaper in Bahrain, said Sunday's race will be a "milestone in the history of the events that we have been going through since last year", but that the problem in Bahrain is not a matter of security. Instead, Jamri says "the problem is about political demands ... stopping the divisive policies, the discrimination" in the Gulf kingdom. King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa, who was at the race, said that he wanted "to make clear my personal commitment to reform and reconciliation in our great country. The door is always open for sincere dialogue amongst all our people". As the race got under way, security was tight in Manama, and its surrounding areas, with reports indicating that anti-government protests overnight have resulted in fresh clashes. Our correspondent said "the highway on the way down to the race track is absolutely covered with police", and that in the villages outside the capital, it seemed as if a curfew had been put in place, with very few people out on the streets.

Live Box 201192417211145481 Police fired tear gas and stun grenades at protesters, who responded by throwing stones and fire bombs while chanting slogans against the monarchy, AFP news agency reported. Protests were reported to have been held in the villages of Malkiya, Karzakan, Sadad and Damistan. Witnesses said the Sakhir circuit, where Sunday's race took place, was under complete lockdown, though protesters were briefly able to block some roads leading to the track by setting tyres and garbage on fire. "The atmosphere [around the Grand Prix] is tense," said Al Jazeera's special correspondent, who we cannot name for security reasons, from Manama. In Manama, police prevented planned protests at a central market, residents and witnesses said. Dozens of armoured vehicles and security forces in riot gear were deployed along the road to the Bahrain International Circuit and around Manama. Activists said barbed wire was installed near some parts of the main highway. Protester killed The latest protests come a day after al-Wefaq, the country's main opposition bloc, said that a man had been found dead after clashes with riot police in the village of Shakhoura.

Human Rights in Bahrain, a Casualty of Obama's Double-Standard | The Huffington Post Human Rights in Bahrain, a Casualty of Obama's Double-Standard 04/13/2012 08:22 am ET | Updated Jun 13, 2012 470 Ahmed Shihab-Eldin VICE Correspondent & Emmy-nominated Journalist Both the president of Syria and the King of Bahrain have worked hard this past year to portray their respective countries as stable and safe, hoping to distract from the popular uprisings they have brutally crushed. Both regimes have systematically tortured members of the opposition, killed and detained children, and banned journalists from entering the country to report, all the while alleging these popular movements are driven by "foreign terrorists." Obama has demanded that Bashar al-Assad step-down, slapped sanctions on Syria, and is funding opposition groups in the country. But when it comes to Bahrain, he has colluded in the King's efforts to downplay the civil unrest, distract from proposed reforms and failed to hold Bahrain accountable. This, from a president who promised to restore America's human rights reputation abroad. Fourteen months after protests first erupted against the ruling Sunni monarchy on Feb.

14 2011, much has been promised, but little, if any tangible reforms have taken place. Bahrain's monarchy has hired several American PR companies, including, Qorvis , which provides public-relations services to the Kingdom at a cost of $40,000 a month plus expenses, with the hopes of convincing the world there is no revolution in Bahrain and that, for example, it can provide security during the Formula One Grand Prix due to be held on April 22. Last year, Bahrain's violent crackdown on protesters led to the government's cancellation of the Formula 1 Grand Prix in the country. While Bahrain's authorities want this year's race to be held, a number of Formula 1 teams expect it to be called off amid security concerns caused by civil unrest, and it should be. A statement from the Formula 1 Teams' Association on Tuesday said it was down to the International Federation of Automobiles as to whether Bahrain's biggest sporting event, launched in 2004 by the crown prince, would be cancelled. The potential cancellation of yet another Grand Prix points to a credibility problem and an aversion to transparency shared both by Bahrain's rulers and Qorvis, their mouthpiece.

Tom Squitieri , a Qorvis employee , who describes himself as an award-winning reporter and communications crafter, has written three times for The Huffington Post , and writes for the Foreign Policy Association on Bahrain without being clear about his affiliation with Qorvis. Squitieri infamously characterized Bahrain's pro-democracy protesters as driven by " anger without a purpose " and called them " foot soldiers for puppet masters with a greater agenda ," borrowing a veiled reference often used by Arab leaders to Iran and the perceived threat it poses to the status-quo. Ironically, the government-commissioned Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) found no evidence that Iran had anything to do with the protests, but did find the government guilty of the systematic abuse of prisoners, and yes, torture. King Hamad promised to institute reforms, while also making a point to reference the UK's and U.S.'s record of torture in the so-called War on Terrorism as a point of comparison. Squitieri presents himself as a journalist and claims only to "work with the Bahrain government on media awareness and press freedom," a poorly worded attempt at masking his propaganda job.

But the last time Squitieri worked for a media organization was in 2005 as a Pentagon correspondent, when he resigned from USA Today for plagiarism . Since its early days, the revolution in Bahrain has been a thorn in the sides of the Gulf monarchies, and by extension a real inconvenience to the Obama administration's geo-political interests and military positioning. Bahrain is home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, responsible for naval forces in the Persian Gulf, Red Sea, Arabian Sea, and coast off East Africa. The Obama administration has largely stood by Bahrain, and any criticism has been both soft and vague. Instead, arms sales continue to Bahrain, though a $53 million arms sale to Bahrain has been delayed due to Congressional opposition. Still, the administration has moved forward with new and altered packages of arms sales to Bahrain, using a loophole to quietly sell arms to Bahrain. Details of these sales were not released, with the State Department arguing they did not meet the criteria threshold that would require formal notification. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), one of few voices of reason in the U.S.

government weighed in: "The Bahraini government has shown little progress in improving their human rights record over the last few months and in some ways, their record has gotten worse," he told Foreign Policy magazine . "Supplying arms to a regime that continues to persecute its citizens is not in the best interest of the United States." This is a simple, but salient point that is all too often ignored when it comes to U.S. policy in the region. On Tuesday, a second aircraft carrier arrived in the Gulf. The United States said it was part of a "routine, scheduled" deployment, after reports suggested it was in response to heightened tensions between Bahrain and Iran. Wedged between Saudi Arabia and Iran in the Strait of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of global oil exports pass, Bahrain is of fundamental strategic importance to the U.S. in a rapidly evolving region. Sadly, despite calling for an end of violence by all sides in Bahrain, the U.S. commitment to Bahrain's rulers seems to trump Obama's trumpeted calls for supporting democratic reform and human rights in the region.

"The United States continues to be deeply concerned about the situation in Bahrain, and we urge all parties to reject violence in all its forms," Jay Carney, press secretary for U.S. President Barack Obama, said on Wednesday. But this generalized statement is as insincere as it is effective. Last year, troops from Saudi Arabia and other GCC countries entered Bahrain to extinguish the uprising in a crackdown widely condemned by human rights groups the world over. Then, and again now, the Obama administration has largely muddled its message with a selective, and frankly convenient approach to supporting human rights and freedom. Moreover, Cherif Bassiouni, the chair of the BICI, recently said in an interview that the Obama administration is not doing enough to pressure the regime. "There is merit in naming the shaming and embarrassing, in pushing, in enlisting public opinion, domestic and international. This is not the style of Secretary Clinton or President Obama, and I'm not sure they are necessarily doing the right choice," he said . Bahrain, like Syria, has prevented journalists from entering the country to report on the widespread protests. While working at Al Jazeera, several of my colleagues were banned from entering.

Those who got in had to work undercover, including a team that produced the documentary Shouting in The Dark, a story of the Arab revolution that was abandoned by the Arabs, forsaken by the West and forgotten by the world. While working at Al Jazeera's The Stream , a social-media show that relies on citizen reports and submissions from the ground, I was responsible for updating the team on videos and photos that had been shared via social networks. Each day, dozens and dozens of videos streamed in documenting daily protests in Shia villages, police abuses, the firing of tear-gas inside homes, and the arrest and killing of children; all contradicting the press releases Qorvis was distributing. One notable report released by Qorvis suggested that the Doctors Without Borders office was somehow responsible for the government's violent raid on its offices because of incorrect permits for operating in the country. But the reality on the ground painted a very different picture. The constant stream of videos and photos in real-time became impossible to ignore, even if difficult to fully confirm.

Several activists appeared on our show as guests, including both Maryam Al Khawaja and Zaynab Al Khawaja , the daughters of jailed human rights activist Abdulhadi Al Khawaja , who also holds Danish citizenship. Denmark's prime minister urged Bahrain to release a jailed activist with dual citizenship on Tuesday, claiming he is in critical condition, a claim Bahrain's government refutes. Al-Khawaja, whose torture was well-documented in the BICI and who has reached his 63rd day of a hunger strike, remind us that the manipulated mirage of stability and progress created by King Hamad is merely an illusion. On the night of April 9 2011, security forces entered his home, beat him unconscious, and arrested him in front of his screaming family. Since then, human rights activists across the world have been demanding the release of Al Khawaja, who was sentenced to life for allegedly attempting to overthrow the monarchy. If Al-Khawaja dies in custody, as his lawyer warns us may happen, then this forgotten revolution, despite its daily protests and confrontations between police and protesters, is likely to detonate.

Then, Obama will really find himself in a real quagmire, as it is sure to reignite the flames of revolt in the country. While many have characterized the uprising as spurred by sectarian divisions between the Shia majority and Sunni minority rulers, Sunni protesters were among the first to take to the streets last February. Today while some Sunnis still rally against their government, demanding reforms, others protest attacks against the police by Shias, armed with petrol bombs. When compared to Tunisia, Egypt, Syria and even Libya, the percentage of the total population who took to the streets in Bahrain demanding reform, and eventually regime change, was the highest, considering Bahrain's tiny population of just under 1.5 million. The seriousness of the civil unrest still witnessed in Bahrain and the subsequent disregard by the west is particularly troubling, considering the significance of the protests, which were largely peaceful, until the King's brutal crackdown. Even as much of the world chooses to look away from Bahrain, the resolve of the nation's revolutionaries remains in tact. Obama is not alone in his convenient oversights of the continued civil unrest in Bahrain and the reneging of its rulers on proposed reforms.

The Queen of England invited the King of Bahrain to a Diamond Jubilee lunch hosted at Windsor Castle despite widespread criticism of his bloody and repressive regime. He is also thought to be among those invited to a champagne dinner given by Prince Charles that same evening at Buckingham Palace. A palace source said to the press, "It was the Queen's decision to host the lunch and her decision to invite every world sovereign. It would have been very rude to have left anyone off the list and the queen would never want to offend anyone." I find the Queen's invitation offensive, and I'm certain those tortured and suffocated with U.S.-manufactured tear gas at the hands of Bahrain's rulers share my sentiment, let alone the more than hundred thousand of citizens that have taken to the street to protest. Obama promised to restore the United States' human rights reputation after it was tarnished by the war on terror, torture practices, rendition and Abu Ghraib prison photos . He has yet to close Guantanamo Bay. Many see that as a fundamental failure in living up to his promise.

But what may be even worse, is the obvious obfuscation when Obama chooses to pursue short-term geo-political interests and in doing so ignores the flagrant violations of human rights in Bahrain, while continuing to arm and support the country's ruling minority. This spring, we can continue to turn our back on our shameful support of Bahrain's continued crackdown on dissent, or we can capitalize on a historic moment and think creatively about ways in which we can pressure our Saudi, Bahraini and other allies in the region. On Feb. 14, 2012, exactly one year after the uprisings first began in Bahrain, Maryam Al-Khawaja, the head of foreign relations for Bahrain's Center for Human Rights, appeared for a second time on my former show on Al Jazeera's The Stream . There is one sentence she said that still resonated loudly in my head. "The protests never stopped in Bahrain," she told me. "The media just stopped covering them... to the Bahraini protesters, the U.S. is to Bahrain what Russia is to Syria." In short, the U.S.

is obstructing justice, perpetuating human rights violations and supporting a leader who, like Assad, has turned his back on his own people and lied to the world about it. Follow Ahmed Shihab-Eldin on Twitter: More: Vettel Wins Bahrain's Controversial Grand Prix Race Vettel Wins Bahrain's Controversial Grand Prix Race April 21, 2012 8:00 PM Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel of Germany, second right, and Lotus driver Kimi Raikkonen of Finland, second left, arrive at the drivers track parade ahead of the Formula One Grand Prix at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, Bahrain, Sunday, Apr Share See comments Bahrain's Formula One Grand Prix race finished Sunday without incident, despite a week of violent demonstrations leading up to the event. Two-time world champion Sebastian Vettel held off Kimi Raikkonen to claim his title in a race marked by tight security. Black smoke from burning tires still drifted over an area near the capital, Manama, that saw mass demonstrations in the day's before the race.

The opposition February 14 Movement had pledged "three days of rage" to coincide with the Grand Prix, as they denounced the event as a lavish spectacle by a ruling family that crushed Arab Spring protests last year. Crown prince Salman bin Hamad bin al-Khalifa rejected those calls to cancel this year's race, saying that would only empower "extremists." Last year's race was postponed and later canceled because of demonstrations. Bahrain's monarchy is the main backer of the Formula One race, and the crown prince owns rights to the event. Demonstrators hurling fire bombs clashed nightly with police during the past week, and security forces responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and birds. On Saturday, demonstrators took to the streets after opposition groups said a man was killed the day before during clashes with security forces. Shi'ite account for about 70 percent of Bahrain's population of just over one-half-million people, but claim they face widespread discrimination and lack opportunities granted to the Sunni minority. The country's leaders have offered some reforms, but the opposition says they fall short of demands for a greater voice in the country's affairs and an elected government. Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

Join the conversation on our social journalism site - Middle East Voices . Follow our Middle East reports on Twitter and discuss them on our Facebook page. Articles about Bahrain Grand Prix by Date - Page 5 - tribunedigital-chicagotribune Ecclestone willing to meet Bahrain opposition Alan Baldwin and Reuters | April 16, 2013 MANAMA (Reuters) - Bernie Ecclestone has assured protesters in Bahrain that he understands their grievances and is willing to meet opposition figures ahead of the most controversial Formula One race of the year this weekend. However, in comments that could antagonise rights campaigners and pro-democracy activists, the F1 commercial supremo also compared civil unrest in the Gulf island kingdom to threatened protests against Wednesday's funeral of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in London. Advertisement F1 sponsors show limited appetite for Bahrain Grand Prix Keith Weir and Reuters | April 12, 2013 LONDON (Reuters) - Companies who help to bankroll Formula One motor racing are limiting their involvement in the Bahrain Grand Prix this month, saving some of their marketing dollars for less politically sensitive races.

The grand prix was cancelled in 2011 following a bloody crackdown on a pro-democracy uprising, but sponsors were left squirming last year when the sport's rulers ignored calls by campaigners in Bahrain and abroad for teams not to race, while police and youths staged nightly clashes with teargas and petrol bombs. NEWS FIA must take clear stance on Bahrain, says Hill Alan Baldwin and Reuters | April 10, 2013 SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Former world champion Damon Hill has called on Formula One's governing body, the FIA, to take a stance and address concerns within the sport about next week's Bahrain Grand Prix. Hill, Britain's 1996 champion who is now a television pundit, supported last year's race after initially urging the authorities to reconsider holding it while the country was in the grip of civil unrest and violent protest. Hill, speaking ahead of this weekend's Chinese Grand Prix at a briefing in London organised by British opposition Labour parliamentarian Richard Burden, told F1 reporters he still had reservations and was concerned for the sport's reputation.

NEWS Bahrain on calendar, New Jersey in doubt Alan Baldwin and Reuters | September 28, 2012 LONDON (Reuters) - Bahrain's controversial Formula One grand prix retained its place on a 2013 calendar published on Friday but New Jersey's inaugural race was in doubt. The governing International Automobile Federation (FIA) said Bahrain, whose race this year was overshadowed by violence between police and anti-government protesters, would be the fourth round of the 20-race championship on April 21. Bahrain has hosted several motorsport events since the grand prix went to the top of the news agenda last April, with a round of the FIA world endurance championship being held at the Sakhir circuit this weekend. NEWS Reuters Sports News Summary Reuters | April 23, 2012 Following is a summary of current sports news briefs. Bruins stay alive; underdogs LA, Philadelphia advance 2012-04-23T041805Z_20_BRE83I05W_RTROPTC_0_US-NHL-PLAYOFFS.XML () - Spurs eye top seed, blow to World Peace in L.A.

win 2012-04-23T045024Z_2_BRE83M038_RTROPTC_0_US-NBA.XML () - Rain brings Boston some respite 2012-04-23T032136Z_1_BRE83M03I_RTROPTC_0_US-BASEBALL-REDSOX.XML () - Vettel wins Bahrain Grand Prix, protesters kept away MANAMA (Reuters) NEWS Vettel wins Bahrain Grand Prix, protesters kept away Alan Baldwin and Reuters | April 22, 2012 MANAMA (Reuters) - Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel won the Grand Prix in Bahrain on Sunday while rage boiled beyond the circuit among protesters who say the island's rulers should not have hosted the race after crushing Arab Spring demonstrations last year. High security kept trouble well away from the track, where Red Bull's Vettel led an uneventful race before half-empty stands. Activists said police fired tear gas to prevent post-race demonstrations in Shi'ite villages around the capital.

SPORTS Formula One in the Middle East to stay Alan Baldwin and Reuters | April 22, 2012 MANAMA (Reuters) - Formula One teams, once they have recovered from a Bahrain Grand Prix run against a backdrop of nightly clashes between police and protesters, have many questions to address in the weeks ahead. The whole world has seen television images of demonstrators hurling petrol bombs, while riot police responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and birdshot in protests in and around Bahrain's capital Manama. Last year's race had to be cancelled as the result of a bloody crackdown on an anti-government uprising and Sunday's faced down many calls for it to face the same fate. Human Rights in Bahrain, a Casualty of Obama’s Double-Standard Human Rights in Bahrain, a Casualty of Obama’s Double-Standard Protests and human rights violations never stopped in Bahrain; the media just stopped covering them, and the Bahraini government has hid them from criticism with the help of several US public relations firms. The US and its allies have worked with Bahraini authorities to downplay the civil unrest in Bahrain for US military and economic interests in the area. This article argues that the US is to Bahrain what Russia is to Syria.

By Ahmed Shihab-Eldin Huffington Post April 13, 2012 Both the president of Syria and the King of Bahrain have worked hard this past year to portray their respective countries as stable and safe, hoping to distract from the popular uprisings they have brutally crushed. Both regimes have systematically tortured members of the opposition, killed and detained children, and banned journalists from entering the country to report, all the while alleging these popular movements are driven by "foreign terrorists." Obama has demanded that Bashar al-Assad step-down, slapped sanctions on Syria, and is funding opposition groups in the country. But when it comes to Bahrain, he has colluded in the King's efforts to downplay the civil unrest, distract from proposed reforms and failed to hold Bahrain accountable. This, from a president who promised to restore America's human rights reputation abroad. Fourteen months after protests first erupted against the ruling Sunni monarchy on Feb. 14 2011, much has been promised, but little, if any tangible reforms have taken place.

Bahrain's monarchy has hired several American PR companies, including, Qorvis, which provides public-relations services to the Kingdom at a cost of $40,000 a month plus expenses, with the hopes of convincing the world there is no revolution in Bahrain and that, for example, it can provide security during the Formula One Grand Prix due to be held on April 22. Last year, Bahrain's violent crackdown on protesters led to the government's cancellation of the Formula 1 Grand Prix in the country. While Bahrain's authorities want this year's race to be held, a number of Formula 1 teams expect it to be called off amid security concerns caused by civil unrest, and it should be. A statement from the Formula 1 Teams' Association on Tuesday said it was down to the International Federation of Automobiles as to whether Bahrain's biggest sporting event, launched in 2004 by the crown prince, would be cancelled. The potential cancellation of yet another Grand Prix points to a credibility problem and an aversion to transparency shared both by Bahrain's rulers and Qorvis, their mouthpiece.

Tom Squitieri, a Qorvis employee, who describes himself as an award-winning reporter and communications crafter, has written three times for The Huffington Post, and writes for the Foreign Policy Association on Bahrain without being clear about his affiliation with Qorvis. Squitieri infamously characterized Bahrain's pro-democracy protesters as driven by "anger without a purpose" and called them "foot soldiers for puppet masters with a greater agenda," borrowing a veiled reference often used by Arab leaders to Iran and the perceived threat it poses to the status-quo. Ironically, the government-commissioned Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) found no evidence that Iran had anything to do with the protests, but did find the government guilty of the systematic abuse of prisoners, and yes, torture. King Hamad promised to institute reforms, while also making a point to reference the UK's and U.S.'s record of torture in the so-called War on Terrorism as a point of comparison. Squitieri presents himself as a journalist and claims only to "work with the Bahrain government on media awareness and press freedom," a poorly worded attempt at masking his propaganda job.

But the last time Squitieri worked for a media organization was in 2005 as a Pentagon correspondent, when he resigned from USA Today for plagiarism. Since its early days, the revolution in Bahrain has been a thorn in the sides of the Gulf monarchies, and by extension a real inconvenience to the Obama administration's geo-political interests and military positioning. Bahrain is home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, responsible for naval forces in the Persian Gulf, Red Sea, Arabian Sea, and coast off East Africa. The Obama administration has largely stood by Bahrain, and any criticism has been both soft and vague. Instead, arms sales continue to Bahrain, though a $53 million arms sale to Bahrain has been delayed due to Congressional opposition. Still, the administration has moved forward with new and altered packages of arms sales to Bahrain, using a loophole to quietly sell arms to Bahrain. Details of these sales were not released, with the State Department arguing they did not meet the criteria threshold that would require formal notification. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), one of few voices of reason in the U.S.

government weighed in: "The Bahraini government has shown little progress in improving their human rights record over the last few months and in some ways, their record has gotten worse," he told Foreign Policy magazine. "Supplying arms to a regime that continues to persecute its citizens is not in the best interest of the United States." This is a simple, but salient point that is all too often ignored when it comes to U.S. policy in the region. On Tuesday, a second aircraft carrier arrived in the Gulf. The United States said it was part of a "routine, scheduled" deployment, after reports suggested it was in response to heightened tensions between Bahrain and Iran. Wedged between Saudi Arabia and Iran in the Strait of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of global oil exports pass, Bahrain is of fundamental strategic importance to the U.S. in a rapidly evolving region. Sadly, despite calling for an end of violence by all sides in Bahrain, the U.S. commitment to Bahrain's rulers seems to trump Obama's trumpeted calls for supporting democratic reform and human rights in the region.

"The United States continues to be deeply concerned about the situation in Bahrain, and we urge all parties to reject violence in all its forms," Jay Carney, press secretary for U.S. President Barack Obama, said on Wednesday. But this generalized statement is as insincere as it is effective. Last year, troops from Saudi Arabia and other GCC countries entered Bahrain to extinguish the uprising in a crackdown widely condemned by human rights groups the world over. Then, and again now, the Obama administration has largely muddled its message with a selective, and frankly convenient approach to supporting human rights and freedom. Moreover, Cherif Bassiouni, the chair of the BICI, recently said in an interview that the Obama administration is not doing enough to pressure the regime. "There is merit in naming the shaming and embarrassing, in pushing, in enlisting public opinion, domestic and international. This is not the style of Secretary Clinton or President Obama, and I'm not sure they are necessarily doing the right choice," he said. Bahrain, like Syria, has prevented journalists from entering the country to report on the widespread protests. While working at Al Jazeera, several of my colleagues were banned from entering.

Those who got in had to work undercover, including a team that produced the documentary Shouting in The Dark, a story of the Arab revolution that was abandoned by the Arabs, forsaken by the West and forgotten by the world. While working at Al Jazeera's The Stream, a social-media show that relies on citizen reports and submissions from the ground, I was responsible for updating the team on videos and photos that had been shared via social networks. Each day, dozens and dozens of videos streamed in documenting daily protests in Shia villages, police abuses, the firing of tear-gas inside homes, and the arrest and killing of children; all contradicting the press releases Qorvis was distributing. One notable report released by Qorvis suggested that the Doctors Without Borders office was somehow responsible for the government's violent raid on its offices because of incorrect permits for operating in the country. But the reality on the ground painted a very different picture. The constant stream of videos and photos in real-time became impossible to ignore, even if difficult to fully confirm.

Several activists appeared on our show as guests, including both Maryam Al Khawaja and Zaynab Al Khawaja, the daughters of jailed human rights activist Abdulhadi Al Khawaja, who also holds Danish citizenship. Denmark's prime minister urged Bahrain to release a jailed activist with dual citizenship on Tuesday, claiming he is in critical condition, a claim Bahrain's government refutes. Al-Khawaja, whose torture was well-documented in the BICI and who has reached his 63rd day of a hunger strike, remind us that the manipulated mirage of stability and progress created by King Hamad is merely an illusion. On the night of April 9 2011, security forces entered his home, beat him unconscious, and arrested him in front of his screaming family. Since then, human rights activists across the world have been demanding the release of Al Khawaja, who was sentenced to life for allegedly attempting to overthrow the monarchy. If Al-Khawaja dies in custody, as his lawyer warns us may happen, then this forgotten revolution, despite its daily protests and confrontations between police and protesters, is likely to detonate.

Then, Obama will really find himself in a real quagmire, as it is sure to reignite the flames of revolt in the country. While many have characterized the uprising as spurred by sectarian divisions between the Shia majority and Sunni minority rulers, Sunni protesters were among the first to take to the streets last February. Today while some Sunnis still rally against their government, demanding reforms, others protest attacks against the police by Shias, armed with petrol bombs. When compared to Tunisia, Egypt, Syria and even Libya, the percentage of the total population who took to the streets in Bahrain demanding reform, and eventually regime change, was the highest, considering Bahrain's tiny population of just under 1.5 million. The seriousness of the civil unrest still witnessed in Bahrain and the subsequent disregard by the west is particularly troubling, considering the significance of the protests, which were largely peaceful, until the King's brutal crackdown. Even as much of the world chooses to look away from Bahrain, the resolve of the nation's revolutionaries remains in tact. Obama is not alone in his convenient oversights of the continued civil unrest in Bahrain and the reneging of its rulers on proposed reforms.

The Queen of England invited the King of Bahrain to a Diamond Jubilee lunch hosted at Windsor Castle despite widespread criticism of his bloody and repressive regime. He is also thought to be among those invited to a champagne dinner given by Prince Charles that same evening at Buckingham Palace. A palace source said to the press, "It was the Queen's decision to host the lunch and her decision to invite every world sovereign. It would have been very rude to have left anyone off the list and the queen would never want to offend anyone." I find the Queen's invitation offensive, and I'm certain those tortured and suffocated with U.S.-manufactured tear gas at the hands of Bahrain's rulers share my sentiment, let alone the more than hundred thousand of citizens that have taken to the street to protest. Obama promised to restore the United States' human rights reputation after it was tarnished by the war on terror, torture practices, rendition and Abu Ghraib prison photos. He has yet to close Guantanamo Bay. Many see that as a fundamental failure in living up to his promise.

But what may be even worse, is the obvious obfuscation when Obama chooses to pursue short-term geo-political interests and in doing so ignores the flagrant violations of human rights in Bahrain, while continuing to arm and support the country's ruling minority. This spring, we can continue to turn our back on our shameful support of Bahrain's continued crackdown on dissent, or we can capitalize on a historic moment and think creatively about ways in which we can pressure our Saudi, Bahraini and other allies in the region. On Feb. 14, 2012, exactly one year after the uprisings first began in Bahrain, Maryam Al-Khawaja, the head of foreign relations for Bahrain's Center for Human Rights, appeared for a second time on my former show on Al Jazeera's The Stream. There is one sentence she said that still resonated loudly in my head. "The protests never stopped in Bahrain," she told me. "The media just stopped covering them... to the Bahraini protesters, the U.S. is to Bahrain what Russia is to Syria." In short, the U.S.

is obstructing justice, perpetuating human rights violations and supporting a leader who, like Assad, has turned his back on his own people and lied to the world about it. Bahraini opposition leader predicts “violence” for GP weekend // F1 News // James Allen on F1 – The official James Allen website on F1 Posted By: James Allen | 10 Apr 2012 | 9:24 am GMT | 117 comments There is a Grand Prix this weekend in China, but it’s the one the following Sunday in Bahrain which is dominating the headlines and looks set to dominate the agenda in Shanghai this weekend as well. One of the leading opponents of the Bahraini ruling regime yesterday predicted “violence” on the streets of the country if the Formula 1 Grand Prix goes ahead next week. Speaking in a discussion on BBC Radio 4’s PM programme, in which I also took part, Nabeel Rajab, president of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, said, “I’m afraid that it will turn to violence.. You see growing anger against the F1 here, it’s become a symbol of the ruling regime here in Bahrain.

“Some people say ‘Let’s separate politics and sport’, yes you can do that in the UK but not in a repressive regime where everything is in the hands of the rulers.” You can hear all of the eight minute discussion on the Bahrain GP, starting at 14 mins in, here BBC Radio 4 PM programme This threat is precisely what the teams are afraid of. In the last 24 hours one unnamed team principal told the Guardian that most of the teams want the race cancelled, or at least postponed, as they are profoundly uncomfortable about going there. Damon Hill broke the ice last week on this subject when he said, “It would be a bad state of affairs, and bad for Formula One, to be seen to be enforcing martial law in order to hold the race. That is not what this sport should be about. Looking at it today you’d have to say that [the race] could be creating more problems than it’s solving.” And now the unnamed team boss has said, “I feel very uncomfortable about going to Bahrain. “If I’m brutally frank, the only way they can pull this race off without incident is to have a complete military lockdown there. And I think that would be unacceptable, both for F1 and for Bahrain.

But I don’t see any other way they can do it. “We’re all hoping the FIA calls it off. From a purely legal point of view, in terms of insurance and government advice, we are clear to go. But what we find worrying is that there are issues happening every day.” According to Gazzetta dello Sport today 10 of the 12 team principals are in favour of the race being called off. One team sent its team manager over there to recce the situation last week and he reported back to other teams that things don’t look particularly unusual, but the situation is evolving quite quickly and what is clear is that there will be intense meetings between Bernie Ecclestone (who will be attending his first race of the season), FIA president Jean Todt and the teams during the Chinese Grand Prix weekend. Ecclestone has always maintained that the protests are small in scale and that there is nothing for the teams or other F1 personnel to worry about.

In the first sign that he’s softening his position on this matter, Ecclestone has told the Times today, ‘If the teams don’t want to go, then we cannot make them.” The teams have hitherto said that they are leaving it to the FIA to make the decision on this matter as it is their role to ensure the safety of the event and its participants. But the Guardian article is a sign that some teams are now trying to force the issue. The Bahrainis have quite a bit of influence within the FIA, including a seat on the World Council. They also have a major share holding in McLaren, which makes team principal Martin Whitmarsh’s position awkward, in light of his role as FOTA president, which requires him to reflect the views of the seven teams still involved in that organisation. I think the point is that F1 teams are keen to race in Bahrain, but only when the country has stabilised again after the 2011 uprisings and when the teams can be sure that their personnel are not at risk and the race will be played out against a backdrop of calm.

Although the authorities in Bahrain want to use F1 as a symbol that the country is well advanced down that path, the continuing protests and threats indicate that it’s not as far down that road as it might have hoped to be. Featured News | Sport , Formula One , US & Canada , Latin America , Bahrain The championship title went down to the wire in Brazil with a duel between Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso [EPA] Formula One fans have learned to expect the unexpected and 2012, despite Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull ending up as world champions for the third year in a row , was predictably unpredictable. While Sebastien Loeb racked up a ninth successive championship with Citroen in rallying - an outcome that surprised absolutely nobody - and Audi won Le Mans for the 11th time in 13 years, followers of grand prix racing had a nail biting ride right to the end. This was the year of eight different winners, an unprecedented seven of them in the first seven races, from six separate teams who spent months getting to grips with the Pirelli tyres.

Unprecedented start Vettel becoming, at 25, the sport's youngest triple champion was an easy prediction to make at the end of 2011 when the German ran away with his second title and Red Bull were dominant. It looked less likely as the sport headed off for its summer break and, after 13 rounds of a record 20-race season, Vettel still had only one victory to his credit and was 42 points off the lead. "People were not even mentioning us when they were talking about the championship, but I think the most important thing was that we always kept believing," the German said after being taken down to the wire in Brazil in a duel with Ferrari's Fernando Alonso. Alonso, driving the wheels off an ugly car that had been painfully slow out of the box, was - against all expectation - comfortably clear of the rest as the championship entered its second half. Even if Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone held up Vettel as a new benchmark for the sport, team principals voted Alonso their driver of the season and the Spaniard had no doubt about what he had done in a car he knew was not the fastest.

"It was by far the best season of my career and I will remember this 2012 like some dream season," said the man who won two titles with Renault in 2005 and 2006. The Spaniard's win in rain-hit Malaysia, the second race of the season, was a stunning result considering how far off the pace Ferrari had been in testing and in the Australian opener. Alonso, lucky to escape unhurt after Romain Grosjean's Lotus skimmed past his head in Belgium in an incident that got the Frenchman banned for a race, and Vettel were the main men in a field of six champions - five of them race winners in 2012. There were few gasps of surprise when seven times world champion Michael Schumacher, three years into an unimpressive comeback with Mercedes and six years on from his last win with Ferrari, decided to call it a day for the second time at the age of 43. There were rather more when 2008 champion Lewis Hamilton cut the umbilical cord with super-successful McLaren and signed for Mercedes , whose otherwise bleak year was illuminated only by their first win as a works team since 1955.

That bombshell was comparable to the shock in MotoGP when Australian Casey Stoner announced in May that he was calling it a day at the age of 26 because he had fallen out of love with the sport. Spain's Jorge Lorenzo won that title with Yamaha, the second of his career. Surprise announcements Hamilton surprised many by announcing his move to Mercedes, where he will replace the retiring Michael Schumacher [Reuters] Hamilton leaving McLaren for a far less successful team would have been dismissed by many at the end of 2011, and they might have scoffed also at the idea of Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado winning the Spanish Grand Prix for Williams – whose chairman Adam Parr had resigned only weeks after being lined up as founder Frank Williams' heir apparent. How many would have expected Mercedes to dominate the Chinese Grand Prix or for Jenson Button, winning the first and last races of the year, to end up scoring more points than Hamilton over their three year McLaren partnership? But he did. There would have been few bets on Ferrari academy youngster Sergio Perez ending the season, after the Mexican had celebrated three podium finishes for mid-table Sauber, with a McLaren contract in his pocket.

The United States returned to the calendar in Austin, the Texan capital that prides itself on being weird and showed it by taking foreign Formula One to its heart in a country more enamoured of NASCAR and oval racing. Some locals were doubtless more interested in NASCAR's final weekend at Homestead, which clashed with the Austin race, that saw Brad Keselowski winning his first Sprint Cup title with Dodge and denying Jimmie Johnson a sixth championship. American motorsports fans also had an emotional triple winner to acclaim when Scotland's Dario Franchitti triumphed in the Indy 500, a year on from his late friend Dan Wheldon. Bahrain defied international condemnation and put on a race that many had expected to be cancelled due to civil unrest and violent anti-government protests. That race, that saw the sport's ethics and values questioned on front pages around the world, ultimately troubled Ecclestone far less than a court case in Germany, increasing legal actions elsewhere and the shelving of advanced plans to float the sport in Singapore. At 82, the British billionaire still had a spring in his step after marrying Brazilian Fabiana Flosi, his 35-year-old third wife.

Maldonado surprise Barcelona, the most predictable race on the calendar, produced a 500-1 winner in Maldonado while Valencia and Abu Dhabi, both yawn-fests in the past, turned out to be thrillers. The latter race even delivered one of the quotes of the championship from winner Kimi Raikkonen. "Leave me alone. I know what I'm doing," the Finn told his Lotus team over the radio as they offered advice he felt he could do without. The sport welcomed its first woman team principal when Monisha Kaltenborn took over the reins from Peter Sauber and shuddered at the freak testing accident that cost Marussia's female Spanish tester Maria De Villota the use of an eye as well as inflicting horrific injuries. If at the start of the season, the smart money would have been on Vettel and Hamilton fighting for the title with Red Bull's design genius Adrian Newey likely to come out on top, next year promises to be different.

Even if Vettel again looks the man to beat in a season where the cars will be very similar - if more attractive due to 'modesty panels' allowed to cover up the broken, stepped noses - Hamilton may have to wait until 2014 before he gets a truly competitive car again. That will give Button a real chance as McLaren's most experienced driver, while Alonso can be counted on to fight all the way and Raikkonen will be doing what he knows how to do after an impressive comeback season. Unless, of course, the unexpected happens. Source: Reuters

Question: What spring 2012 Formula 1 Grand Prix was held amongst violent civil unrest?
Answer: Bahrain