If you thought the revolution in Egypt posed some tricky dilemmas for American foreign policy, how about the upheavals in Bahrain? Bahrain is a tiny place. But is also the base for the US Fifth Fleet – the basis of American power in the Persian Gulf. Hitherto, the Americans have hidden behind the convenient idea that Bahrain is moving towards democracy. In the recent past, Hillary Clinton has pronounced herself “impressed” by Bahrain’s “committment to the democratic path”. But now the government is killing demonstrators in the street. Read more