www.lsureveille.com
By David Scheuermann
In a speech following the United States' missile strike on Libya, President Barack Obama proclaimed a resounding call to spread the ideals of democracy around the world.
"Because wherever people long to be free, they will find a friend in the United States," Obama said.
And in some bizarro universe, this commitment to a democratic ideal may ring true. But in reality, the United States' support of democratic movements, especially in the Middle East, depends largely on what they offer us.
Let's take the island nation of Bahrain as an example.
Inspired by the protests in Tunisia and Egypt, Bahraini citizens gathered on Feb. 14, 2011, in the capital city of Manama, calling for political reforms such as free, fair elections and a constitutional monarchy.
What they were met with in return was a violent crackdown by the Bahraini monarchy that began on Feb. 17, 2011, or Bloody Thursday. A month later, troops from other Persian Gulf states, such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, were brought into the country as martial law was declared for three months.
All in all, 2,929 people were detained and 55 are believed to have been killed during the uprising as the Bahraini government cracked down on everyone from opposition activists to doctors trying to do their jobs. Midnight raids occurred in Shia neighborhoods, opposition activists "disappeared" and detainees reported being tortured by their government.
What was the response from the United States?
After initially offering stern words against the violence used against protesters, the United States decided to pursue a $53 million arms deal with Bahrain.
The kicker: After the deal was delayed by human rights concerns and congressional opposition, last week the Obama administration found a way to go through with the sale without congressional or public oversight by exploiting a legal loophole.
By breaking down the arms package into individual sales of less than $1 million each, the Obama administration can sell anything it wants without notifying Congress.
Yet, our support to anti-democratic regimes is nothing new.
Saudi Arabia, notorious for its oppressive laws and mistreatment of minorities, is a major beneficiary of the United States. In 2010, the Obama administration signed the largest arms deal ever to a foreign nation when it agreed to sell $60 billion worth of military equipment to the country.
A more apt comparison may be our relationship with Yemen, a country which has also killed and detained protesters in its brutal crackdown on uprisings since last year. Despite the violence against Yemeni citizens, the United States never offered an action that went further than harsh words and criticisms — because Yemen allows the United States to conduct counter-terrorism actions inside the country.
When you compare this treatment to our support for the NATO intervention in Libya and our attempts at sanctioning Syria, there is an obvious double standard and hypocrisy when the nations abusing its citizens have something to offer us.
There are political arguments for our support of anti-democratic regimes such as the Bahraini government.
The United States Navy's Fifth Fleet, which is seen as a major force for combating the influence of Iran in the region, is stationed in Bahrain. Bahrain's alliance with states such as Saudi Arabia also would have made it difficult to chastise the government without repercussions.
However, these strategies seem short term and alienating.
A Pew poll released in May 2011 revealed that, even after the Arab Spring, a great majority of the population in many Middle Eastern countries viewed the United States unfavorably. What concerned them about the United States was "a perception that the U.S. acts unilaterally" and neglectful of their interests when making foreign policy decisions, according to the Pew Research Center.
The sad thing about that is there is no way to combat such perceptions when they are entirely accurate.
Our foreign policy in the Middle East may provide stability in the short term, but it also perpetuates animosity toward us in the region, empowers our enemies against us and makes a mockery of the democratic ideals that this country was founded on.
David Scheuermann is a 20-year-old mass communication and computer science sophomore from Kenner. Follow him on Twitter at @TDR_dscheu.
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