28th January 2013

BAHRAIN MEDIA ROUNDUP

BAHRAIN OPPOSITION GIVES CAUTIOUS NOD FOR TALKS
Bahrain's main opposition groups say they are willing to open dialogue aimed at easing the Gulf nation's two-year political crisis, but they seek more clarity on the scope of the possible talks. Washington and other allies of Bahrain's monarchy have encouraged negotiations in the strategic kingdom, home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet. Persistent clashes and arrests have so far derailed bids for talks between Bahrain's Sunni leadership and the Shiite opposition, which began an Arab Spring-inspired uprising for a greater political voice in February 2011. More than 55 people have died in the unrest. Read More

Bahrain's missing men leave families behind, equally punished

As far as three-year-old Zainab is concerned, her father has not come home for a month because he is a hero, off doing good deeds. He is ever-present, though. Zainab sometimes asks to see his belongings, and she parades them around the room after her mother dutifully retrieves them.

On Zainab's birthday, a gift appeared, signed by her absent hero. What Zainab's mother, Fatema, is at pains to admit to her daughter is that the present was actually from her. Her arms exing and writhing with anxiety, Fatema, 24, explains out of Zainab's earshot how police arrested her husband in November. In January, he was charged in connection to violent anti-government activity. Read More Nakhleh conducted eld research in Bahrain from 1972-73 as the rst US scholar to do so, with complete access to the countrys societal benchmarks. This ultimately resulted in Nakhlehs book,Bahrain: Political Development in a Modernizing Society, one of the most important references on Bahrain to date. Following is the unedited interview, which has been translated into English from Arabic by the Mirror. Read More

started investigations into Friday protests in Manama. "The public prosecution has interrogated 28 suspects in the presence of their attorneys and ordered their precautionary incarceration for interrogation purposes," the ofcial Bahrain News Agency reported. The agency adds about 100 demonstrators blocked trafc in Manama and resisted the efforts of law enforcement ofcials to restore order. Read More of State for Information Affairs Sameera Rajab told our sister newspaper, the Gulf Daily News (GDN). "It all depends on the participants," she said. "How fast they reach and nalise on issues." Rajab added that issues agreed upon by participants would be forwarded to the government for further action. Read More

Protesters interrogated in Bahrain

Investigators in Bahrain interrogated 28 demonstrators in the presence of their attorneys about last week's protests, the Bahraini news agency reports. Deputy Attorney General Mohammed Salah said public prosecutors Monday

The Current State of Affairs in Bahrain

Lobe Log contributor Emile Nakhleh, an expert on political Islam and Middle Eastern society, recently provided a fascinating primer on Bahrain to the Bahrain Mirror (Arabic version),an e-newspaper run by Bahraini dissidents. As discussed in the Mirrors introduction, prior to becoming theCIAs former chief regional analyst, Dr.

No deadline set for Bahrain talks: minister

No timeframe has been xed for a new national dialogue in Bahrain, which could start as early as this week, said a senior government ofcial. There is no deadline for participants to reach a consensus on key issues facing the country, Minister