Bahrain, Uzbekistan (and Beyond) Special: Bell Pottinger, PR Agency for the Regimes, is Busted

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Since this summer, we have been closely following the story of the high-profile US and British public-relations agencies hired by the Bahraini regime to turn its line into "news" and "analysis". Others have caught onto the story: today Salon profiles Tom Squitieri, one of the most prominent --- in persistence, if not quality --- consultants posing as a journalist.

Now a combination of The Independent of London, the Bureau for Investigative Journalism, and blogger Tim Ireland have exposed the activities of one of Bahrain's choice agencies, Bell Pottinger, as it cleans up the images of regimes around the world. Among the revelations are Bell Pottinger's re-writing of Wikipedia entries for Bahrain in the service of the "right" narrative about the kingdom.

A personal note: I had the chance to chat with one of Bell Pottinger's top executives in October. With a straight face and determined line, he explained to me that the agency was pursuing "reform" through its work with the leaders of Yemen and Bahrain. If that effort stumbled, it was not for lack of effort and goodwill by Bell Pottinger; instead it was the failure of those like Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh to follow through on the agency's advice. In Bahrain, the executive continued, Crown Prince Salman was the spearhead for political change, and Bell Pottinger would be failing --- in its service to him and to the greater good --- if it did not help him.

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Bahrain, Syria (and Beyond) LiveBlog: Noticing the Political Prisoners

Tonight's demonstration in Tal Refaat in Aleppo Provice in Syria, expressing support for the opposition's National Unity Council

See also Bahrain Feature: The Regime's Public-Relations Army of US and British Consultants
Yemen Feature: Locals "We Have Bigger Problems Than Al Qa'eda"
Sunday's Bahrain, Syria (and Beyond) LiveBlog: Trying to Stem the Protests

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1947 GMT: An activist, claiming he was speaking from hiding, has said that Syrian troops have detained more than 3,000 people in the past three days in house-to-house sweeps in Rastan,.

The Syrian military reportedly occupied the town of 70,000 in Homs Province after a five-day assault last week. The activist said the detainees were being held at a cement factory, schools, and the Sports Club, a massive four-storey compound.

Syria's state-media said troops moved into Rastan to hunt down "armed terrorists".

Meanwhile, a funeral procession was held for the 21-year-old son of Syria's top Sunni Muslim cleric, Grand Mufti Ahmad Badreddine Hassoun.

Hassoun's son was killed on Sunday in an ambush in northern Syria. The cleric, considered a close supporter of the Assad regime, told hundreds of people attending the funeral at a mosque in Aleppo that dissenters working against Syria from abroad: "Come and say whatever you want here and if anyone rejects [you], I will be with you in the opposition.You want freedom, you want justice then come here and build it with us in Syria."

Hassoun blamed fatwas or religious edicts by unnamed clerics, living abroad, for the death of his son.

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Bahrain Feature: The Regime's Public-Relations Army of US and British Consultants (Chan'ad Bahraini 2.0)

Bahrain’s embassy in Washington DC signed a contract with the DC-based Potomac Square Group on the 17th of February, three days after the start of the uprising. The firm is run by Chris Cooper, a former Wall Street Journalist reporter. He writes on his LinkedIn profile: "Clients include a foreign government seeking help in dealing with an internal crisis."

According to the US registration documents the embassy was to pay him $20,000 (plus expenses) for a month's worth of services (renewable).

Joe Trippi & Associates is a D.C.-based media firm headed by Democratic political strategist Joe Trippi (@JoeTrippi), who managed Howard Dean's 2004 U.S. presidential election campaign. He was hired some time before August by Dr. Saqer Al Khalifa on behalf of Bahrain's Ministry of Information.

According to the registration documents, Trippi is tasked with providing "strategic counsel" and assisting "with outreach to members of the media and non-governmental organizations." The documents don't mention how much the Bahrain government is paying for the services.

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