Bahrain (and Beyond) Live Coverage: Is There Any Hope in the "National Dialogue"?

1918 GMT: Bahrain. The Information Affairs' Authority --- deliberately or unwittingly --- has built on a pro-regime disinformation campaign --- to warn about "direct threats" by an opposition which it calls "terrorist gangs and saboteurs".

Opposition groups, including Al Wefaq, have called for Bahrainis to refrain from shopping, banking, and fuelling their cars. Pro-regime activists have used that to put out fake flyers, in the name of the opposition, threatening people if they do not join the boycott.

A women's "Noise March" in Bahrain on Tuesday

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1918 GMT: Bahrain. The Information Affairs' Authority --- deliberately or unwittingly --- has built on a pro-regime disinformation campaign to warn about "direct threats" by an opposition which it calls "terrorist gangs and saboteurs".

Opposition groups, including Al Wefaq, have called for Bahrainis to refrain from shopping, banking, and fuelling their cars. Pro-regime activists have used that to put out fake flyers, in the name of the opposition, threatening people if they do not join the boycott.

Now the IAA has put out the statement:

Some internet webpages and social media accounts in Bahrain circulated news about direct threats being sent by terrorist gangs and saboteurs to various individuals, groups, families, workers, shops and companies intended to compel citizens and residents to stay at home and refrain from going to work or business as usual on Thursday February, 14, 2013 in a desperate bid to forcibly impose a de facto public strike in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

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Bahrain Feature: The Splintering of the "Regime" and "Opposition" Camps? (Louer)

One of Friday's mass marches for the release of detained human rights activist Abdulhadi Alkhawaja

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In the wake of increasing street violence in Bahrain—a far cry from the peaceful rallies of February and March 2011 — the Bahraini regime is attempting to restart dialogue with the opposition. Initiated by a leading representative of the ruling dynasty’s hardliners, Royal Court Minister Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, the dialogue involves pre-conditions that the opposition is unlikely to accept — most notably the acceptance of the 2002 constitution which has deprived parliament of any meaningful power — and has yet to convince the opposition of its sincerity. If started, the dialogue will have difficulty in achieving genuine rapprochement, as the political scene has undergone increasingly prevalent fragmentation. In this environment, describing the actors simply as “the regime” and “the opposition” becomes problematic.

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Bahrain 1st-Hand: Friday's "For Democracy" Opposition Rally

The opposition's montage of the Friday rally "For Democracy"

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An EA correspondent reports from Bahrain on Friday's "For Democracy" rally organised by five opposition groups:

Tens of thousands of people participated in the rally organised yesterday by the opposition societies, demanding transformation to a democratic system in which the people are the source of authority.

Bahraini flags, along with flags from the "Arab Spring" countries were waving high during the march that began at A'ali roundabout and reaching Salmabad roundabout before returning to its starting point.

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Bahrain 1st-Hand: Friday's "Festival of Loyalty" Opposition Rally

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The weekly opposition gatherings have resumed after stopping for one week due to the death of Ali Hassan Aldaihi, the elderly man who allegedly died after a police beating last week. Friday's gathering was hosted by five opposition parties --- Alwefaq, Waad, Alekha, Amal, and Altajamoa --- in the village of Ain-Athari and labelled as a festival of "loyalty to the martyrs, wounded, detained, and dismissed".

The festival, attended by 35,000 to 40,000 people, was distinctive from previous rallies for two reasons. The introductory speech was not given by a politician but by a journalist, Batool Alsayed, and another address cited the the human rights violations of the regime.

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Bahrain Opinion: Creating the Discourse of Fear on Fantasy Island (Hammonda)

One of the critical things the Bahraini government has done since this year’s uprising set off panic that it was nearly game over is to create a discourse challenging the narrative of an oppressed majority demanding democracy and an end to discrimination. The authorities have worked diligently to put the argument in public space that the street protest movement was violent, sought to replace the monarchy with an Iran-allied republic and did not represent the majority of Bahrainis. To do this, a number of measures have been taken such as hiring PR companies, promoting a Sunni-led political party to occupy a nationalist middle ground, and creating a chattering army of Bahrainis and foreigners primed with talking points to influence traditional and online media, often with fake or hidden identities.

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Bahrain Document: The Outcome of the National Dialogue

Reuters journalist Andrew Hammond, writing on his website Hammonda, posts the English-language summary of the finding of the Bahraini regime's National Dialogue, which began on 1 July, with  an Arabic version is to be published on Friday. King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa is meeting Dialogue members today --- opposition party Al Wefaq says it will not attend, but the opposition Waad Party. Waad member Munira Fakhro said it is not clear if the King will approve all or any sections of the document.

Hammond comments, "The important thing is that [this] does not change the balance of power between the appointed upper house of parliament and the elected one. It only allows the elected [house] more powers to question cabinet ministers and some other powers of scrutiny, [as in] Kuwait. But at least Kuwait’s Parliament is entirely elected. Also, [there are] no limits on the terms of [the] Prime Minister and other ministers."

Bahrain’s National Dialogue: Executive Summary of Outcomes

Introduction

Bahrain’s National Dialogue was launched on 2nd July 2011 to address the concerns
of Bahraini citizens in the wake recent events. Setting aside differences, the National
Dialogue’s aim was to build consensus on the most salient political, economic, social
and human rights issues, without preconditions, and based on proposals by
participants. Its success was dependent on the active participation of close to 300
delegates from across Bahraini society, and on their willingness to bridge divides,
enhance the reform process and define a shared vision for Bahrain’s future.

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