Bahrain is a small desert kingdom in the Persian Gulf, a nation of about 1 million. In February 2011, it became swept up in the unrest sweeping through the Arab world, as long simmering tensions within the country boiled over, producing large demonstrations and a violent crackdown. For the Obama administration, Bahrain is the Egypt scenario in miniature, a struggle to avert broader instability and protect its interests while voicing support for the democratic aspiration of the protesters. It is one of the most politically volatile countries in the Gulf, and one of the most strategically important for the United States, which bases its Fifth Fleet there. It produces a notable amount of oil, and is a banking hub.
March 16 Two days after the king of Bahrain brought in 2,000 troops from Saudi Arabia and other neighboring allies, and the day after he declared martial law, his security forces rolled into Pearl Square, the stronghold of the antigovernment protest movement, taking it from the protesters who had moved in a month ago. Plumes of black smoke choked the central city landscape as troops repeatedly fired tear gas canisters, rubber bullets and what sounded like live ammunition, igniting fires in tents, trees and brush. Most of the hundreds in the square fled from the huge display of military might. There was no immediate word on casualties.
March 15 Hours after the king of Bahrain declared a three-month state of emergency, doctors said two protesters had been killed and some 200 wounded and injured in clashes with riot police in the suburban village of Sitra, a stronghold of antigovernment activists six miles south of the capital. The violence contrasted starkly with a large protest in downtown Manama, where more than 10,000 protesters marched peacefully on the Saudi Arabian Embassy to denounce a military intervention by Persian Gulf countries the day before.
March 14 Troops crossed from Saudi Arabia into Bahrain to help quell unrest there, a move Bahraini opposition groups denounced as an “occupation,” while pro-government legislators called for the imposition of martial law. The Iranian government, which has supported the protests led by the Shiite majority, branded the move “unacceptable.”
March 13 Thousands of antigovernment protesters in Bahrain blocked access to the financial district in Manama, the capital, preventing workers from getting to their offices and pushing back police officers who tried to disperse them. It was the most serious challenge to the royal family that rules Bahrain since protests began last month. Witnesses said the police used tear gas and fired on the protesters with rubber bullets.
March 12 Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates warned this tiny kingdom’s ruling family that “baby steps” toward reform would not be enough to meet the political and economic grievances sweeping the region. Mr. Gates also cautioned Bahrain’s king and crown prince during two hours of meetings in Manama, Bahrain’s capital, that if the reform process was prolonged, the United States feared that Iran would become involved and create more chaos.
March 6 The leaders of Bahrain's opposition movement said that they would not be mollified by offers of money and jobs, raising the prospect of a protracted standoff between protesters and the embattled government of this strategically important Persian Gulf
