Jew World Order

Press TV talks with Colin Cavell, the former assistant professor at the University of Bahrain, who talks about the uprising in Bahrain, the relationship between the Al Khalifa regime and its allies and the hypocritical stance of the United States towards the demands of the Bahraini opposition.

The video also offers the opinions of Hayyan Haidar, a Middle East expert in Beirut, and Peter Eyre, a Middle East consultant in London.

What follows is an approximate transcript of the interview.

Press TV: Mr. Cavell, some 80 people have been killed since the revolution began over a year ago, which is a high number when we consider Bahrain’s population; over a million people.

And almost 30 of the victims were killed this year.

Does this mean, do you think, that the regime has decided a violent crackdown is the only way to quell these protests?

Cavell: Yes Homa, the regime has responded to democratic non-violent demands, with vicious violence, with torture, with jailing, with murder.

And this opposition, this uprising in Bahrain, is percentage wise the largest uprising in the entire Arab world, three quarters of the population right out on the streets on march just as recently as March 9th.

Non-violent uprising, everything the US has asked for in order to support such uprising, and yet they are betraying the Bahraini revolution, they are betraying this demand for democracy, they are betraying this demand to eliminate to get rid of a 229-year old monarchy that has no legitimacy.

Press TV: Do you think that the Bahraini regime is quite independently making that decision, not to engage in dialogue, or as some observers have been saying, the Bahraini regime has been getting orders from Riyadh or from its allies not to engage in dialogue because they deem it not worthwhile at this point in time, what do you think?

Cavell: Well Homa, I do believe that since Bahrain is a mere satrap or appendage of Saudi Arabia that they are taking their orders directly from the king of Saudi Arabia.

However, they would not be doing this without the support and encouragement of the United States.

The State Department, US State Department, believes that this opposition, that this uprising can be quelled, that the opposition will go away. But they are wrong, they are dead wrong, they have been proven wrong throughout the past year.

And right now, the opposition is trying to decide what tactics they should utilize.

And you got some who are saying, well maybe we should compromise with the regime, and the regime willingly buy that part of.

There are others who say well, perhaps we need violence, and perhaps we should pick up guns.

For example, last night I heard the famous journalist Seymour Hersh speak at the University of Texas at Austin, and I asked him, I asked him about Bahrain, to speak about how the US is controlling the entire region from Bahrain with its Fifth Fleet base there.

And he laughed and he said well unfortunately the opposition will lose in Bahrain because the big boys have all the guns.

So this is an attitude of how some Western journalist and others are looking at this massive uprising in Bahrain.

But I want to suggest Homa that there may be another option, and that is a labor strike, if you have three quarters of the population withhold their labor from this regime for a week, it would collapse.

And they can do it gradually; they can start one day at a time, until people get into knowing how to do a labor strike.

But then have everybody do a complete labor strike and mark the highways, just like they did on February 14th.

Press TV: Let’s speak about the kind of international attention that’s been put on the case with Bahrain, we’re seeing reports of poisons tear gas killing a lot of protesters in Bahrain.

And other reports are telling us that this poisons tear gas is being supplied by the United States.

However, no international action, no United Nations actions, while human rights violations including, torture and arbitrary arrests are taking place.

So basically, where does the UN stand in this, is it incapable now of playing a humanitarian role in the case of Bahrain at least?

Cavell: Excellent question Homa, it raises another question, which is how independent is the United Nations?

Do they have to be quite until the United States gives its approval on anything? And that is what the world has seen!

The United States is being hypocritical, especially in Bahrain.

And the opposition, the democratic opposition, three quarters of the population, is asking themselves, are you saying United States that you don’t respect our revolution unless we pick up guns?

Are you agreeing with Mao Zedong that political power comes from the barrel of a gun?

You told us for years, peaceful opposition, you will respect! And yet you are betraying us! You are not recognizing our demands at all!

You are supporting an eighteen century monarchy, a 229-year old outmoded form of government.

So what do you want the opposition to do?

Press TV: Do you think that there is going to be regime change and that would only quell the protests or do you think that political reforms are possible, that constitutional monarchy is going to work here?

Cavell: Homa, Mr. Peter Eyre is correct, that the United Nations is not going to help the Bahraini opposition.

Other countries are not helping the Bahraini opposition with arms or any type of instigation. It will be up to the Bahraini opposition to make this revolution successful.

And as Mr. Haidar said, it may come to violence at some point. And this is what the United States State Department is pushing the Bahraini opposition into. They’re saying; we don’t respect you uprising unless you use violence.

But I think the Bahraini opposition has a choice here; they can either use violence, and that way it would be a very bloody situation, or a labor strike, which I think would be something that could be very effective.

PM/GHN