BAHRAIN - The Campaign Against Terror - Part 3.

As one of the countries in the Persian Gulf that faced a serious Islamist upsurge in the 1990s, Bahrain has quietly welcomed the war against terror led by the US. From a strategic perspective, in terms of the stability of the regime and of the ruling family, any reduction in the level of radical Islamist activity in the Gulf is a welcome development for Bahrain. Operation Enduring Freedom against the Taliban in Afghanistan, being staged almost entirely by the US and its Afghan allies, will send strong signals against those who try to promote militancy in Bahrain as well as to some domestic extremists who had tried to pursue their objectives during the 1990s under the cover of a demand for democratic change.

In keeping with its geo-political environment and sentiments among mainstream Muslims throughout the region, Bahrain will not make its role in the war against terror a high profile one. It will provide all the logistic and other assistance needed, with the emirate being one of the key strongholds of the US military outside the Western hemisphere, but it will do so in a discreet way. The co-operation will be based on already existing defence agreements between Bahrain and the US (see following pages), although observers believe the emirate will be prepared to accommodate ad hoc necessities on the American side.

The leadership in the emirate is well aware of the sensitivities involved on the Arab side of the war against terror. Throughout the Middle East commentators have noted that the war seems to be against Islam, or that in the circumstances Islam seems to be equated with terror. They have noted that most of those on the wanted list of the FBI are Muslims and most are Arabs. There is also a deep sense of anxiety pervading the region about what the implications are for their own stability once Operation Enduring Freedom is wrapped up, perhaps with the death or capture of Osama Bin Ladin and Mullah Mohammed Omar.

The Arab perspective on the war against terror is also being affected by the deterioration of the Middle East peace hopes. Violence between the Israelis and Palestinians have reached a low point not seen even during the worst years of the first intifada, which lasted roughly from late 1987 to 1992. In the Arab World, the general perception is that the Israeli government of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon would not be able to launch attacks with jet fighters and tanks unless it had some kind of "green light" from the US. As a result, the US is seen as assisting the campaign against the Palestinians by Sharon, whom many in the Arab World see as a war criminal and terrorist.