Bahrain has been much maligned by detractors as of late. Every year, the Manama Dialogue places a spotlight on this plucky Kingdom as the world’s media and senior leaders gather in its capital. On Dec. 8, Daesh publicly called for attacks against Bahrain, a development that did not seem to deter critics who falsely alleged in the past that Bahrain supported Sunni extremism.
Iran-backed Shiite extremists were also quick to take to social media to attack Bahrain and call on the world to boycott the Manama Dialogue (Spoiler alert: The event was a rousing success).
Why should we care about Bahrain? Because it is more than just the location for the annual F1 formula race and the Manama Dialogue. Bahrain is ground zero in the struggle against Iran in the Arabian Gulf. Of all the Gulf countries, Bahrain is particularly vulnerable to Iranian subversion. Beyond the Gulf, Iranian subterfuge in Bahrain poses a security threat to the rest of the region.
Radicalized members of the Shiite extremist group Youth of February 14 are being given military training, and are indoctrinated to accept Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei as their new “marja,” both as a spiritual and political leader. Radicalized Bahraini youth can now be found on the frontlines in Syria, fighting alongside Hezbollah-led militias in Aleppo under a foreign Persian flag.
Iran is seeking to export the Lebanese Hezbollah model to Bahrain and throughout the Middle East, but the West is not taking appropriate note. Instead, Bahrain has found itself in the crosshairs facing opprobrium by certain Western media outlets.
British tabloid journalism at its finest has piled on. Sensational “exposes” targeting Bahrain conveniently graced the front pages of British media outlets eager to get a dig in the lead up to the Manama Dialogue last week, accusing the think tank that organizes the conference of receiving funds from Bahrain’s government. This great “scandal” was further fanned by Bahrain’s opponents.
Astonishingly, a cursory editorial check would have shown that it has long been widely known that Bahrain’s government funds the think tank. The information war against Bahrain is augmented by an actual war of radicalization spurred by Iran.
Bahrain is in the crosshairs precisely because of its enduring resistance to Iran’s hegemonic aspirations. Its success story resonates despite the best attempts of Iran and its auxiliary forces to subvert and destabilize Manama.
Bahrain’s foreign minister addressed this threat in his remarks to the Manama Dialogue global audience. Iranian weapons shipments from the Arabian Gulf to the Gulf of Aden continue unabated. Countering the ideology of extremism was a prevailing theme among Manama Dialogue attendees.
However, what many counter-terrorism pundits in the West do not fully grasp is that the pernicious transnational ideology of Khameneist extremism poses as great a threat as the warped ideology that spawned Daesh.
Plenty of conferences and bilateral meetings are held to discuss the need to counter and defeat the violent extremist ideology that allows Daesh to recruit. However, there has been little investment in resources and planning among global leaders in recognizing the international threat posed by Iran-sponsored radicalization.
This is by no means a sectarian issue, despite what some critics claim. I spoke to former Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi in Manama following his meeting with Bahrain’s crown prince. Allawi brought up a point worth noting: The struggle against Iran is a cross-sectarian fight. Iraqi Shiite religious marja in Najaf even once released a statement opposing Iranian interference in Iraqi affairs.
In that light, Bahrain poses a particular threat to Tehran because it offers a model of coexistence. While Iran attempts to advance its fifth-column agenda in Bahrain and the Gulf, it continues to take direct action in support of Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI), Daesh’s predecessor.
Though some Western defense and security officials are loath to bring up this issue in public forums, others such as Gen. Mike Flynn have highlighted how Shiite extremists in Iran had no qualms offering safe haven for AQI operaives. This is worth noting as pro-Iran media outlets accuse Bahrain and other Gulf states of supporting extremism.
Before I left Manama, I asked Allawi what he told Syrian President Bashar Assad when he met him in Damascus over a decade ago when he was prime minister. He told me: “I told Assad to his face, ‘You are supporting extremists. There are terrorists in Syria.’” This is the kind of straight talk we need today in dealing with Iran and its proxies. Bahrain is one frontline of many that must be held in this ongoing struggle.
• Oubai Shahbandar is a former Department of Defense senior adviser and currently a strategic communications consultant specializing in Middle Eastern and Gulf Affairs.
Iran-backed Shiite extremists were also quick to take to social media to attack Bahrain and call on the world to boycott the Manama Dialogue (Spoiler alert: The event was a rousing success).
Why should we care about Bahrain? Because it is more than just the location for the annual F1 formula race and the Manama Dialogue. Bahrain is ground zero in the struggle against Iran in the Arabian Gulf. Of all the Gulf countries, Bahrain is particularly vulnerable to Iranian subversion. Beyond the Gulf, Iranian subterfuge in Bahrain poses a security threat to the rest of the region.
Radicalized members of the Shiite extremist group Youth of February 14 are being given military training, and are indoctrinated to accept Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei as their new “marja,” both as a spiritual and political leader. Radicalized Bahraini youth can now be found on the frontlines in Syria, fighting alongside Hezbollah-led militias in Aleppo under a foreign Persian flag.
Iran is seeking to export the Lebanese Hezbollah model to Bahrain and throughout the Middle East, but the West is not taking appropriate note. Instead, Bahrain has found itself in the crosshairs facing opprobrium by certain Western media outlets.
British tabloid journalism at its finest has piled on. Sensational “exposes” targeting Bahrain conveniently graced the front pages of British media outlets eager to get a dig in the lead up to the Manama Dialogue last week, accusing the think tank that organizes the conference of receiving funds from Bahrain’s government. This great “scandal” was further fanned by Bahrain’s opponents.
Astonishingly, a cursory editorial check would have shown that it has long been widely known that Bahrain’s government funds the think tank. The information war against Bahrain is augmented by an actual war of radicalization spurred by Iran.
Bahrain is in the crosshairs precisely because of its enduring resistance to Iran’s hegemonic aspirations. Its success story resonates despite the best attempts of Iran and its auxiliary forces to subvert and destabilize Manama.
Bahrain’s foreign minister addressed this threat in his remarks to the Manama Dialogue global audience. Iranian weapons shipments from the Arabian Gulf to the Gulf of Aden continue unabated. Countering the ideology of extremism was a prevailing theme among Manama Dialogue attendees.
However, what many counter-terrorism pundits in the West do not fully grasp is that the pernicious transnational ideology of Khameneist extremism poses as great a threat as the warped ideology that spawned Daesh.
Plenty of conferences and bilateral meetings are held to discuss the need to counter and defeat the violent extremist ideology that allows Daesh to recruit. However, there has been little investment in resources and planning among global leaders in recognizing the international threat posed by Iran-sponsored radicalization.
This is by no means a sectarian issue, despite what some critics claim. I spoke to former Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi in Manama following his meeting with Bahrain’s crown prince. Allawi brought up a point worth noting: The struggle against Iran is a cross-sectarian fight. Iraqi Shiite religious marja in Najaf even once released a statement opposing Iranian interference in Iraqi affairs.
In that light, Bahrain poses a particular threat to Tehran because it offers a model of coexistence. While Iran attempts to advance its fifth-column agenda in Bahrain and the Gulf, it continues to take direct action in support of Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI), Daesh’s predecessor.
Though some Western defense and security officials are loath to bring up this issue in public forums, others such as Gen. Mike Flynn have highlighted how Shiite extremists in Iran had no qualms offering safe haven for AQI operaives. This is worth noting as pro-Iran media outlets accuse Bahrain and other Gulf states of supporting extremism.
Before I left Manama, I asked Allawi what he told Syrian President Bashar Assad when he met him in Damascus over a decade ago when he was prime minister. He told me: “I told Assad to his face, ‘You are supporting extremists. There are terrorists in Syria.’” This is the kind of straight talk we need today in dealing with Iran and its proxies. Bahrain is one frontline of many that must be held in this ongoing struggle.
• Oubai Shahbandar is a former Department of Defense senior adviser and currently a strategic communications consultant specializing in Middle Eastern and Gulf Affairs.
