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Comment and Opinion

David Usborne – 16/03/2011

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“If Washington is uneasy about a Saudi-led foreign force of 1,000 soldiers crossing the causeway from Saudi Arabia into Bahrain, it is nonetheless keeping its criticism muted for two reasons. Firstly, it would welcome an end to the turmoil in the island nation, home to the Fifth Fleet, and secondly, it knows that wagging its finger at Riyadh right now is unlikely to have much effect.

No Arab nation is more important to the US than Saudi Arabia. It remains a bulwark against Iranian expansionism and a pivotal partner fighting global terrorism. Thus the statement from the White House stressed that the deployment of troops is ‘not an invasion’ and the mild admonition only that they show “respect and restraint” on Bahraini soil.”

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