Bahrain shuts down as troops arrive

Bahrain’s capital Manama was in lockdown today with stores closed and roads blocked by police after a Saudi-led military force arrived to help quell the uprising against the ruling monarch.

The sending of more than 1,000 troops from Gulf allies highlighted the regional worries about possible spillover from Bahrain, where a majority Shiite population has led a month of protests against the Western-backed Sunni dynasty.

Other Gulf leaders fear that concessions by Bahrain’s rulers could fuel more protests against their own regimes, which have already confronted pro-reform cries in Oman, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

There are also fears that gains by Bahrain’s Shiite Muslims could offer a window for Shiite power Iran to expand its influence on the Arab side of the Gulf.

Iran stepped into the row with its Foreign Ministry denouncing the presence of foreign troops in Bahrain as “unacceptable” and predicting it would complicate the kingdom’s political crisis.

Iran holds no deep political ties to Bahrain’s Shiite groups, but some Iranian hardliners in the past have hailed their efforts for greater rights.

Bahraini opposition groups also have strongly condemned the military move, calling it an occupation that pushes Bahrain dangerously close to a state of “undeclared war.”

The United States – which relies on Bahrain as a pillar of its military framework in the Gulf – has urged Americans to avoid travel to the island nation due to “the potential for ongoing political and civil unrest.” The State Department statement also advised Americans currently to consider leaving Bahrain, which hosts the US Navy’s 5th Fleet.

Many parts of Bahrain’s capital, Manama, were nearly deserted. Most stores and malls were shut and schools were closed. Police barricades halted traffic on key roadways in apparent attempts to limit the movement of demonstrators.

Thousands of protesters held their ground in Manama’s Pearl Square, the symbolic centre of their revolt. But opposition leaders have not yet announced their next move.

Mansoor al-Jamri, editor of the main opposition newspaper, Al-Wasat, said pro-government mobs stormed the paper’s print plant today and smashed equipment with clubs and axes. The paper is now using presses from other papers to publish.

Shiites account for 70% of the population, but are widely excluded from high-level political or security posts. The protesters also demand the repeal of a government policy to offset the Shiite demographic advantage by giving citizenship and jobs to Sunnis from other Arab nations and South Asia.

The protests began last month with calls for the monarchy to give up most of its powers to the elected parliament. But as violence has deepened, many protesters now say they want to topple the entire royal family.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE have announced roles in the Bahrain force, but the contributions from the other countries were not immediately clear.