Subtle Differences

Outrage was needed from Washington, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has sharply condemned the escalation of violence in Libya. The United States hadn’t reacted so quickly and decisively since the onset of protests in the Arab world. It took a while for America to see the handwriting on the wall and finally let Hosni Mubarak fall in Egypt. But despite the increased ease with which terms like universal human rights and democracy for the Middle East and North Africa now fall from the lips of the Obama administration, subtle differences are still nonetheless apparent. While they make no bones about branding some countries first-class “rogue nations,” they still prefer to take a diplomatic line with, for example, Bahrain — despite the fact it has also used its military to brutally put down demonstrations. It’s no mystery. Bahrain is home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet and is one of the most important Washington allies in the region. And in Yemen, the U.S. must also walk a fine line. Can anyone in the White House say for certain that a portion of the millions of dollars going to Yemen for the purpose of fighting al-Qaida isn’t being used to attack the protesters? It’s no secret that measures taken in the past in the name of America’s national security in this region have gone seemingly out of control.

Here a bad dictator, there a good one — this strategy has had its day.