Bahraini writer Saeed Al-Shihabi revealed the secrets of Bahrain’s rulers’ support for the counter-revolution in
Tunisia, following the controversial decisions recently announced by President Qais Saeed.
Al-Shihabi said in an article that “the Emirati dimension in the Tunisian coup was clear, and that it was supported
by the forces affiliated with the coalition of the counter-revolution, including Egypt, Israel and the rulers of Bahrain.”
Al-Shihabi stated that the spring revolutions, when they began in 2011, took only a few months before they were
quelled by repression, conspiracy, counter-planning, and unholy alliances, even with the nation’s enemies and occupiers of its lands.
“The counter-revolution has not stopped for a whole decade,” he said. This reveals the depth of hostility among
regional and international parties to the aspirations of the region’s peoples and their readiness to prevent their realization by any means.
He added that “the coup that took place last week in Tunisia was only the last episode in the series of the project of the coalition of counter-revolutionary forces”, which includes the rulers of Bahrain.
He wondered, “Is this enthusiasm for the onslaught of peoples and their aspirations for liberation and democracy
spontaneous, or is it part of plans launched weeks after the outbreak of the fires ignited by the fire that devoured the body of Tunisian citizen Mohamed Bouazizi in the city of Sidi Bouzid in 2010?”
Is it a lesson to the people that the suppression of revolutions was not enough, but that any positive results they
produced in any country would also be uprooted? Is it a message to the Arab world that the only country that
has witnessed a limited democratic transformation that allowed Islamists to participate will not be spared the
demolition shovel used by the counter-revolution to finish off its experience? Is it a reminder of the
transformations that the region has witnessed in recent years, foremost of which is the re-formation of alliances
after starting the normalization train with the occupation?
“Some may claim that he was expecting what happened in Tunisia after the announcement of its president, Kais
Saied, his decision to dissolve parliament and dismiss the prime minister and the ministers of justice and defence,” Shihabi said.
He said, “But the truth is that what happened was beyond expectations, especially in a country whose leaders
insisted on boasting about the success of their people’s revolution and that they rule a democratic country that
allows public freedoms and enjoys its sovereign decisions, which may have sometimes moved in a direction
opposite to the context imposed by the phenomenon of normalization that was issued by the UAE and the rulers of Bahrain.”
He added, “In addition, the Emirati dimension in the Tunisian coup was clear, and it was supported by the forces
affiliated with the counter-revolutionary coalition, including Egypt, Israel and the rulers of Bahrain.”
He highlighted that the counter-revolutionary forces believe that any democratic transformation will reveal the
truth of the positions of the Arab peoples rejecting the Israeli occupation, which will further complicate matters
for the Israeli entity and its supporters.
After the UAE and Bahrain decided their new policies based on normalization with Israel, they sought to protect that policy by marginalizing popular trends in the media, politically and in security.
Al-Shihabi concluded, “There are, then, overlapping dimensions that prompted this coup. First: As it was said
previously if public liberties are granted to the Arab peoples, there will be unanimity in rejecting the Israeli
occupation and supporting the Palestinian people. This is not something the occupiers, their Western backers, or their regional allies want.
The state of political and ideological polarization in the region made targeting the “political Islam” phenomenon
a priority for the counter-revolutionary coalition. Islamists have been targeted in most Arab countries. What happened in Egypt eight years before the targeting of the Muslim Brotherhood confirms this trend.
The new diplomacy practised by the counter-revolutionary forces focused on imposing a new reality that would
make “Israel” a regional state that participates in the decision-making of the region, which will not be achieved in light of the establishment of democratic systems that allow public freedoms.
Among the reasons for the Emirati and Bahraini intervention to support the Tunisian coup against democracy are
the demonstrations, protests, and statements in Tunisia after the rulers of the Emirates and Bahrain normalized with the Israeli entity. And here came the decision to get rid of this “democracy”.
