Life on the wrong side of history

Protestors gathered outside the US Embassy in Bahrain today carrying signs with slogans like, “Stop Supporting Dictators” and “Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death.” Apparently, the US hasn’t been quite as supportive of a democratic transition in Bahrain, an Absolute Monarchy, as many there would like. There is a good reason for this: Bahrain is the home of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet. One of the fleet’s most vital functions is to ensure the US has a steady supply of oil from other Absolute Monarchies in the region, such as Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. Personally, I don’t see much of a future for Absolute Monarchy as a form of government. I hope the bright minds in the Obama Administration are thinking about how the US can get on the right side of history in the Middle East. Placing our energy security on the durability of allies with anachronistic forms of government like Absolute Monarchies doesn’t seem very wise.