Unrest In Bahrain -- News Updates March 21, 2011

Protesters shout slogans asking for the release of prisoners they say are held without trial, in Saudi Arabia's eastern Gulf coast town of Qatif March 11, 2011. Credit: Reuters/Stringer

Bahrain's King Says Crackdown Averted Foreign Plot To Destabilise The Country -- The Telegraph

Bahrain's king has said his forces have foiled a three-decade-old foreign plot to destabilise the country after they cracked down on a pro-democracy protest movement.

King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa said the plot by unnamed foreign powers "had been fomented for twenty to thirty years for the ground to be ripe for subversive designs".

His statement came as a fourth day of funerals was held for protesters killed in the violence last week, and opposition groups said around 100 people were still missing.

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More News On The Unrest In Bahrain

Bahrain Says Foreign Plot Foiled -- Voice of America
Bahrain says it has foiled "foreign plot" -- Reuters
Bahrain says it has foiled "foreign plot" -- L.A. Times
Bahrain unrest: King Hamad says foreign plot foiled -- BBC
Bahrain's King: Foreign plot to destabilize country foiled -- CNN
Crackdown Was Only Option, Bahrain Sunnis Say -- New York Times
Bahrain's king thanks Saudi troops for thwarting 'external plot' -- Christian Science Monitor
Bahrain king makes veiled charge against Iran over Shiite unrest in island kingdom -- Canadian Press
Saudi role in Bahrain brings regional stakes -- Sify News
Bahrain opposition urges government to take steps toward talks -- Reuters
Symbol Of Uprising Is Destroyed In Bahrain -- NPR
The dire consequences of Saudi intervention in Bahrain -- Kristin Diwan, CNN
Crackdown in Bahrain: Notes from the field: Despite the protests, the Al Khalifa family does not look like it will be dethroned, but that may come with a cost. --
Michael Hudson, Al Jazeera

My Comment: It is all about religion, and Bahrain's majority population (70%) is Shiite. As long as the demographics favor the majority Shiites, the Sunni leadership will always have problems in accommodating the political aspirations of this group .... doubly so if many Sunnis decide to ignore the Shiite majority and maintain the status quo.