White House Wavers on ‘Regime Change’

Despite the promising developments in the Middle East, with protesters rising up in Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Bahrain, and elsewhere demanding democracy, the Obama administration has finally arrived at a Middle East strategy after weeks of internal debate: help keep longtime allies who are willing to reform in power, even if that means putting off the democratic demands of the spirited protesters. Unlike pushing for swift regime change, as it did in Egypt and now Libya, the U.S. will work with its existing allies, like Bahrain, toward what officials are calling “regime alteration.” If the U.S. hadn’t backed the Bahraini monarchy, Bahrain’s government could fall, costing America an important ally, and potentially moving their country closer to Iran territory. "Starting with Bahrain, the administration has moved a few notches toward emphasizing stability over majority rule," said a U.S. official. "Everybody realized that Bahrain was just too important to fail."