Though the violent crackdown on public protesters early on hasn’t been repeated, the Bahraini regime and the mostly Shi’ite protesters seem to be just as far apart as ever, and the regime warning that its “patience” is wearing thin with the protesters.
The protesters initially started with a demand for some modest reforms, and complaining that the Sunni monarchy discriminates against the nation’s Shi’ite majority. Since the violence crackdowns, however, many of the protesters are demanding the full ouster of the regime.
That is not to say, some of the protesters assure, that they are totally unwilling to negotiate. Rather they seek some concessions and guarantees going into such talks, the main one being the release of all political prisoners, something the government doesn’t appear willing to budge on.
So as protesters march on the Interior Ministry, demanding that the hundreds of prisoners be released, many see the situation irreconcilable, and increasingly unstable. This has led to a growing concern amongst the financial community that the Bahraini regime is going to fall, and concern amongst human rights groups that another crackdown by the US-backed king is only a matter of time.