When Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited the tiny island nation of Bahrain for the first time in December, she made headlines here in the U.S. for one thing [1]: An attendee at one of the events asked whether she’d run for president again. She said no [2].
At that same event, Clinton also got another question [3] that received far less attention. A member of Bahrain’s parliament asked whether the country’s decline in the areas of human rights, democracy, and civil society should prompt the U.S. to review its alliance with the country:
My question is related to the declines in many areas. When Bahrain was chosen as a strategic ally to United States, we were in the thick in term of many areas, in term of civil society, in term of human rights, in term of democracy. A lot of declines happened in the last period, and you are aware about all these things. Many people are arrested, lawyers and human rights activists.
Sometime we feel that there is no, let’s say, red lines or constraints between United States and their allies. The situation was perfect, but now it is changed. So my question is: Do you review the policies of your allies from time to time, and how can we see our relation with United States as an opportunity for, let’s say, a growth for the democracy?
Clinton’s answer? The U.S. is “constantly reviewing” its allies, she said. “Nothing is perfect, nothing is done, there’s a lot of work that still lies ahead.” She continued: