Day 9 in Bahrain - the military and police have withdrawn from Pearl Roundabout, the protestors have re-occupied it and what is happening?
Well not much actually, and even less is being said in the press. In a high news moment with Libya in the headlines, and an earthquake in New Zealand, you would understand that Bahrain gets pushed down the page a little, but thats not the case, Bahrain has been eradicated from the front pages and pretty much forgotten. I checked NYT, WAPO, CNN, BBC and the only current news was that the Bahrain Grand Prix has been cancelled
To get any real news, I went to Al Jazeera English, which has a front page article on developments in Manama in their Mid East Subsection , and this is what is happening.
As of today, the protestors still control Pearl Roundabout, and the military has returned to barracks and the riot police are keeping a safe distance away. Behind the scenes there are discussions between the Crown Prince and some of the leaders of the protest movement, but what the result of those discussions are is not known.
However, what appears to be happening is the protest has run out of steam. As Al Jazeera leads
Hundreds of demonstrators are gathered at the Pearl roundabout in Manama, Bahrain's capital, as their protest against the government and ruling royal family entered its ninth day.
Note hundreds, not thousands, not tens of thousands. Meanwhile elsewhere in Manama
Meanwhile, thousands of government loyalists rallied in Manama in support of the monarch.
Note, thousands not hundreds.
The King/Crown Prince's decision to pull back and leave Pearl Roundabout to the protestors has now left them without a focus. Like the fish at the end of Finding Nemo 'what now?
The difference in the outcomes between Egypt, Bahrain Libya and Tunisia emphasises that each of these countries have different problems, different causes for unrest and even different cultures, and most importantly different solutions.
Updated at 3.13 pm CET.
The BBC now has a front page article on Bahrain, announcing that the King has ceded to one of the demands of the protestors, the freeing of political prisoners. . Earlier today, a funeral of a protestor killed earlier in the week was conducted without seemingly any incidents. Often funerals in the Mid East re-ignite the conflicts.