Fake Coups, Phony Coups and Fictional Terrorist Operations

Past references have been made to the so-called 1981 Coup in Bahrain by many, including by newspapers, magazines and published scholars. Wikipedia has an entry. All that I have read paint the blame on Iran, which became the boogeyman after the 1979 revolution proved that a government in the Persian Gulf could be changed by the will of its people.

Of course, as you and the good Major are aware, I had and have an entirely different view from that which has prevailed in the public discourse. I discussed the event -- shortly after it occurred -- with the Major in a personal conversation at a famous and favored Chinese restaurant in Mayfair. He was rather surprised that I was aware of it, as the details of the event were, shall we say, reiterated? Those details had been closely held by those involved. Surprise!

I've been calling it the Fake Coup or the Phony Coup, here and elsewhere in public, for a good number of years while busy with daily life far away from what had been planned for me. The Fake Coup been a mere footnote in my written and unpublished work until last November. Now I'm dealing with a housing emergency and have to delay for a month or so finishing that lengthy project for publication.

However, today Google provided a translation of an important Saudi blogger's post which caught my eye and inspired this post. The translation is much more accurate and picturesque than "Fake Coup" or "Phony Coup" could ever be. Since the Interior Ministries of many countries in the world include the both police and all sorts of internal security services, it is typically Interior Ministry personnel who carry out fictional terrorist operations. The example cited today was such an operation in Tunisia carried out by the Interior Ministry, supported by Saudi Arabia and the U.A.E., to justify repression during the so-called Arab Spring and deposing of Ben Ali.

Isn't that a beautiful term? "Fictional Terrorist Operations." I could just say it again and again. It better describes a fake and phony coup. If I could write a poem or song in Arabic, which I can't, but if I could, I would write one repeating that word and finding lovely rhymes to accentuate the irony.

It would be no surprise that the family ruling a small island country like Bahrain would use the services of both Interior and Defense ministries in 1981, along with a wee bit of help from some special friends, to carry out a fictional terrorist operation. The surprise is that a detailed and well-wrought cover-up worked, so far, but apparently you were unaware of the identities of all the special friends.

2018 Birthday Wish for You

A few days late because I've been ill for over a week. I felt bad about missing your birthday this year on the actual day. I've not missed it since 1966. Sorry.

My birthday wish is quite simple:  I wish you were a better man.

Deceived and Abandoned

You are going to find out what it feels like to be deceived and abandoned. It was a stupid move; you're the easiest sacrifice.

You Are A King, Still Taking Orders From A Prince

Wonders ceased. Danny O'Leary was 100 percent correct. I am going to explain that. I've been working on the explanation, even though the substance has already been posted.

A so-called king taking orders from 30 year-old Dasher Bear instead of sending out the sappers.

Right now, there's a Seahawks game on. I'll get back to this later.

Photo of Hamad from summer, 1965

Yes, it is you. I shot this photo in Bahrain in the summer of 1965. So cute and chubby.

What about Qatari wife, your number 3, half-Qatari children?

Well, Hamad, you must have been in a real pickle since joining Mohammad bin Salman and the Al Saud's campaign against Qatar.

I've been thinking about this. Your wife Number 3 is from Qatar, from a family of a former desert king. She's the mother of Sultan, Hessa, Nura, Munira, Reema and maybe others. (I stopped counting your recognized offspring when their numbers reached one dozen.)

Of course, I have no idea if you've already divorced the Qatari lady and acquired yet another from, say, Saudi Arabia, the Sudairi line. Maybe you've kept her out of respect for the number of your offspring that she bore for you, including your deceased son, Faisal, may he rest in peace.

I determined a long time ago that you have no honor and you prove it almost weekly with your silly ass-kissing of that belligerent imbecile MbS and his ill-fated adventures. I wonder if he'll consider that in his stated quest to oust leaders over 40 years old of majority-Arab countries in the Persian Gulf, as reported by well-informed Twitter personality, Mujtahidd. You're too old to be the dictator of Bahrain in his youthful calculation and so are the Khawalids. Trump and the D.O.D. don't care as long as the naval and air bases on the island remain available to U.S. forces.

So, what have you done? Did you send Mrs. Hamad #3 back to Qatar with your half-Qatari children?

New Coup? Beaucoup coups.

Rumor has it that Nasser in Bahrain wants badly to play the role of Mohammad bin Salman. He's not corrupt, is he? He wouldn't carry out a coup against his own father and uncles, would he? He wouldn't get help from Khawalid, would he? Who is the Saad Hariri lightning rod?