On 30 January 2017, Senator Bob Corker, chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said that he expects President Trump’s administration to approve the stalled sale of F-16 fighter jets to the Government of Bahrain. This sale was blocked by the Obama administration due to concerns over Bahrain’s record on human rights. The sale[…]
22
Dec
Dec
On 13 December 2016, the United States blocked some arms sales to Saudi Arabia over concerns of civilian casualties in the kingdom’s participation in the conflict in Yemen. The United Kingdom (UK) has refused to follow the United States’ lead, with Prime Minister Theresa May rejecting calls to end some weapons sales. Her rejection comes[…]
14
Nov
Nov
UPDATE: 14 November 2016, 2:00pm EST – The United States Department of State has called for the Government of Bahrain to drop all charges against Ebrahim Sharif, noting that that the Department has raised the case directly with Bahraini authorities. Director of Press Relations Elizabeth Trudeau stated that “no one anywhere should be prosecuted or[…]
04
Oct
Oct
Three arms deals to Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are currently making their way through Congress. If approved, the deals would supply Bahrain, Qatar, and Kuwait with 123 new F-15 and F-16 fighter jets and extensive upgrades to existing jets. The arms deal with Bahrain in particular would supply the country with 19 F-16s and[…]
29
Sep
Sep
29 September 2016 – Yesterday, Congress voted to override President Obama’s veto of the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA). The JASTA bill would allow victims of terrorism to sue foreign governments for any complicity and support of terrorism in US courts. Both the House of Representatives and the Senate overrode the veto by[…]
