Bahrain has been out of the press for a while now but with Formula 1 returning again for the biggest international event the country holds it's political situation is once again being looked at and questions about the safety of the F1 personnel and whether the race should be held are back on the agenda.
There's a lot to be said about the current situation and the rights and wrongs of whether Formula 1 should be involved in a country where both the government and the opposition use the race as a political tool.
The government want to project the image that everything is alright and the situation has normalised while the opposition want to use the race to further their agenda by highlighting their plight.
As ever with a country like this that was caught up in the original middle east uprising from 2 years ago, there are many sides and aspects that could be discussed. In fact I wrote a few blogs last year here and here that fell on the side that Formula 1 should not be going to a country that was in such a state of disarray and detail some of the events that were happening at the time.
As it turned out over the weekend last year, apart from a few minor incidents the race went off without a hitch. And I have reason to change my mind on what I have previously written. The media obviously sensationalise for a good headline, but you don't always get the full facts and both sides of the story as expertly detailed by respected journalist Joe Saward.
For instance a car bomb exploded last Sunday April 14, the blast claimed by the opposition group named February 14. They and Anonymous would like to see the cancellation of the race and threaten disruption, but these events are not regular occurrences but these are the main headlines you would get about Bahrain not that there are many peaceful marches as that's not very exciting. Of course the blast can be said to be timed to provide maximum exposure just as a major international event is about to arrive.
For a far more detailed exposition on the current situation in Bahrain and analysis on how the media present it, I would recommend reading Saward's blog here. It make's for very interesting reading.
If there was a major uprising and it would harm the people of the country I would be against Formula 1 putting on the event. However, it is a sporting event and despite it being used as a tool by both points of view in Bahrain, as long as F1 itself doesn't involve itself in the political situation then there is no reason for it to not go ahead.
Although having said that, with the Bahrain government so closely linked to the race it's hard to see how it can't be involved. But in the end, it is just that, a race to entertain, not to make a point. That it can be used as such make's the waters murky, but a lot of countries are using Formula 1 to promote themselves on a world stage, should we look at every single countries human rights record? That would certainly be interesting.
There were the tragic explosions at the Boston Marathon yesterday (April 15), simplified argument I know, but this won't put the world on edge about F1 attending America in Austin, Texas later in the year and this country is on high alert most of the time.
Formula 1 is like a bubble of the best and worst of western capitalism, and that it spreads this message all around the world is always going to tick a few people off. But at it's core it's just a race series, that might seem naive but F1 should not get involved. Even if circumstances change in a country, F1 is just there to race.
For more information on the current situation here's a history of what's been happening in Bahrain.
Here's a report on the recent bomb blast in Bahrain.
And here's Joe Saward's blog again.
photo from autosport.com
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