Re: Bahrain protests
My parents live in Bahrain, the situation there is much, much nastier than in Egypt or even Libya because of the sectarian dimension.
The majority Shia population is kept under the thumb of the Sunni government through the sunni police and the sunni army - many Bahraini soldiers and police are Pakistanis with Bahraini citizenship brought in specifically because the government does not trust its shia populace. Looking on the net I already saw an interview with a protestor on Salon.com who was saying that the riot police beating him were talking in urdu amongst themselves!
There is extensive resentment amongst the majority population against these outsides brought in to control them. The security forces fear the sectarian violence that could emerge against them and their families if Sunni rule is overthrown - and so they are not hesitant about using lethal force.