The United States and Bahrain: Interpreting the Differentiated U.S. Responses to the Arab Spring Andrew F. Cooper, PhD University of Waterloo Bessma Momani, PhD University of Waterloo Asif B. Farooq, MA University of Toronto Abstract We examine how the United States’ response to the situation in Bahrain can be dif- ferentiated from that in Libya and Egypt based on a comparative content analysis of the U.S. administration’s press releases, remarks, and interviews during the first three months of the Arab Spring movement. Our findings indicate that although the level and duration of violence were comparable, the U.S. government response was strikingly different with the support given to the Bahraini government, in con- trast to the critical stances adopted towards Libya and Egypt. We explain how the United States’ lack of political incentive to act and concerted support by its allies were influential factors for the United States’ differentiated policy during the Arab Spring. Introduction T he Arab Spring was an unpredictable transformation of the wider Middle East that has taken many governments and policymakers by surprise. While the initial euphoria of the Arab Spring was felt by many throughout the Arab world and beyond, these revolutions and uprisings had tested traditional framing of the region by analysts, academics, and pundits alike. Undoubtedly, many governments were ini- tially confused about how to react to the vision of millions of people protesting against traditional allies, particularly allies that did not always adhere to the demo- cratic principles shared throughout the Western world. Indeed, in that sense, the Arab Spring, or the Arab Awakening, posed a significant challenge to the United States’ foreign policy in general and the Obama Administration in particular. The Obama Administration took a proactive stance in favor of supporting the will of the Arab people when he addressed the Arab world, and the larger Muslim world, in his first address in the region. Upon taking office, Obama’s speech had called for “a new beginning.” Well before the Arab Spring in June 2009, Digest of Middle East Studies—Volume 23, Number 2—Pages 360–384 © 2014 Policy Studies Organization. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.