30 June 2015 8:21 GMT Bahrain to receive military aid from Washington following four-year freeze Subscriber access only Subscribe Daily online access and weekly analysis in print, MEED helps you make business decisions with confidence. Subscribe Activate subscription If you are already a subscriber to MEED, please activate for full online content. Activate Back Back to MEED.com homepage The article you are trying to access is available only to paying Read more [...]

News Hour: The United States will lift holds on security assistance to the Bahrain Defense Force and National Guard. The holds were put in place after Bahrain cracked down on demonstrations there in 2011. Washington’s decision to lift the holds on security assistance to a key Persian Gulf ally comes as President Barack Obama has been stressing his commitment to Gulf security during nuclear negotiations with Iran. “While we do not think that the human rights situation in Bahrain is adequate Read more [...]

Under a veil of secrecy, I was asked to meet Firas at a restaurant on Manhattan's Upper East Side. I wasn't sure what to expect but felt compelled to make the trek to hear what he had to say. Firas had read one of my op-eds on The Advocate; he connected to my openness as a gay American writer and asked if I could help share his story. As I approached the restaurant, I could see a tall young man wearing a dark suit and a bright smile seated outside; I guessed he was somewhere in his late 20s. I sat Read more [...]