Photo: Bahraini women chant anti-government slogans during a mourning procession for Qassim Habib, 8, in Manama, Bahrain on Jan. 30, 2013. Clashes erupted after the procession for the boy, who opposition groups say died from respiratory problems triggered by heavy tear gas. [Credit : Hasan Jamali/AP]

Good mornin’ here’s your linkage… West Asia style:

• Manama: Sheikh Ali Salman, the leader of the Al-Wefaq opposition party, is “hopeful” about the appointment of John Kerry as Secretary of State.  Salman was optimistic that Kerry would “do more than his predecessor.”  Could he do less?
  
• Doha: So Barclays Bank is accused of lending money to Qatar, so that Qatar could buy shares in Barclays so the bank could avoid a government bailout.  Meanwhile, Nicholas Sarkozy is caught up in different Qatari scandal, “Qatargate.”   There is no doubt that Qatar’s profile is rising in international politics, but they may not enjoy the scrutiny that profile brings.  And even Qatar is not immune from domestic demands for reform. (h/t C. Davidson)
• Cairo: One of my former AUC students founded this group to protect women protesting in Tahrir Square.  I am very proud of her courage.
• Kuwait: Five years in prison for a tweet against the Emir.
• Damascus: Joshua Landis discusses how the Islamic Front militias think about minorities.
• Riyadh: Maybe the problem is the clerics?  Revolution in the Kingdom really can’t come soon enough, in my opinion.
• Sana’a: Atief Al Wazir translates a few telling cartoons about Yemen’s transition.
• Dubai: Finally, there is just so much wrong with this business model.

Vive la Revolution!