As Bahrain enters the third year of a crisis sparked by Arab Spring protests in 2011, the government continues to bar many human rights advocates and journalists from entering the country.<\/p>\n
But one non-profit group is not only being welcomed into the tiny Gulf kingdom, it\u2019s opening an office there. And it\u2019s doing so with funding from Bahrain\u2019s ruling monarchy.<\/p>\n
The International Peace Institute, a New York-based think tank closely associated with the United Nations, announced last month an agreement to open the office to \u201cpromote development, peace and international security.\u201d<\/p>\n
The announcement comes at a time when Bahrain\u2019s image-conscious government is still under international scrutiny amid continued pro-democracy protests. Human rights groups have criticized the government\u2019s at times violent crackdown on the protests and failure to follow through on promised reforms.<\/p>\n
Institute President Terje R\u00f8d-Larsen, a veteran diplomat in the Mideast who is also a United Nations under-secretary-general, told ProPublica that the new office would be a positive force in Bahrain and the region.<\/p>\n
He compared the think tank to United Nations programs that operate in or receive funding from countries that are in crisis or face criticism.<\/p>\n
\u201cProblems related to peace and security are in difficult countries,\u201d R\u00f8d-Larsen said.<\/p>\n
Bahrain appeals to the institute as a location for an office because \u201calong many dimensions it\u2019s an open society,\u201d he said, citing the status of women and \u201cfreedom of religion.\u201d<\/p>\n