Y AHORA, BAHRAIN, YEMEN

Top of the Agenda: Bahrain Cracks Down on Protests Three people were killed and hundreds more were injured by Bahraini security forces (BBC) in an overnight crackdown on anti-regime activists in the capital of Manama. Inspired by the uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia, thousands of overwhelmingly Shiite protesters took to Bahrain's streets demanding more say in the Sunni-ruled Arab kingdom (Haaretz). The government banned protests and instructed the army to "take every measure necessary to preserve security." The violence followed three days of pro-democracy demonstrations calling for widespread reform within the country's ruling minority. According to the Guardian, riot police raided the central point of protests, known as the Pearl Roundabout, at around 3 a.m., firing teargas and birdshot, and cutting through the tents of demonstrators. Armed vehicles scattered through the city in an effort to seize critical access points and institute a lockdown. Bahrain is a significant ally of the United States and is home to the Fifth Fleet of the U.S. Navy (al-Jazeera). Analysis: The ouster of autocrats in Tunisia and Egypt has awakened a hunger for change in the Arab world, says CFR's Thomas W. Lippmann, but it's unlikely to result in a widespread fall of regimes. In this article for Time, Fareed Zakaria discusses "why there's no turning back in the Middle East" and the region's youth bulge as a central factor in the uprisings. Background: In "Promoting Democracy: The Whys and Hows for the United States and the International Community," Mark Lagon examines the uneven history of promoting democracy in U.S. foreign policy and offers lessons for how the United States can best advance democracy today.

MIDDLE EAST: Yemen Clerics Call for Coalition Government Amid a fresh round of anti-government protests, an influential group of Yemeni clerics (al-Jazeera) have called for the formation of a national unity government. In prior statements, long-time President Ali Abdullah Saleh stated he will not participate in the next presidential elections. Large numbers of unemployed youth have been behind the protests in the Middle East. Demographics expert Ragui Assaad says the region must move toward democracy and open economic systems to turn the youth bulge into an opportunity.