"Bahrain's crown prince Salman "has been humiliated & crushed between hardliners & the opposition..."

"... "The Saudis were displeased with Obama's stance on [former Egyptian president Hosni] Mubarak," said Jane Kinnimont, a Persian Gulf expert with Chatham House. "They wanted the U.S. to continue the status quo. And they are concerned for what it means for them."
"The U.S. view is that the solution to the problems of Bahrain depend on engaging seriously with the protesters and embarking on a program of political reform," said Jon Alterman, a Middle East analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Security. "The view of some of the other [Gulf] states is disorder and chaos breeds chaos and disorder."
"The U.S. views this as fundamentally political," Alterman continued. "The Saudis view this as fundamentally material " — about doling out more funds and other economic benefits to quell anti-government unrest.  "Bahrain has been trying to navigate between the two and not alienate its two most important allies," Washington and Riyadh.
Bahrain's crown prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, considered a moderate, "has been humiliated and crushed between hardliners [in his government] and an unresponsive opposition," said another Washington Gulf analyst who spoke on condition of anonymity Monday because of his work in the region. "He did everything he could to jump-start dialogue with the opposition, although he may have been too shy, the intention was there to open a dialogue."
"The Americans have been pretty clear in urging restraint," against anti-government unrest, the analyst continued. "They don't want the use of force [against the protesters]. The notion that Gates 'gave the green light' [to the Saudi troops entering Bahrain] is ludicrous. The Americans understand how the situation can backfire."
Asked about the Saudi troops moving into Bahrain Monday, the White House urged restraint, saying efforts to use force to suppress political dissent is counterproductive.
"We have long believed, and the president has expressed for a long time now, that stability in the region will be brought about by dialogue and political reform," White House spokesman Jay Carney said Monday.  "And it is counter-productive to that goal to in any way repress the expression of those desires that the people of Bahrain, in this case, and other countries, have."
Gulf experts said there were few signs that Riyadh was so convinced.
"Every bordering country of Saudi Arabia is on fire," the analyst said, noting escalating anti-government unrest not only in Bahrain, but also in Yemen as well as Oman. "The Saudis are anxious. And in fact, Saudi actions can be even worse than Iran interference because they will probably mess it up."..."