By Lucky Gold, CNN

We can’t rush into things

As the Middle East becomes ever more polarized and violent, a rare conversation took place Monday on Amanpour - between an authoritarian government and one of its most prominent and articulate victims.

The subject was the unrest in Bahrain and the guests were Dr. Nabeel Hameed, a Bahraini physician who was arrested and brutalized for the alleged crime of treating injured protesters; and Sheikh Abdul-Aziz bin Mubarak al-Khalifa, a royal family member who speaks for the Bahraini government.

The tone was calm, even civil, but the import of their long-distance discussion was far-reaching.

Sheikh al-Khalifa, speaking from Bahrain, admitted that his government is moving slowly, when it comes to addressing reform and righting wrongs, and thereby risks allowing violent forces to fill the vacuum:  “Yes, I mean, we think that at the pace that some people think we’re moving, which is slow, will further radicalize the polarized society that we have.”

Still, he defended current policy:  “We can’t rush into things and we intend to move at a quicker pace and to achieve the goals that we have for a better future in Bahrain.”

That future will include bringing Dr. Hameed to trial when he returns to Bahrain next week.  Dr. Hameed is one of several doctors and nurses who were targeted by the Bahraini government during last year’s protests.

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