Bahrain is one of several Middle Eastern nations experiencing unrest in the wake of the recent uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt.

Director of Research and Development at the Dubai-based Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis, Theodore Karasik, says it is impossible to predict when the regional tensions will begin to ease.

"I liken this to a tsunami sweeping the region and it is of historical proportions," said Karasik. "I don’t think it is going to go away anytime soon. And as Egypt progresses in the coming weeks and months, that will have reverberations across the region too. We’re in a new order now."

Bahrain is home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet, and Washington has expressed concern over the recent violence in the Gulf kingdom.

A U.S. State Department spokesman urged Bahraini authorities to follow through on promises to investigate the two killings as soon as possible.