Libyan revolutionaries have captured the Bab al-Aziziya compound of deposed dictator Muammar Gaddafi. CNN’s Sara Sidner reported it live and on site (video here). The revolutionaries delieriously fired their weapons in the air in a crescendo of celebratory fire. The compound was one of a handful of pockets of resistance remaining in the capital where […]
Archives for August 2011
New Libya, Welcomed in Mideast, Rejects NATO Bases
Despite the unfinished character of the Libyan Revolution, it is clear that the days of Muammar Qaddafi are numbered. How has this news been received in the rest of the world? There is a lot of hope for Libya as an independent country, yet one friendly with neighbors and new allies. Even those lukewarm about […]
Top Ten Myths about the Libya War
The Libyan Revolution has largely succeeded, and this is a moment of celebration, not only for Libyans but for a youth generation in the Arab world that has pursued a political opening across the region. The secret of the uprising’s final days of success lay in a popular revolt in the working-class districts of the […]
The Great Tripoli Uprising
As dawn broke Sunday in Libya, revolutionaries were telling Aljazeera Arabic that much of the capital was being taken over by supporters of the February 17 Youth revolt. Some areas, such as the suburb of Tajoura to the east and districts in the eastrn part of the city such as Suq al-Juma, Arada, the Mitiga […]
Qaddafi Rule Collapsing as Rebels Take Brega, Zlitan
The rebel forces are racking up an impressive series of wins, decisively taking Zlitan, Surman and Brega on Friday into Saturday morning. Qaddafi is increasingly surrounded and cut off from fuel and other supplies. NATO has visited substantial attrition on his heavy weaponry and armor, which he had used to attack his own people. Dissidents […]
Obama demands Regime Change in Syria
President Obama, along with the European Union, called on Thursday for Syrian President Bashar al-Asad to step down. At the same time, the US announced severe economic and financial sanctions against Syria, essentially cutting the Syrian banking system off from access to US banks, and forbidding American citizens and firms from doing business with the […]
Is Qaddafi Really going to Flee to Tunisia?
NBC News is reporting that US intelligence officials are telling it that Muammar Qaddafi is considering fleeing into exile in neighboring Tunisia. This in the wake of the dramatic advances made by Free Libya forces, who now control about 2/3s of the country, and who are in a position to cut the capital off from […]
Top Ten Reasons Radical Jihadis shouldn’t have Threatened David Letterman
Top Ten Reasons Radical Jihadis shouldn’t have Threatened David Letterman 10. David is The Man 9. You really don’t want David relentlessly making fun of you in revenge; ask Madonna. 8. David has survived that thing on his head for years, he can survive some fool wearing pajamas using his mother’s computer to threaten comedians […]
Campbell: Egypt’s Spring Becomes a Long Hot Summer
Dennis Campbell writes in a guest column for Informed Comment : Egypt’s Spring Becomes a Long Hot Summer Democracy is messy. Freedom is contagious. For 18 days in January and February, the world sat on the edge of its seats watching an Egyptian people yearning to breathe free. The overthrow of Hosni Mubarak by a […]