Libya Update and 23 Political Cartoons - 5 Mar 2011

Image by Abode of Chaos via Flickr

From Denny:  Today in the port city of Zawiya, Libya, fierce fighting between rebel forces and Gadhafi (Kadafi, Qadaffi) loyalists killed scores while Gadhafi was embattled on many fronts throughout the country. Gadhafi threw tanks, bombs and militia at the rebels in Zawiya where at least 40 people died early this morning.

Zawiya is west of the capitol city of Tripoli where Gadhafi is headquartered, his stronghold, considered the rebel forces' prize to capture. Currently, Zawiya is littered with bodies of the brave not properly trained or equipped to sustain such an assault. And yet the rebels still hold much of the town which Gadhafi considers too close for comfort.

Gadhafi claims portions of the city under his control. The local hospital is overwhelmed and Gadhafi has been firing upon the ambulances as they try to help the wounded or remove the dead from the streets.

Rebel forces are made up of teachers, fishermen, former military, all with a passion to take control of their country. It's an uphill battle which they are willing to give their lives to accomplish. Fighting could go on for months unless the military is willing to quit supporting Gadhafi and his sons.

The situation grows more desperate in Libya as Gadhafi thugs occupy the mosques, preventing the people from speaking their minds. Gadhafi's militia is also going door to door to ferret out anyone they think is against the government. Already, people are being arrested just for suspicion. Relatives do not know where their loved ones are taken or if they still live after being taken away in the middle of the night in this ruthless police state.

Meanwhile, America and the rest of the international community deliberates as to the best course of action to remove him from power should the rebels not be strong enough to finish the job.  A no-fly zone is finally considered but will it be one as defensive to fire upon Libyan jets?  Will it just be NATO jets in the area to fly nearby as a warning to Gadhafi not to bomb civilians?

The United Nations is moving to gather humanitarian aid should this be a sustained civil war.  While the U.N. suspended Libya from the Security Council, word is the U.N. placed Iran on the Women's Rights Council.  Does the news get any more weird when International Women's Day is just around the corner on 8 March 2011?

Please remember the women in these war torn countries of the Middle East as their governments are in transition. In time of economic chaos and civil war it is always the women who are most at risk.

Related articles

• Libya News Update: Political Cartoons of Gadhafi Last Stand (dennysglobalpolitics.blogspot.com)
• Libya: Update and 25 Libya Uprising Cartoons (dennysglobalpolitics.blogspot.com)
• Posts Roundup at Dennys Blogs - 28 Feb 2011 (thesocialpoets.blogspot.com)
• Visual Insights: Dennys Photo Gallery: Invisible Women Around The World (dennysnews2.blogspot.com)

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Libya: Why This Revolt Was Ripe To Happen Now

Image via Wikipedia

From Denny: An update on the evolving situation in Libya. There are still about 300 Americans trapped in the chaos and another 100,000 internationals trying to evacuate. Gadhafi is threatening to blow up the country if defeated. No one is sure if that means by atomic bombs or conventional - or if he will actually do it.

Gadhafi has lost most support in the international community and among his diplomats, politicians and military. All that remains are the usual suspects: the loyalist Republican Guard. Sooner or later they too will see overwhelming odds of armed protesters and throw in with them much like the police did in Egypt. It is a matter of time before the armed protesters take Tripoli as they have many other cities across the country.




Some Basic Facts To Know About Libya

What is the basic history about this country?

* 1951 is where is all starts. Libya had been under 30 years of Italian colonial rule, followed by 8 years of United Nations trusteeship. Libya finally wins its independence. The previous Italian colonial rule explains the close ties with Italy today.

* 1969 is where we see Moammar Gadhafi enter the political scene. Then he was a 27-year-old Army captain that led a mostly peaceful coup to overthrow the ruling monarchy. He positioned himself to become the now undisputed ruler, like a king. He established a socialist system while nationalizing businesses. He also went about financially supporting international terrorist groups which has earned him the ire of world leaders for decades.

* April 1986: During the Reagan years America bombed the hell out of the Gadhafi compound in Tripoli. Why? It was retaliation for the bomb blast that killed U.S. troops in a bombed Berlin, Germany discotheque. It was reported American jet air strikes killed Gadhafi's adopted baby daughter, though most of what is reputed to be fact in Libya usually cannot be substantiated.

* 1988: This is the famous Lockerbie incident that earned Gadhafi zero sympathy. Libyan agents planted a bomb that blew up Pan Am Flight 103 over the Scottish town of Lockerbie. They killed 270 people, mostly Americans. Since this depraved incident that took the lives of innocents, Libya was isolated by the world community through United Nations sanctions, harming its economy.

* 2003: Crippled by international sanctions and international outrage and lawsuits, Libya finally admits responsibility for the Lockerbie bombing. Gadhafi also claimed he would end his efforts at developing weapons of mass destruction. He actually was making progress at normalizing relations with the international community, most notably the West.

* January 2009:  Libya antes up and pays compensation to the American families of the Lockerbie victims. America then decides to exchange ambassadors with Libya, the first time in 35 years of frosty relations.

* 2009: Gadhai marks his 40 year anniversary of absolute rule with some seriously lavish celebrations at a time when the country's economy and the average person is hurting.  Gadhafi is elected chairman of the African Union for a one-year term.

* By 2010:  Various countries, including America, bring in business personnel to trade and scoop up Libyan oil.  This includes hundreds of thousands of international employees.

* Feb. 15, 2011: Sparked by the Egypt Revolution and Tunisia's revolt, a pro-democracy anti-government protest erupts in Libya. This peaceful revolt quickly turns bloody with pro-Gadhafi forces killing protesters.  In turn, the protesters have armed themselves and begun their own military campaigns to take the cities one at a time.  Currently, they are closing in on Tripoli, the capitol city and it is expected to fall to the protesters.

Gadhafi has been steadily losing support among the diplomats, the politicians, the military.  Jet fighters ordered to fire upon the people have rejected the orders, crashed their planes, and requested asylum in other countries. Diplomats have defected, requested asylum as well.  All Gadhafi has left is his loyalist Republican Guard but it is tenuous how long he can hold out.

Gadhafi has threatened to blow up the whole country if is he is not able to stay in power.  It now is a waiting game to see if he makes good on his threats.  At this point, the protesters have nothing to lose as they press ahead to gain control of their country away from this madman.

What is the geography of this troublesome country called Libya?

*  It's about the size of our state of Alaska, a bit larger at 1.7 million square kilometers or 660,000 square miles.

*  Most of this country is a barren place of about 90 percent desert or semi-desert.

*  The nearest neighboring countries are Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Niger, Chad and the Sudan.

What population size lives in Libya?

* About one-third of the country is under the age of 14 years old or actually younger.  There are 6.5 million total residents.

* The majority of that 6.5 million live in cities, to the tune of nearly 80 percent of them.

* About 97 percent of the population are Muslims.

What is the state of the Libyan economy?

* According to the World Bank figures, the Gross Domestic Product of Libya in 2009 was $62 billion.

* You guessed it.  The vast majority of their revenues from exports come from oil.  This is definitely not a wise choice to depend upon only one product.

* Libya has the 9th largest oil reserves in the world.

What is the Libyan reputation on Human Rights?

* 2010: Libya earns the worst score possible for measuring freedom, according to the Freedom House.

* 2005: Libyan human rights score rated as poor by the U.S. State Department, though there were said to be some meager improvements. Still the stain of torturing detainees, arbitrary arrests, civil liberties' restrictions remain standard operating procedure in this Gadhafi regime.

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