The AP posted a photo from Benghazi that showed a huge poster amid thousands of people. It read "Fantastic 4" and had the photos of Susan Rice, David Cameron, Nicolas Sarkozy and President Obama, and underneath "God Bless You All. Thanks for All."
If you ever wonder why the world may not appreciate America, all you needed to do is to listen to The Donald, who opined that "All the rebels will be richer than Americans because they are going to take the oil." So the Donald suggests we take it first because of the adage about the spoils of war.
The Washington Times' Eli Lake tweeted:" Worth noting. President Birth Certificate has done what Reagan and W could not: End Qadhafi's reign and kill bin Laden."
For another opinion, there is ole' Frothy Mix, Rick Santorum, who said," Ridding the world of the likes of Qadhafi is a good thing but this indecisive President had little to do with this triumph."
Steve Benen sort of disagrees. He reminds us that President Obama assembled a broad international coalition, got the Arab League to support Western intervention and got a vote at the United Nations rather rapidly and the bombs fell quickly. Good or bad, it was not indecisive. Amen.
Mitt Romney, who has been back and forth on this subject acted--well--weird. The first words of his mouth were he wants the Lockerbie bomber extradited. Virtually no concept about freedom or that the Libyans threw off a dictator.
President Obama called again for Gaddafi's surrender, hailed the Libyans who struggled for freedom (his full comments were broadcast to Libya),told them it was their revolution and that we would assist in helping build an inclusive democratic system. He also detailed the American military role and congratulated our forces and the NATO alliance. He also emphasized that all this was accomplished with no American boots on the ground. Well, sort of or none that you know about.
French President Sarkozy will be hosting the TNC this Wednesday for a meeting with "the contact group of nations".
If the Republicans aren't very happy, there are some unhappy campers. The TNC warned the Chinese, Russians and Brazlians that business would first go to those who supported them. The Chinese have 75 companies operating in Libya, some 36,000 staff and nearly 50 projects. The Russians I have mentioned before have extensive interest in the gas and oil industry. And the Brazilians also are in the energy sector. ENI, the Italian oil company, looks to benefit the first and the Qatar national oil company and the trading house VITOL.
Kudos to the twitter crowd--the Libya Youth Movement,the Feb. 17 Voices and Sultan Al Qassemi, who have brought to light local reactions dring the last few days. The Libyans are ow enjoying e-mails after several months of blackouts.
900 prisoners,mostly political, have been freed from the Ein Zara Prison.
Two bodies were discovered--that of Khamis Gaddafi, who had mounted the counter-offensive, and that of Gaddafi's brother-in-law and intelligence chief, Abdallah Sanussi. Apparently, they were casualties in the fighting this morning.
Mohammed Gaddafi escaped from his house arrest as Gaddafi loyalists sprung him.
Revolutionaries captured Gaddafi's bodygoard Sa'd Mas'ud with $4 million US on him.
Fighting has been fierce around the Rixos Hotel where the international journalists have been holed up.
A Libyan AP reporter, who lives near Gaddafi's compound reports that it has been devasated by NATO air strikes.
During the fighting this morning in Sirte, Gaddafi forces launced a Scud, which was intercepted by NATO.
Egyptian democrat and diplomat Mohammed El Baradei said today,"The Freedom Train for the locally occupied Arab world has left the station and will not stop--ever."
After the break for the Ramadan fast, we can expect fierce fighting for the last strongholds of the Gaddafi supporters in Tripoli. Stay tuned.
Showing posts with label Libyan Revolution. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Libyan Revolution. Show all posts
Monday, August 22, 2011
A Great Day For Libya,A Bad Day For Comedy
The King of Kings is on the run and no one knows where he will pitch his tent next. The Algerian embassy in Tripoli denied last night Gaddafi was there. David Ignatius reports this morning that the Gaddafi family has been sending money to Tunisia and Algeria for the last week. South Africa denies they are helping him prepare for exile. When asked about the South African Airways planes on the tarmac, they told the reporters to ask NATO because they control the airport. Besides the two African countries--Angola and Zimbabwe--some suggest Gaddafi might join Hugo Chavez in Venezuela.
One mysterious report had a yacht and another vessel departing the port of Tripoli last night for places unknown.
By morning, the revolutionary army had claimed control of 90% of Tripoli. The fierce fighting had been around the Gaddafi compound last night and neighbors were told to stay away as NATO fighters bombed it. The New York Times' section The Lede revved up last night with tweets from Libyans in the neighborhood. The new twitters were breaking a long silence because the Libyan National Telephone company sent congratulations to all subscribers for overthrowing Gaddafi and then the lines were open.
President Obama released a statement this morning saying that Libya was at a tipping point and urged Gaddafi to leave before there was more bloodshed. He also noted that the United States recognized the TNC as the governing authority of the country and urged it to preserve human rights. Strangely, President Obama' s statement was reprinted in full in Billy Kristol's Weekly Standard, a conservative mouthpiece almost constantly critical of the President.
Early morning pundits and analysts appearing on television seemed way behind the news or at least too cautious about where we are. Former Governor Ed Rendell of Pennsylvania crowed that the situation vindicated Obama's low-key approach to the Libyan situation. Republicans are spinning away with two points--the end could have come sooner if Obama had used airpower immediately, which mirrors the French statement, and that the success of this policy initiative could only come after we know the future shape of the government of Libya. However,toppling a Mideast dictator with no casualties to Americans is no small feat as we know from our prior experiences.
Juan Cole, who has monitored the whole Libyan situation from the beginning,posts on his blog www.juancole.com an essay this morning about the myths about the Libyan revolution. He is trying to counter the Left's complaints about our involvement and blasts other analysts who said it had to be done with American boots on the ground, people like Max Boot. Juan also has a good point about the analysis that Libya could break up because it is an "artificial country". He points out that almost all such criticism is by people who always view countries of the South as "artificial" because of the legacy of colonialism. He points out that the TNC has managed so far to contain the various factions within it.
There appears to be a silver lining in the delay of the TNC's victory. The TNC had to fire their leadership early on because of incompetence and their failure to develop a transition plan. During the months of delay, the TNC sent out feelers to Libyan army officials and government bureaucrats securing their commitment to participate in the transition process. This is a far cry from the Iraqi situation, which led to the de-Baathification and the elimination of the military, which plunged that country into continuous war. Yesterday we saw the fruits of that strategy when the Libyan military at key points surrendered. This was a real surprise to NATO officials who expected a fierce defense of the capital. But TNC officials frequently commented on the "honorable commanders" whom they had been in contact with for months.
So far the TNC fears the continued presence of snipers and "sleeper cells" in Tripoli and sporadic firefights in different neighborhoods. But there does not look to be any likelihood of a reversal of the battle. The regular army seems to be off the battlefield and only a few mercenaries and Gaddafi supporters appear to be creating the violence.
Now the TNC has captured Saad Gaddafi,making it three sons in total. The ICC has announced they have not prepared an arrest warrant for Saif Gaddafi and Mohammed. While Al-Jazeera interviewed Mohammed via telephone at his mother's house, gunfire erupted outside but he was unharmed. He said that the revolution occurred because the regime had made many mistakes. Got to Juan Cole's blog to see what they were.
One mysterious report had a yacht and another vessel departing the port of Tripoli last night for places unknown.
By morning, the revolutionary army had claimed control of 90% of Tripoli. The fierce fighting had been around the Gaddafi compound last night and neighbors were told to stay away as NATO fighters bombed it. The New York Times' section The Lede revved up last night with tweets from Libyans in the neighborhood. The new twitters were breaking a long silence because the Libyan National Telephone company sent congratulations to all subscribers for overthrowing Gaddafi and then the lines were open.
President Obama released a statement this morning saying that Libya was at a tipping point and urged Gaddafi to leave before there was more bloodshed. He also noted that the United States recognized the TNC as the governing authority of the country and urged it to preserve human rights. Strangely, President Obama' s statement was reprinted in full in Billy Kristol's Weekly Standard, a conservative mouthpiece almost constantly critical of the President.
Early morning pundits and analysts appearing on television seemed way behind the news or at least too cautious about where we are. Former Governor Ed Rendell of Pennsylvania crowed that the situation vindicated Obama's low-key approach to the Libyan situation. Republicans are spinning away with two points--the end could have come sooner if Obama had used airpower immediately, which mirrors the French statement, and that the success of this policy initiative could only come after we know the future shape of the government of Libya. However,toppling a Mideast dictator with no casualties to Americans is no small feat as we know from our prior experiences.
Juan Cole, who has monitored the whole Libyan situation from the beginning,posts on his blog www.juancole.com an essay this morning about the myths about the Libyan revolution. He is trying to counter the Left's complaints about our involvement and blasts other analysts who said it had to be done with American boots on the ground, people like Max Boot. Juan also has a good point about the analysis that Libya could break up because it is an "artificial country". He points out that almost all such criticism is by people who always view countries of the South as "artificial" because of the legacy of colonialism. He points out that the TNC has managed so far to contain the various factions within it.
There appears to be a silver lining in the delay of the TNC's victory. The TNC had to fire their leadership early on because of incompetence and their failure to develop a transition plan. During the months of delay, the TNC sent out feelers to Libyan army officials and government bureaucrats securing their commitment to participate in the transition process. This is a far cry from the Iraqi situation, which led to the de-Baathification and the elimination of the military, which plunged that country into continuous war. Yesterday we saw the fruits of that strategy when the Libyan military at key points surrendered. This was a real surprise to NATO officials who expected a fierce defense of the capital. But TNC officials frequently commented on the "honorable commanders" whom they had been in contact with for months.
So far the TNC fears the continued presence of snipers and "sleeper cells" in Tripoli and sporadic firefights in different neighborhoods. But there does not look to be any likelihood of a reversal of the battle. The regular army seems to be off the battlefield and only a few mercenaries and Gaddafi supporters appear to be creating the violence.
Now the TNC has captured Saad Gaddafi,making it three sons in total. The ICC has announced they have not prepared an arrest warrant for Saif Gaddafi and Mohammed. While Al-Jazeera interviewed Mohammed via telephone at his mother's house, gunfire erupted outside but he was unharmed. He said that the revolution occurred because the regime had made many mistakes. Got to Juan Cole's blog to see what they were.
Sunday, August 21, 2011
The Wheels Aren't Up Yet--But Soon--the Libyan Revolution
NATO called on Gaddafi to leave before there is more bloodshed. The UK told him "Go Now!" Prime Minister Cameron said," The regime is now finished."
Al Jazerra reported that the Africa Union had been frantically mediating with Gaddafi and his family through the South Africans to resettle Gaddafi in exile. The South Africans have sent two planes to Tripoli,which are standing on the tarmac. Because South Africa is a signatory to the ICC, he could only offer Gaddafi two options--Angola or Zimbabwe. Gaddafi has always had a close relationship with Robert Mugabe.
NATO forces bombed Gaddafi's compound in the Bab al-Azziziya section of Tripoli. The revolutionary army claimed that all fighting in Tripoli, except in this section had ceased. They captured another Gaddafi son, Mohammed after a firefight. Gaddafi supporters reportedly have dumped their uniforms and fled to neighboring farms along with the mercenaries from Chad.
The capture of Gaddafi's son prompted a statement from the ICC that they confirmed Gaddafi's arrest. This made the crowds in Benghazi go nuts. But Al Arabiya had to retract their report when the ICC corrected their statement to say it was the son, not the father.
Ahmad Bani, the head of the Libyan National Army, confirmed that Gaddafi was in Tripoli and promised,"in 10 minutes, we will be giving the Libyans a big present." I didn't get whether that would be a good or a bad present, since there were reports of army personnel walking around with gas masks on and snipers continuing to fire down into the streets.
A final tweet reports celebrations in Green Square, a place where Gaddafi used to assemble people for demonstrations in support of his regime.
Al Jazerra reported that the Africa Union had been frantically mediating with Gaddafi and his family through the South Africans to resettle Gaddafi in exile. The South Africans have sent two planes to Tripoli,which are standing on the tarmac. Because South Africa is a signatory to the ICC, he could only offer Gaddafi two options--Angola or Zimbabwe. Gaddafi has always had a close relationship with Robert Mugabe.
NATO forces bombed Gaddafi's compound in the Bab al-Azziziya section of Tripoli. The revolutionary army claimed that all fighting in Tripoli, except in this section had ceased. They captured another Gaddafi son, Mohammed after a firefight. Gaddafi supporters reportedly have dumped their uniforms and fled to neighboring farms along with the mercenaries from Chad.
The capture of Gaddafi's son prompted a statement from the ICC that they confirmed Gaddafi's arrest. This made the crowds in Benghazi go nuts. But Al Arabiya had to retract their report when the ICC corrected their statement to say it was the son, not the father.
Ahmad Bani, the head of the Libyan National Army, confirmed that Gaddafi was in Tripoli and promised,"in 10 minutes, we will be giving the Libyans a big present." I didn't get whether that would be a good or a bad present, since there were reports of army personnel walking around with gas masks on and snipers continuing to fire down into the streets.
A final tweet reports celebrations in Green Square, a place where Gaddafi used to assemble people for demonstrations in support of his regime.
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