Libya: Benghazi unrest, to Civil War, to a new government and Gaddafi's death.

[Bunwahaha [still dunno why, but well, so be it]]

Can anyone here see a Lybian Hama in the next few days? Or is Gadaffi already past that point of authority and are his mercenaries the only things left between Lybia and the end of his regime?


EDIT: Am I he only one hearing rumours about Italian mercenaries?

Tomorrow would answer the 1st question.

Didn't hear about Italian mercenaries, well, mercenaries would be independent by definition anyways. Anyhow, from all the records I heard seems that, yeah, besides the bombing of the most rebellious districts of Tripoli, and the fact that some of the shootings would have been made from helicopters, seems that most of shootings would have been blindly made by mercenaries with war weapons.

[GMantis]

Quite an illuminating speech.

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Finally Gaddaffi has moved closer to the position of the demonstrators!

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In light of this bizarre statement, I'm wondering if there is a  weapon in the Libyan arsenal that hasn't been used yet against the protesters? The navy? Long range missiles?

[Stranger in a strange land]

Gaddafi has already lost several cities and seems to have no means of getting them back. The Minister of Interior is variously reported as having joined the opposition or having been assassinated. Gaddafi's rambling speech may have strengthened the resolve of the protesters, as it sent the message they will be killed even if they back down. The death toll will almost certainly be in the thousands before all this is over.

[The Mikado]

Al Jazeera's been running that "I will die a martyr in the end" line constantly.  They seem to really hope that it'll be a self-fulfilling prophecy.  (So do I, of course)

[Filuwaúrdjan]

In light of this bizarre statement, I'm wondering if there is a  weapon in the Libyan arsenal that hasn't been used yet against the protesters? The navy? Long range missiles?

Perhaps he's just pissed off with himself for abandoning his WMD programme? Or maybe he was lying when he told the world that he had done so.

[afleitch]

In light of this bizarre statement, I'm wondering if there is a  weapon in the Libyan arsenal that hasn't been used yet against the protesters? The navy? Long range missiles?

Perhaps he's just pissed off with himself for abandoning his WMD programme? Or maybe he was lying when he told the world that he had done so.

Maybe we should ask this guy;



Where is our glorious Middle East Peace Envoy anyway?

[John Dibble]

Foreign reporters are now able to enter the country, or at least those controlled by the protesters. It sounds like the military in the eastern areas has defected almost entirely to the opposition side and is keeping the peace there, so things in those areas are stabilizing for the time being from the sounds of it.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12546806

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[Bunwahaha [still dunno why, but well, so be it]]

In light of this bizarre statement, I'm wondering if there is a  weapon in the Libyan arsenal that hasn't been used yet against the protesters? The navy? Long range missiles?

Perhaps he's just pissed off with himself for abandoning his WMD programme? Or maybe he was lying when he told the world that he had done so.

Maybe we should ask this guy;



Where is our glorious Middle East Peace Envoy anyway?

Or that one on the left:



'You let me be a Superman by saving the 7 Bulgarian nurses (and the Palestinian doctor, we care less but while we're at it) jailed and tortured for years just 2 months after I've been elected and just before taking my summer vacations, with my wife appearing as a Wonder Woman, and you'll be allowed to have some French civilian nuclear technologies into your hands, the past is the past after all, we can as well forget it'

'Hmm, .k, but more of that I want a full trip in Paris, about one week, I want to appear like king in the city, I want the Louvre for me and my staff alone, and I want to put my big Bedouin tent into the garden of your Presidential Palace, .k?'

'Well, deal'...'Me and my wife saved the nurses!!'



(find the French girl)

Ah, and, speaking of glorious diplomatic people, it has been dug out an interview of our new nonetheless glorious ambassador in Tunisia, Boris 'get the trade contracts!-you are so stupid to ask questions about what our Foreign Affairs Minister did in Tunisia during unrest!-I want to implement a new philosophy!-am I not sexy in swim suit?' Boillon saying on a big daily evening talk show a few months ago while he was still ambassador in Baghdad:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MURjPnCk-WQ

Journalist: Gaddafi calls you 'my son'.

B.B.: 'well, yes'

People around the table: 'Wow'

B.B.: 'Well, let's stop preconceived ideas, Gaddafi has maybe in the past been a terrorist'

Journalist: 'Maybe??'

B.B.: 'Ok, not maybe, he has been a terrorist, but all of this is past now, he has made his self-criticism, we can all do mistakes'

Arab world will love to discover the 'new philosophy' of French diplomacy of our cute BB.



The guy who is a French ambassador for a while now still had this pic on the profile of a kind of French facebook. New philosophy all the way!

[Silent Hunter]

Quite an illuminating speech.

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Finally Gaddaffi has moved closer to the position of the demonstrators!

You must be logged in to read this quote.

In light of this bizarre statement, I'm wondering if there is a  weapon in the Libyan arsenal that hasn't been used yet against the protesters? The navy? Long range missiles?

There's reports that the navy have already been used.

[afleitch]

The guy who is a French ambassador for a while now still had this pic on the profile of a kind of French facebook. New philosophy all the way!

Hot

[Nhoj]

[All Along The Watchtower]

"See what I'm pointing to? That's the CIA/Israeli/whomever that is responsible, not me!"

[Platypus]

In light of this bizarre statement, I'm wondering if there is a  weapon in the Libyan arsenal that hasn't been used yet against the protesters? The navy? Long range missiles?

Perhaps he's just pissed off with himself for abandoning his WMD programme? Or maybe he was lying when he told the world that he had done so.

Maybe we should ask this guy;



Where is our glorious Middle East Peace Envoy anyway?

Or that one on the left:



'You let me be a Superman by saving the 7 Bulgarian nurses (and the Palestinian doctor, we care less but while we're at it) jailed and tortured for years just 2 months after I've been elected and just before taking my summer vacations, with my wife appearing as a Wonder Woman, and you'll be allowed to have some French civilian nuclear technologies into your hands, the past is the past after all, we can as well forget it'

'Hmm, .k, but more of that I want a full trip in Paris, about one week, I want to appear like king in the city, I want the Louvre for me and my staff alone, and I want to put my big Bedouin tent into the garden of your Presidential Palace, .k?'

'Well, deal'...'Me and my wife saved the nurses!!'



(find the French girl)

Ah, and, speaking of glorious diplomatic people, it has been dug out an interview of our new nonetheless glorious ambassador in Tunisia, Boris 'get the trade contracts!-you are so stupid to ask questions about what our Foreign Affairs Minister did in Tunisia during unrest!-I want to implement a new philosophy!-am I not sexy in swim suit?' Boillon saying on a big daily evening talk show a few months ago while he was still ambassador in Baghdad:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MURjPnCk-WQ

Journalist: Gaddafi calls you 'my son'.

B.B.: 'well, yes'

People around the table: 'Wow'

B.B.: 'Well, let's stop preconceived ideas, Gaddafi has maybe in the past been a terrorist'

Journalist: 'Maybe??'

B.B.: 'Ok, not maybe, he has been a terrorist, but all of this is past now, he has made his self-criticism, we can all do mistakes'

Arab world will love to discover the 'new philosophy' of French diplomacy of our cute BB.



The guy who is a French ambassador for a while now still had this pic on the profile of a kind of French facebook. New philosophy all the way!

Hot.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Is the use of the old royal tricolor an indication that the as-Senussi line could hope to return to the throne (presumably as constitutional monarchs) or just that it is the old pre-Ghadaffi flag?

[Bacon King]

Is the use of the old royal tricolor an indication that the as-Senussi line could hope to return to the throne (presumably as constitutional monarchs) or just that it is the old pre-Ghadaffi flag?

That could be an issue in itself; there are two pretenders to the throne.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

I had thought that by those who care about such things, Muhammad was widely regarded as the true pretender and Idris as a scalawag and a con artist.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Who else agrees that alcohol being illegal in Libya is enough justification to overthrow the government and kill anyone who supports it?

[Хahar 🤔]

Who else agrees that alcohol being illegal in Libya is enough justification to overthrow the government and kill anyone who supports it?

Whatever government replaces the current one will not legalize alcohol.

[Mr. Morden]

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-libya-mideast-protests-20110223,0,2508820,full.story

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[Boris]

Who else agrees that alcohol being illegal in Libya is enough justification to overthrow the government and kill anyone who supports it?

Whatever government replaces the current one will not legalize alcohol.

A revolution without dancing is not a revolution worth having.

[Bacon King]

I had thought that by those who care about such things, Muhammad was widely regarded as the true pretender and Idris as a scalawag and a con artist.

Aye, but given he's already announced his intentions to return to Libya, Idris could still make a ruckus of things when Gaddafi goes.

[phk]

Musa al-Sadr. Believe.

[Mr. Morden]

A Libyan warship defects to Malta:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/babylonbeyond/2011/02/libya-warship-defects-to-malta.html

[Gustaf]

Third biggest city, situated in Western Libya (previously under government control), Misurata reported to have fallen to the protesters.

[Bunwahaha [still dunno why, but well, so be it]]

Who else agrees that alcohol being illegal in Libya is enough justification to overthrow the government and kill anyone who supports it?

Whatever government replaces the current one will not legalize alcohol.

A revolution without dancing is not a revolution worth having.

Oh they are well dancing and singing in Tobruk right now.

A Libyan warship defects to Malta:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/babylonbeyond/2011/02/libya-warship-defects-to-malta.html

Yeah, heard that yesterday night. I just heard that the chief of the army would have joined the protest too, but it isn't confirmed, only comes from some blogs. Some people say he would only have the Air Force with him, and well, mercenaries.

About the post-Gaddafi times, there is no state system there, I would hope it wouldn't turn into a civil war between tribes. The tribal aspect would still be important since Gaddafi didn't even try to change that, and the country would also be divided in 2 cultural spheres (Tunisian and Egyptian), but for example, in Benghazi, historically the most protesting city against central power, when unrest began there, I heard that one of the big slogan was simply 'LYBIA! LIBYA! LIBYA!'. Who knows, maybe it could turn into a kind of UAE, the 'United Tribes of Libya', dunno, maybe something like this under a symbolic monarchy. Libya has always been my biggest interrogation mark for a post-revolution time, I don't know much about the reality of Islamist movements there too, but as they have apparently been arrested a lot under Gaddafi, I would surprised they wouldn't count, especially in a country which apparently didn't care much about developing something beyond its traditional schemes, although Gaddafi regime apparently also procured some education, some alphabetization at least. I would hope Islamist movements follow the 'Mediterranean Islamist AKP trend'.

'New flag'...



...makes me think to an other flag...



I hope it won't become the 'Afghanistan/KSA of Mediterranea', but well, all of this is conjectures so far, they still have to get rid of their current regime and the outcome of it would also certainly be important for the future of the country, may they find the best ways possible.