And more news from the Arab uprisings:
Qadhafi’s Crimes
Infant in hospital injured by indiscriminate firing by Gaddafi forces. (EXTREMELY Disturbing & Graphic)
Background described by phone to @feb17voices by a Misurata doctor on March 24. Video from March 23, 2011. The infant is from a family residing close to Gaddafi forces’ current location in Misurata. Gaddafi forces, responding to pressure from opposition youth, opened fire indiscriminately on surrounding homes. Infant’s injuries stem from shrapnel. We are completely at a loss for words for the horrifying acts that have been committed against the most helpless young babies and children.
http://feb17.info/media/infant-in-hospital-injured-by-indiscriminate-firing-by-gaddafi-forces-extremely-disturbing-graphic/
Benghazi family victims of Libya conflict
The opposition stronghold of Benghazi in eastern Libya has been the scene of intense fighting as forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi have battled to take back the city. Many civilians have been caught in the violence. Al Jazeera’s Tony Birtley met a young boy who suffered a bullet wound to the chest and lungs as he and his parents tried to escape Gadaffi’s forces when they entered Benghazi last Saturday. His young brother was wounded in the leg and his father died in hospital a day later. His mother remains critically ill.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCveKSBenSI&feature=youtube_gdata
Colonel Ali Mabrouk Mohamed Trabelsi Executed – Translated
This video from March 8 shows the bodies of 4 soliders, including well-known Colonel Ali Mabrouk Trabelsi, who refused to kill their own people. We have the commentary now translated for you in English. This video is graphic.
http://feb17.info/media/colonel-ali-mabrouk-mohamed-trabelsi-executed-translated/
Khamis Brigade solider training
“Although the beating of new soldiers is common in many countries, including Russia (Where Khamis Al Qadhafi trained), forcing them to eat and kiss raw dog is unheard of. No country that values the lives of its troops would subject them to this kind of treatment. “
http://feb17.info/media/expert-military-opinion-of-recent-videos/
Video: Humanitarian call from a hospital in Misrata
March 23, 2011: This video from Misurata filmed on Wednesday appears to show gunfire, sniper fire and a line of tanks in the city.
http://feb17.info/media/video-humanitarian-call-from-a-hospital-in-misrata/
Video: Aftermath after Attacks in Zintan
March 23, 2011: This video was taken in Zintan and surveys the damage to homes and remains of the remains of missiles.
http://feb17.info/media/video-aftermath-after-attacks-in-zintan/
Residents escaping Libyan town of Misrata: witness
Residents began leaving the west Libyan city of Misrata escaping random shooting by forces loyal to Mummar Gaddafi who have taken positions in residential areas to avoid air strikes by coalition forces, a witness from the city told Al Arabiya TV.
http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2011/03/25/142971.html
Libyan Resistance
Report: Libyan rebels kill 30 snipers in Misrata
Rebel spokesman says Gadhafi warships, boats left Misrata port, allowing for coalition forces to secure a safe passage for ships carrying aid; rebel fighters come under shelling whilst advancing on Ajdabiyah in attempt to persuade Gadhafi forces to give up.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/report-libyan-rebels-kill-30-snipers-in-misrata-1.351625?localLinksEnabled=false
Libyan rebels plead — send us guns
BENGHAZI, Libya, March 24 (Reuters) – Libyan rebels desperately need arms and ammunition from foreign countries — especially weapons to knock out tanks — to bolster their struggle against Muammar Gaddafi, a rebel military spokesman said on Thursday. But they do not want foreign advisers or troops to intervene on their behalf, said Colonel Ahmed Bani, an air force officer who has joined the rebels based in the eastern city of Benghazi.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/libyan-rebels-plead—-send-us-guns
Libyan rebels wait outside Gaddafi-held Ajdabiyah
NEAR AJDABIYAH, Libya, March 24 (Reuters) – Libyan rebels trying to advance on Ajdabiyah came under intermittent shelling on Thursday from forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi holding out in the strategic eastern town. There appeared to be efforts to negotiate a deal to end the standoff in Ajdabiyah, but details were unclear and conflicting.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/libyan-rebels-wait-outside-gaddafi-held-ajdabiyah
New Official Statement from Libyan Transitional Council Thanking Coalition
This statement was released March 23,2011 expressing the Transitional Council’s thanks to the coalition, on behalf of the Libyan people, for their efforts to protect them.
http://feb17.info/general/new-official-statements-from-libyan-transitional-council/
Libya’s rebel leaders struggle to get a grip
The Benghazi lawyers, professors and others who lead the rebellion against Moammar Kadafi acknowledge that they and their fighters are hindered by disarray. They work 18-hour days inside two dingy courthouse buildings streaked with graffiti that ridicules Libyan leader Moammar Kadafi. When they enter, they wipe their shoes on a portrait of him.
http://feeds.latimes.com/%7Er/latimes/middleeast/%7E3/z4ubdvrF9f0/la-fg-libya-rebel-leadership-20110325,0,777234.story
Attacks by UN Forces
Coalition air campaign against Libya continues
Coalition forces have pounded Libyan targets for a fifth consecutive night, with airstrikes deeper into the country’s south. The Us military says 14 tomahawk missiles were fired by international forces late on Wednesday and into Thursday. And now there are reports that French war planes have shot down a Libyan jet. Al Jazeera’s Alan Fisher has more.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGjRipDXnIg&feature=youtube_gdata
French jet destroys Libyan plane
Aircraft violating no-fly zone destroyed after landing as fighting rages between pro- and anti-Gaddafi forces.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/03/2011324145513428106.html
Footage of Gaddafi Forces killed in West Benghazi from airstrikes
http://feb17.info/media/footage-of-gaddafi-forces-killed-in-west-benghazi-from-airstrikes/
Calls for revenge, fears for future at Libyan funeral
TRIPOLI, March 24 (Reuters) – A seven-year-old boy clutches a toy AK-47 assault rifle and stares down at a row of coffins holding Libyan civilians who officials say were killed by Western air strikes. “He and many other Libyan children will die fighting the Western colonialists,” said the boy’s uncle Osama bin Saleh, a taxi driver.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/calls-for-revenge-fears-for-future-at-libyan-funeral
Despite Libyan claims, little evidence of civilian casualties
Libyan state media showed images of those it claimed were killed and wounded in ongoing Western airstrikes, but civilian casualties have been difficult to independently verify.
http://rss.csmonitor.com/%7Er/feeds/world/%7E3/qnmi2CWmk84/Despite-Libyan-claims-little-evidence-of-civilian-casualties
Developments
Gaddafi’s entourage sends out secret peace feelers
WASHINGTON, March 24 (Reuters) – Members of Muammar Gaddafi’s entourage are putting out feelers to seek a ceasefire or safe passage from Libya, according to U.S. and European officials and a businessman close to the Libyan leadership. Messages seeking some kind of peaceful end to U.N.-backed military action or a safe exit for members of Gaddafi’s entourage have been sent via intermediaries in Austria, Britain and France, said Roger Tamraz, a Middle Eastern businessman with long experience conducting deals with the Libyan regime.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/gaddafis-entourage-sends-out-secret-peace-feelers
Libyan airspace ‘under control’ of allied forces: March 25 Mideast update
NATO takes control of implementing the no-fly zone over Libya as rebels struggle to retake Ajdabiya. Syria makes rare concessions. Saleh looks to be stepping down (really). Bahrain’s Shiites vow to defy protest ban.
http://rss.csmonitor.com/%7Er/feeds/world/%7E3/7Fyt2li6eAw/Libyan-airspace-under-control-of-allied-forces-March-25-Mideast-update
UAE to send 12 planes to Libya mission -Sarkozy
BRUSSELS, March 25 (Reuters) – The United Arab Emirates has agreed to send 12 aircraft to join the international coalition enforcing a U.N.-mandated no-fly zone over Libya, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Friday. “I spoke at 10.30 p.m. (2100 GMT) to the crown prince of the UAE, who told me that the Emirates have decided to commit 12 planes to the coalition,” he told a news conference after the first day of a European Union summit. The UAE becomes the second Arab state to sent aircraft to the coalition after Qatar, which has sent two fighters and two military transport planes to Crete.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/uae-to-send-12-planes-to-libya-mission–sarkozy
Nato to take charge of no-fly zone – but US role is unclear
Nato reached a partial agreement late last night to take over the command of the no-fly zone over Libya, but deep divisions within the alliance mean the US will have to remain in charge of air strikes on Colonel Gaddafi’s ground forces.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/nato-to-take-charge-of-nofly-zone-ndash-but-us-role-is-unclear-2252533.html
Turkey backs NATO command of Libya operations
Foreign minister says command of military operations in Libya will be transferred from US to NATO within a day or two.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/03/2011324185612655172.html
Allies Move from Defense to Offense in Libya
“Everybody clearly has in mind the “secondary” aim of Colonel Gaddafi’s departure,” a top aide to President Nicholas Sarkozy said on Monday.
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/03/allies-move-from-defense-to-offense-in-libya/
Coalition presses Gaddafi’s forces to stop fighting
WASHINGTON, March 24 (Reuters) – The coalition enforcing a no-fly zone over Libya hammered Muammar Gaddafi’s military with Tomahawk cruise missiles and air strikes as it pressed its demand for his supporters to stop fighting and halt attacks on civilians, U.S. Vice Admiral Bill Gortney said on Thursday.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/coalition-presses-gaddafis-forces-to-stop-fighting
No sign Gaddafi complying with UN demands – Ban
UNITED NATIONS, March 24 (Reuters) – There are no signs that Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi’s government is complying with U.N. Security Council demands for an immediate cease-fire, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Thursday. “There is no evidence that Libyan authorities have taken steps to carry out their obligations under resolutions 1970 or 1973,” Ban told the Security Council. He was referring to two council resolutions that called for an immediate end to hostilities and imposed a no-fly zone over the country.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/no-sign-gaddafi-complying-with-un-demands-ban
African Union invites Libya govt, opposition to talks
PARIS, March 24 (Reuters) – The African Union has invited representatives of Muammar Gaddafi’s government, the Libyan opposition and others to talks in Addis Ababa this Friday, the union’s chairman Jean Ping said. Ping told reporters that Gaddafi wanted to send his prime minister and that officials from the European Union, United Nations Security Council, and neighbouring Arab countries had also been invited to Ethiopia to discuss the Libyan crisis.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/african-union-invites-libya-govt-opposition-to-talks
Humanitarian Crisis
Hundreds missing in Libya, U.N. experts say
GENEVA, March 24 (Reuters) – Hundreds of people in Libya are reported to have disappeared after being rounded up by security forces in the past few months and may have been tortured or executed, U.N. human rights experts said on Thursday. Taken collectively, the “wave of enforced disappearances” could amount to a crime against humanity, they said.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/hundreds-missing-in-libya-un-experts-say
Aid groups struggle to bring help to Libya
Aid organisations are struggling to deliver humanitarian aid supplies to areas of Libya most affected by fighting, aid officials say
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/aid-organisations-struggle-to-bring-help-to-libya
Some aid reaches Libya’s Misrata despite snipers
RABAT, March 25 (Reuters) – Aid organisations are able to deliver some supplies to the Libyan city of Misrata but are concerned because there are still government snipers in the city centre, officials and rebels said on Friday.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/some-aid-reaches-libyas-misrata-despite-snipers
Analysis/Op-ed
Q & A on Laws of War Issues in Libya
The following Questions and Answers (Q & A) address aspects of international humanitarian law (the laws of war) governing the armed conflict between the government of Libya and the international coalition, and between Libya and Libyan opposition armed groups. As of March 24, 2011, members of the coalition consisted of the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Canada, Italy, Spain, Qatar.
http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2011/03/24/q-laws-war-issues-libya
Benghazi residents fear loyalist gunmen
BENGHAZI, Libya, March 24 (Reuters) – Much of central Benghazi looked like a ghost town on Thursday as residents feared gunmen loyal to Muammar Gaddafi were still at large five days after a failed assault on the rebel-held city. Most banks and shops remained shut, despite rebel officials’ appeals for them to open again. In the souk, or market, where gold merchants and jewellers usually ply their trade, nearly all the shutters remained firmly closed.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/benghazi-residents-fear-loyalist-gunmen
Libya’s Civilians Suffer In Bloody Stalemate
WASHINGTON — Libyas civilians, already suffering shortages of food, water and power, are being battered by Muammar Gaddafi’s military forces in the country’s west despite the military intervention of a U.S.-led coalition intended to protect civilians.Meantime, contingency planning for the next steps to protect civilians, providing security and humanitarian relief, is on hold because of confusion and squabbling over the ultimate goal of the military intervention. White House officials tried to clear up the confusion Thursday, saying that while the United States hopes that Gaddafi steps down, it will not use force to make that happen. “We are not engaged in militarily-driven regime change,” White House spokesman Jay Carney said.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/24/libya-civilians-suffer-in-bloody-stalemate_n_840337.html
Mission Creep, Marwan Bishara examines the politics of NATO’s intervention in Libya.
http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/opinion/2011/03/201132512818508559.html#
Supporting the children of Omar Mukhtar, Lamis Andoni
Western intervention in Libya marks a difficult moment in Arab history as empowerment is overwhelmed by helplessness.
http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/opinion/2011/03/2011324111831413805.html
‘Where are the Arabs?’
If Arab states are serious about ending Gaddafi’s menace to his people, they must take the lead in helping the rebels.
http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/opinion/2011/03/201131365925476865.html
“Noble” War in Libya
One can hardly fail to be impressed by the corporate media’s faith in humanity. Or at least that part of humanity with its finger on the cruise missile button. Last week, the Independent’s Patrick Cockburn predicted that ‘Western nations will soon be engaged in a war in Libya with the noble aim of protecting civilians.’ At the opposite end of the alleged media spectrum, former Spectator editor and current London Mayor, Boris Johnson, agreed in the Telegraph: ‘The cause is noble and right, and we are surely bound by our common humanity to help the people of Benghazi.’
http://dissidentvoice.org/2011/03/noble-war-in-libya/
Yemen
Yemen leader says willing to step down with conditions
SANAA, March 25 (Reuters) – Yemen’s President Ali Abdullah Saleh told thousands of supporters in Sanaa on Friday that he was prepared to hand over power to save bloodshed but only to what he described as “safe hands”. “We don’t want power, but we need to hand power over to safe hands, not to sick, resentful or corrupt hands … We are ready to leave power but only for safe hands,” Saleh said in the speech shown on state TV, which came as tens of thousands of his opponents protested in another part of the capital. “We are against firing a single bullet and when we give concessions this is to ensure there is no bloodshed. We will remain steadfast and challenge them with all power we have.”
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/yemen-leader-says-willing-to-step-down-with-conditions
Yemen president met with top general who defected
SANAA, March 25 (Reuters) – Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh held meetings over the past 48 hours with a top general who defected to protesters who are demanding the president’s immediate resignation, a presidential media aide said on Friday.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/yemen-president-met-with-top-general-who-defected
Yemen warned over use of deadly force ahead of fresh protest
Security forces must be stopped from using heavy handed tactics at tomorrow’s demonstration in Sana’a, dubbed the “Friday of Departure”.
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/yemen-warned-over-use-deadly-force-ahead-fresh-protest-2011-03-24
Yemen president offers amnesty to defectors
Ali Abdullah Saleh offers amnesty to military personnel who have defected to the opposition and called for his ousting.
http://english.aljazeera.net//news/middleeast/2011/03/2011324195134812168.html
Yemen’s Youth Leaders Set Out Their Demands
The youth groups that began a monthlong uprising said Thursday that they wanted a new constitution and the dissolution of parliament, local councils and Yemen’s notorious security agencies in addition to the immediate ouster of the president.
http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=dab5c69a80f6febd7ad41114203fb3b6
Top Yemeni general says has no desire for political office
SANAA: A top Yemeni general who has thrown his weight behind street protests demanding the immediate resignation of President Ali Abdullah Saleh said he has no desire to take power or hold political office. Gen. Ali Mohsen, who sent troops to protect pro-democracy protesters in Sanaa, said military rule in Arab countries was outdated and that the people would decide.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=126423
Saleh Defiant
[The following is a brief and modest attempt at making some sense of the Yemeni regime’s persistence in the face of continuing demonstrations and increasing defections. It is based on a number of conversations with knowledgeable observers of Yemeni politics.] In the face of popular protests as well as defections by Yemeni diplomats, government ministers, and military leaders, President Ali Abdullah Saleh yesterday invited the Yemeni youth to participate in a “transparent and open dialogue.” He also announced that he would step down as president by the end of this year, and not—as he had promised earlier—when his term expires in 2013. It is tempting to understand Saleh’s obstinance as detached from reality given the protests and defections. However, a closer examination of these developments might offer a different take on both Saleh and the nature of his regime. Studying the context in which protests and defections are taking place—without undermining the legitimate aspirations of the Yemeni people—points to a rational calculation and gamble on Saleh’s part as he continues to cling to power.
http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/982/saleh-defiant
Bahrain
U.N. rights boss urges restraint in Bahrain
GENEVA, March 25 (Reuters) – The United Nations’ human rights office called on Bahrain on Friday not to use military force on protesters and urged Syria to investigate a deadly police crackdown in Deraa. Navi Pillay, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, met Bahraini officials in Geneva on Thursday and reiterated her appeal for the government to exercise restraint, her spokesman Rupert Colville said.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/un-rights-boss-urges-restraint-in-bahrain
Protests planned for Bahrain despite ban
The protests are aimed at defying emergency rule invoked by Bahrain’s monarch, including the cordoning off Shiite neighborhoods and villages, a ban on marches and a curfew, a human rights worker says. Critics of the Bahrain government have called for widespread rallies Friday in defiance of the country’s recent imposition of martial law, raising the possibility of further violence nine days after a bloody crackdown on protesters and opposition leaders.
http://feeds.latimes.com/%7Er/latimes/middleeast/%7E3/fm-dp1wVHK0/la-fg-bahrain-protest-20110325,0,856713.story
Bahraini man dies of wounds after crackdown-Wefaq
MANAMA, March 24 (Reuters) – A Bahraini civilian has died of wounds sustained during a crackdown that drove protesters off the streets last week, the largest Shi’ite Muslim opposition party Wefaq said. It said Hani Abdulaziz, 33, was hit by four rounds of bird shot fired by security forces near his home in the Shi’ite suburb of Bilad al-Qadim on Saturday. The exact circumstances of the incident were not clear. Abdulaziz’s death brings to 21 the total number of people killed since the start of protests on Feb. 14, including four policemen and two foreigners, one Indian and one Bangladeshi.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/bahraini-man-dies-of-wounds-after-crackdown-wefaq
Bahrain fends off charge of pressing crackdown (AFP)
AFP – Amnesty International on Thursday accused Bahrain of pressing on with a crackdown against Shiite activists and doctors, as Manama tried to fend off charges of foreign meddling in its affairs.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110324/wl_mideast_afp/bahrainpoliticsunrest
Hague tells Britons to leave Yemen now ahead of mass protest
British nationals in Yemen have been urged to leave “without delay”. William Hague, the Foreign Secretary, warned that their safety could no longer be guaranteed and said plans for a military evacuation had been prepared. His announcement came as opposition leaders in Yemen rejected an offer from the embattled President Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down at the end of the year, insisting he leaves office immediately.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/hague-tells-britons-to-leave-yemen-now-ahead-of-mass-protest-2252534.html
Real News Video with Transcript: US Defends Bahrain Dictatorship
Husain Abdulla: Hypocrisy defending rebels in Libya but supporting regime in Bahrain
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDke9dQyK4g&feature=player_embedded
Accidents happen in Bahrain
“A top EU diplomat says the police in Bahrain have had a “difficult task” dealing with opposition protesters and in such situations “accidents happen”.
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/03/accidents-happen-in-bahrain.html
My contacts in Bahrain
Yesterday, I was talking to my sister, Mirvat in Beirut. We were talking about Bahrain and she asked me about my contacts in Bahrain, and about their sectarian identity. It hit me, I told her, that I don’t know the sectarian identity of any of my contacts. Bahrain is not like Lebanon, in that regard, and the protest movement in Bahrain has a long (secular) history and it started against Al-Khalifah long before the Islamic Revolution in Iran.
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/03/my-contacts-in-bahrain.html
Sectarian letters in Bahrain
This letter has been sent to Shi`ite residents in the predominantly Sunni Muharraq area.
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/03/sectarian-letters-in-bahrain.html
These are the Bahraini reforms that the US is pleased with
Yahya sent me this: ”As’ad, the airport’s security procedures at Bahrain’s International Airport are getting worse. Today, I had a call from a close friend who got back from Bahrain, he informed me that he was detained in a dark room with investigators utilizing the bad cop/bad cop interrogation methods, screaming, throwing things.. etc. He repeatedly informed them that he was a Kuwaiti student traveling to Bahrain for years now for academic purposes, they on the other hand asked him about his origin and religious background. They kept him there for an hour until he ‘confessed’ about his Sunni background. Afterwards in the Capital, he was stopped again by a number of checkpoints that kept asking him the same question about his sect. He told me that those checkpoints were handled by individuals in civilian clothing and in some areas the Saudi Army’s patrols.”
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/03/these-are-bahraini-reforms-that-us-is.html
Other Mideast Protests
Spiralling Syria death toll reports ‘disturbing’
The Syrian government must ensure its security forces end attacks on protesters and others during ongoing unrest, Amnesty International says amid reports of mass casualties.
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/spiralling-syria-death-toll-reports-disturbing-2011-03-24
Protests prompt Syria to pledge reforms
Government to consider ending emergency rule and licensing political parties in wake of deadly protests.
http://english.aljazeera.net//news/middleeast/2011/03/2011324164740741279.html
Deraa protestors: Liberate Golan
Anti-goverment demonstrators in southern Syrian city call Assad’s brother, head of Republican Guard, a ‘coward’; at least 200 people march in Damascus chanting ‘we want to bring down government’.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4047728,00.html
Morocco teachers say beaten by police during rally
RABAT, March 24 (Reuters) – Moroccan police clashed with teachers demonstrating for better benefits on Thursday, seriously injuring several people in the capital Rabat, participants said. Various groups have stepped up protests in recent weeks, emboldened by successful uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia. Tens of thousands gathered in cities across the kingdom on Sunday in one of the largest anti-government protests in decades.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/morocco-teachers-say-beaten-by-police-during-rally
Protest camp set up in Jordan capital
Demonstrators in Amman vow to continue with their sit-in until demands for political reforms are met.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/03/201132414304102344.html
Analysis/Op-ed
All Sorts of Interventions
The focal point of the “Arab Spring” has shifted from the successful uprisings of Tunisia and Egypt to the bleak developments in Bahrain and Libya. As the military forces of Britain, France, and the United States are taking “all necessary measures” to topple the Qaddafi regime, troops from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Peninsula Shield Force continue to “stabilize” the al-Khalifa regime in the face of a peaceful democratic uprising in Bahrain. The discrepancies between intervention for regime stability in Bahrain and that of regime change in Libya are undergirded by the fact that the interveners in both cases are ultimately one and the same. The GCC and Arab League member states that dispatched their troops to shore up the monarchy in Bahrain are the very same states that endorsed and offered to participate in a military campaign against the jamahiriyyah in Libya. Similarly, the Western powers that have cited the “Responsibility to Protect” principle as justification for intervening in Libya are the very same states that have called for “restraint” in Bahrain. In both cases—notwithstanding differences in contexts and natures of the uprisings—authoritarian regimes are brutally attacking civilians through lethal force as well as arrests, detentions, and disappearances. In both cases—not withstanding the difference in the purported justifications and natures of each intervention—the logics underlying the actions of Western and Arab powers are one and the same.
http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/994/all-sorts-of-interventions
Kickbacks between Libya and the west have helped Gaddafi cling to power | Alexander Chancellor
All Gaddafi’s rapprochement with the west has achieved is to give him the resources to tighten his grip on the Libyan people. Colonel Gaddafi is nothing if not a caring father. He does everything he can for his boys, arranging, for example, that they grow hugely rich from corrupt dealings with foreign companies. Extracts from leaked state department documents published in the New York Times provide the evidence for this. Emanating from WikiLeaks, they include one state department cable which in 2009 came to the pithy conclusion: “Libya is a kleptocracy in which the regime – either the al-Qadhafi family itself or its close political allies – has a direct stake in anything worth buying, selling or owning.” (The cable used the department’s spelling of Gaddafi.) Other cables revealed it sometimes demands billion-dollar “signing bonuses” for contracts with western oil companies. A Canadian company, Petro-Canada, was reported in the Toronto Globe and Mail not only to have paid one such bonus but also to have sponsored an exhibition of the dreadful paintings of Saif Gaddafi and to have been involved, through a middleman, in getting him to take part in a pheasant shoot on Princess Anne’s Gloucestershire estate.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/mar/25/gaddafi-libya-deals
