Newsbook

Nothing succeeds like success. The Arab people have witnessed a real demonstration in DYI "How-to-overthow-an-autocrat" these recent weeks in Tunisia and in Egypt. The Libians have assumed they can get rid of their "super sheikh" too. The difference is, their man Mr Qadhafi is a REAL dictator, the classical type, not the mild version of Ben Ali and Mubarak. Hence, the streets are turning red...

good points, IshmeNicolas.

People tossed around the terms dictator and autocrat, but there is truly a spectrum of oppressiveness and willingness to use violence to secure power.

I wonder if the current turmoil in Libya will result in an overthrow of the government, say like Romania, Christmas time, 1989, or whether this will end with successful suppression of political uprisings/demonstrations, like in China (again 1989) or Myanmar?

Yes, or worse. If he does not flee the country, he may end like Ceaucescu

Gaddafi will be the Arab Ceauscescu.

Oops, should have read the other comments first, jmconejo obviously had the same idea.

What is happening in Libya, you can call it human massacre, it is a mass blood shed. The regime is Libya is so aggressive against its own people. I never understood how the sanctions against libya was lifted, how libya name got erased from terror list. How relation between libya and europe improved recently. I hate double standards. If this is the case why North Korea is not treated the same way as Libya is being treated. This is simply discrimination. I repeat discrimination.
Another analysis on why Libya is treated in this manner, It is because Libya has oil. This has been always been the case. The West cares only about the Libyan oil.

@IshmeNicolas
Tunisia was not a mild dictatorship, it was a real one harsh one. Protesters were also being snipped the death toll was 200+. Ben Ali couldn't be bloodier because he relied on the Western support to exist as did Mubarak. Indeed Ben Ali was going to go further in the bloodshed until the US decide to end with him.
Gadhafi is a crazier man but more importantly he doesn't need the Western support and actually doesn't even care what the West would think about him.

At the end the Arab people will rule and get rid of these butchers.

Like the Tunisian anthem says:

When the people wants to live, destiny must surely respond
Darkness will disappear, chains will certainly break

Salam

"Mr Qadhafi seems precariously close to following their fallen leaders into early retirement, or worse."

Couldn't happen to a nicer dictator...

What is happening in Libya is very scary. Qadhafi is a mad man, and I fear the worst for Libyans. I doubt he will flee, he would rather dive the country into chaos to remain in power. The only option is that he gets killed... however even if that ever happens, the aftermath is going to be chaotic as well since Libya is not a conventional state but a product of the evil mind of Qadhafi.

Sic semper tyrannis.

There are very few dictators who deserve dismemberment by an angry mob more than Qaddafi. He must go.

With the army more than eager to shoot real bullets, how will the Jasmine Revolution fare in Libya? So far, the people have been faced with brutal aggression, and despite their efforts, Quadafi doesn't seem to be relenting. He is brutal, and should step down, as these actions against the people are intolerable. In comparison to the events happening in Egypt, the Libyan revolution doesn't get enough publicity despite being far more chaotic and violent...isn't that strange?

Why refer to mercenaries as "African" mercenaries? Isn't that as silly as calling Polish tourists to France "European tourists"?

Where would Colonel Gaddafi go? Is any country issuing an invitation? Would it not be a good idea for some country to offer a safe haven, and thereby save Libyan lives?

@ Bill_T wrote:

‘Where would Colonel Gaddafi go? Is any country issuing an invitation? Would it not be a good idea for some country to offer a safe haven, and thereby save Libyan lives?’

Well, the list of options among Arab states is dwindling, with more of them falling into chaos.. Maybe Switzerland would pick up the glove?...;-)

One thing is startling, though. Actually two:

1. While Western nations were fast and fierce in their calls to remove Mubarak under a much more restraint response to the demonstrations, it is really amazing to see the mild response from the West to Qadhafi’s tyranny, live fire response to demonstration, and threats by Qadhafi’s son, practically threatening a genocide against its own citizens!

Seems that oil supply in this case, plus Libyan curb on sub-Saharan immigrant flow through Libya into Europe are more important than innocent lives, isn’t it?

2. At the same time, it is amazing to see the hypocrisy in many of the posters on the Economist (none of which who responded on this article thus far).

When there is an article about Israel, say, how there are settlers who may cut trees owned by Palestinians (no doubt a wrong action that demands panelizing those involved), you will find dozens, sometime hundreds of posts coming from posters dedicated to tarnishing Israel IN THE NAME OF HUMAN RIGHTS, INT'L LAW, etc.

But, when it comes to the plight of the Libyan people, now under live fire from a real human rights violator, they are all gone, nowhere to be seen. Their approach (posters like Sebastianin, Froy”, omar ibrahim, Vladek2, et al...) against Israel is therefore not driven by care for human rights, but rather anti-Israeli racism.

Where are all the Vladeks, Sebastianins etc., now, when REAL freedom and human rights are to be protected?

One more piece in the domino.

I must say that I fear the worst for the Libyans. Not only is Qadhafi a true dictator (with a questionable grip on reality) with no qualms about using live ammunition against anyone threatening his position, but yesterday one of his repulsive sons told the nation - and the world - that the regime would fight to stay in power even if it meant Civil War.

Fortunately it seems that Gaddafi will fall down... A lot of people died, look at these bloody photos... http://muscvlvs.blogspot.com/2011/02/le-foto-della-rivoluzione-in-libia....

I hope they seize Qadhafi and string him up from the flagpole on his palace and leave him there to rot.

Strait Forward, you seem to be arguing that Israel should be entitled to abuse people because other countries do it too. I don't think that two wrongs make a right...

But the relevance of Israel to this thread about Libya seems highly questionable. If you want to make a point about Israel, you should do it somewhere else.