Opinion: It is madness in Libya
The violence that is taking place in Libya now is madness in every sense of the word. The scope of the violence that the regime has used to quell the protests demonstrates the extremes the regime will go to, burning down the country in order to ensure Muammar Qaddafi remains in power, as has been the case for about 42 years.
The events in Libya indicate that the regime is finished internally and externally. On the domestic front, the regime is virtually over due to the extremely violent methods it has been using against the Libyan citizens.
Arms and live ammunition have been used against the citizens. According to Aljazeera channel, the regime is using fighter planes to strike areas inside Tripoli.
We have witnessed divisions within the Libyan army and resignations by Libyan ministers and ambassadors around the world. The deputy chairman of the Libyan diplomatic mission to the UN has called on Qaddafi to quit.
Nobody would like to stay part of this regime, which does not hesitate to use such terrifying methods against its unarmed people. The tribes in Libya have risen against the regime. This is a very important development and has its implications. The Libyan towns are falling one after the other to the protesters.
On the world front, other countries are condemning the regime’s violence against its people.
However, the attitude of the White House, which was still studying the situation, was surprising. The only conclusion on this stance is that the Obama administration is now certain that it has no power over what is happening in the Arab region.
The administration is of course worried over what may happen next. It is also worried about the future of the region and its policies there. The world community is today feeling the seriousness of the situation.
The possibility of the regime’s downfall has driven many Western countries to pull their citizens out of Libya. It is just not possible for the world community to ignore what is happening in Libya.
It is clear that the possibility of the regime staying intact has become a weak one. The regime is actually staggering. The earth is shaking under its feet. The foreign circles are closing on the regime.
The British foreign minister on Monday quoted news reports that Qaddafi was on his way to Venezuela. Though Venezuela has denied these reports, this piece of news indicates that Qaddafi might be looking for asylum.
There is another important factor. Qaddafi’s son, Seif Al-Islam, in a long speech initially threatened the Libyans with more bloodbaths, but the next day he spoke about setting up a committee to investigate the violence.
This is a clear indication that the Libyan regime was retracting its threats. Such practices are not uncommon in the Arab world, especially after what happened in Tunisia and Egypt where such delayed responses were decisive indications that the regimes there were falling apart.
The downfall of the Libyan regime is not a far cry. It will be difficult for the regime to remain in power. The only fear is that more innocent and unarmed Libyans will continue to lose their lives.
The Libyan regime has amassed huge weapons that it will not hesitate to use against its own people. It is a source of deep worry for us that the number of dead in Libya is on the rise.
May Almighty Allah protect the unarmed Libyan people.
— Tariq Alhomayed is the editor in chief of pan-Arab daily Asharq Al-Awsat (tariq@asharqalawsat.com).
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AHMAD Z KHAN
Feb 23, 2011 12:00
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Feb 23, 2011 19:08
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