Time Magazine Person of the Year 2011 Announced

Posted by Sam in Education, Opinion

Time magazine Person of the Year 2011 has been announced & rather than a single person, they have chosen the many, ‘the protester’.

Time magazine awards the person of the year award to those who have made the biggest impact during the year. Under that banner it is easy to see why they chose ‘the protester’ in all its forms.

The sheer number of protests in 2011 with profound consequences for those involved was enormous.

Most of the focus was on the Arab uprisings but the recent peaceful protests, against Putin in Russia and the Occupy Wall Street movement, have highlighted that the year is not over yet… and neither are the protesters nor their want for change.

Time magazine said the award recognised the protesters for redefining people power around the world.

Richard Stengel, editor of time magazine said that

“They dissented, they demanded, they did not despair, even when the answers came back in a cloud of teargas or a hail of bullets”.

Time Magazine Explain Why They Choose ‘The Protester’ as Person of the Year 2011

But in truth, no government, no dictator, no person and no idea can ever stand up to a mass of united people who demand change.

History tells us this repeatedly and although it may take many many years, ultimately true people power is impossible to resist.

Photo: Al Jazeera English

Gaddafi News: Colonel Gaddafi Killed in Sirte, Libya

Posted by Jeff in Breaking News

Gaddafi has finally met his end in his hometown of Sirte in Libya.

Muammar Gaddafi was captured alive earlier today in his Libyan hometown of Sirte, but then was allegedly killed by crossfire between Gaddafi loyalists and fighters for the transitional council. He died from his wounds just before arriving at hospital.

al-Jazeera TV broadcast footage showing Gaddafi but it is difficult to know what state he was in at that point.

The French Defence Minister has told how French planes had fired warning shots at a convoy trying to flee Sirte carrying Gaddafi. He said that Libyan fighters then surrounded the convoy and took Gaddafi.

Other reports have come in saying that Gaddafi was hiding a drainage ditch and that he was shot when he tried to escape. A fighter wielded a golden gun that he claimed to have taken from Gaddafi.

Perhaps it is unlikely that we will ever know the truth, it is far more convenient for the new Government to deal with Gaddafi and for Libya to move on now that he is dead.

Like Osama Bin Laden, having him able to spout his rhetoric at a trial could have been divisive in a country where there are still people loyal to him.

Speaking for the Libyan National Transitional Council, Mr Jibril confirmed that Colonel Gaddafi was dead.

“We have been waiting for this moment for a long time. Muammar Gaddafi has been killed.”

He also read from a forensic report into Gaddafis death,

“When the car was moving it was caught in crossfire between the revolutionaries and Gaddafi forces in which he was hit by a bullet in the head. The forensic doctor could not tell if it came from the revolutionaries or from Gaddafi’s forces.”

Saif Gaddafi & Mutassim Gaddafi

It has also been reported that on of Gaddifi’s sons, Saif al-Islam was captured and is under guard at hospital with a wounded leg. His other son with him at the time, Mutassim, is said to have been killed in fighting.

Aisha Gaddafi

Aisha Gaddafi and other members of the Gaddafi family have sought refuge in neighbouring Algeria. We understand that Aisha Gaddafi gave birth to a daughter just hours after arriving in the country.

Aisha Gaddafi recently gave an interview to Arabic TV stating that her father was doing well and fighting on the front line.

Calling the Libyan National Transition Council traitors she called on the Libyan people to rise up against the new rulers.

Gaddafi Gone, Libya Can Move On

Gaddafis death marks the end of a bitter conflict that has been running now since February.

There are still many questions about how Libya will move forward but for now there are celebrations in the streets of another Arab country finally rid of their dictator.

 

Photo: OpenDemocracy

Libya News: Gaddafi Loyalists Given Ultimatum

Posted by Clive in Politics

Pro-Gaddafi fighters have been given an ultimatum by Libya’s new interim council to surrender.. or face the consequences.

Gaddafi’s fighters have until Saturday to surrender or the new National Transitional Council (NTC) will start to attack. Vicious street fighting is something that they want to avoid if at all possible but they say time is running out.

The ultimatum is mainly aimed at Gaddafi’s home town of Sirte where he still has strong support and is one of a few possible hiding places for him.

Algeria Shelters Gaddafi Family

The NTC also called the actions of neighbouring Algeria an “act of aggression” after the country took in Gaddafi’s wife and 3 of his children.

Algeria defended their actions saying that it was their highest responsibility to offer shelter to anyone who needed it in the desert. It is thought that Gaddafi’s daughter, Aisha Gaddafi, gave birth to a daughter shortly after arriving in the country.

Tripoli Victory

The ultimatum comes on the back of a quick, and relatively easy victory for the anti-Gaddafi forces in the Libyan capital of Tripoli. I say easy, but it is still war. Bloody, terrorising, morally ambiguous, painful for anyone involved and many who aren’t.

Small pockets of resistance still exist in Tripoli and there are problems with infrastructure, supplies and perhaps most important for a new Libya, a local power vacuum.

But the collapse of Tripoli was almost immediate after forces entered the city. A combination of NATO air power, pre-negotiated ceasefires, the arming of underground groups and good tactics (all areas that were in all likelihood, heavily assisted by western special forces) seems to have worked well for the anti-Gaddafi troops.

Libya & NATO

It would be a surprise if the Gaddafi stronghold of Sirte fell quite so quickly though. One also wonders about the role of NATO.

If the anti-Gaddafi forces start pounding the city, cutting it’s supplies and starting an assault, do NATO jets support them or attack them in their UN backed mandate to protect civilians in Libya?

Perhaps it should be the second if you interpret the UN resolution literally but of course, this is international politics.

Many countries, including Russia, have long argued that western countries and NATO have used the UN mandate and corrupted it, pushing a different agenda entirely and it is hard not to sympathise with this view.

However, no one is complaining too hard. Gaddafi doesn’t seem to have any friends left, even staunch ally Zimbabwe expelled his ambassador this week. The South American country Venezuela and some sympathetic African countries are perhaps his only allies now.

Libya, Gaddafi & Mass Graves

The recent uncovering of mass graves has highlighted what kind of regime Gaddafi ran, so far 4 mass graves have been discovered in various parts of Libya.  One was found behind the barracks of the army brigade run by Gaddafi’s son, Khamis.

Survivors say that the bodies found there were mainly civilians, although some were Gaddafi solders presumably put there for not following orders. All were massacred in cold blood during the dying days of the Tripoli government.

The NTC estimates that up to 60,000 people were arrested by Gaddafi’s regime since the uprising began, around 16% of that number have been accounted for. The question that keeps coming up is, where are the rest?

It seems even when the fighting stops the wounds of a country torn will be deep.

Photo: ssoosay

Libya News: Tripoli Under Attack from Rebels

Posted by Jeff in Politics

Libya has reached a turning point in it’s campaign to oust Colonel Gaddafi as rebel fighters enter the capital Tripoli.

It seems that the end game for Colonel Gaddafi‘s reign over Libya is playing out tonight as rebel forces enter Tripoli and engage fighters loyal to the Libyan leader.

The rebels have captured key towns close to Tripoli in recent days, backed by NATO airstrikes and have continued their march towards the capital.

It appears that they have made a significant attempt to enter the Libyan capital today with rebel soldiers entering from the East and West to attack the city.

It is reported that they have taken over a base used by the Khamis Brigade, commanded by one of Colonel Gaddafi’s sons. They have captured a significant amount of weapons in the compound.

As always in areas of conflict a clear picture of what is, and what isn’t happening is very difficult to build up. What is clear however, is that the Libyan leadership is in severe trouble and that the game cannot be far from being over.

There a numerous reports of defections from those previously loyal to Gaddafi. The rebels are calling this the ‘zero hour’.

The war has been raging on for about 6 months now after uprisings in other Arab countries spurred those in Libya to take up the call to freedom in their own country.

NATO airstrikes, authorised by the UN to protect the citizens of Libya from coming under attack, have been pounding those troops loyal to Gaddafi.

In some quarters NATO has been criticised for going beyond the UN resolution but this has been denied by NATO command.

Libya After Gaddafi

The question occupying many minds tonight will not be if the government falls but what happens when they do.

Like many countries in the area, Libya is historically a tribal country with many different factions with different loyalties and interests.

Bringing these sometimes opposing sections of society together when there is a common enemy such as Gaddafi, is alot easier than when there is no such focal point.

However, in Libya, most people would be thankful for the chance todo exactly that.

Photo: OpenDemocracy

US F-15 Eagle Warplane Crashes in Libya

Posted by Gary in Politics

A US warplane, an F-15 Eagle, has crashed in a field about an hours drive outside Benghazi following a third night of bombardment. At the moment the US defence department says that the plane suffered ‘mechanical problems’.

The plane is a two seater and both the pilot and navigator ejected safely, landing in territory now held by the rebels.

The US defence department says that at the moment there is no evidence that the plane was brought down by any enemy action but that it suffered a mechanical problem.

The F-15 Eagle entered service in 1976 and is considered one of the most successful combat aircraft having taken part in over 100 engagements without suffering a loss due to enemy action.

Meanwhile in the rest of Libya, Col. Gaddafi called for another ceasefire last night but it appears from reports coming out of the country that the ceasefire has not been observed by Gaddafi’s troops on the ground.

It appears that the only rebel held city in the west of Libya, Misrata, was under heavy attack by Gaddafi’s artillary and it was unclear wheter they had already entered the city or not.

Libyan state TV has broadcast supporters of Gaddafi camping outside his compounds in order to protect them from attack. They have also broadcast pictures of people in hospital that they say are civilian casualties of the UN action although it is impossible to verify any of these claims.

US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said that coalition forces were “going to great lengths to avoid civilian casualties”.

Photo: expertinfantry

Missiles Rain Down on Gaddafi as Operation Odyssey Dawn Begins

Posted by Jeff in Politics

Col. Gaddafi starts to feel the heat as the UN sanctioned military action in Libya begins in earnest.

Yesterday Gaddafi declared to the worlds press that he had ordered a ceasefire. Today that appeared to be another ruse from one of the worlds canniest political operators as his troops continued to fight their way into the outskirts of Benghazi.

It didn’t take long for the politicians of the UN nations taking action to enforce UN resolution 1973, meeting in Paris today, to dismiss Gaddafi’s ceasefire as false and indicate that they were currently taking action against Gaddafi’s forces in Libya.

The first shots were fired by French planes flying over Libya against armoured vehicles, this was potentially a risky decision as at that point Gaddafi’s air defence system was fully intact.

Presumably, this was in part a political decision because the French have been driving this resolution and the US is taking care not to be seen as the main player.

After this first strike was carried out by the French, it appears that tomahawk missiles were launched immediately by the US fleet stationed in the Mediterranean, to knock out Gaddafi’s air defence system.

UK submarines also fired the same variety of tomahawk missiles attacking targets on the mainland but the number of these sophisticated missiles that the UK owns is tiny compared to the US.

Over 100 missiles have been launched so far attacking about 20 military installations on the mainland, according to the US defence spokesman, severely disabling the Libyan air defence systems enabling the implementation of the no-fly zone.

Spain and Canada are also sending military hardware, Italy have enabled the use of the their bases and although the Arab League backed the resolution it is unclear at the moment how they will be involved.

The situation is changing rapidly in the area and what happens next will depend largely on what move Gaddafi makes next.

Many in Libya fear that there will be a stalemate, with Gaddafi still in power with the country partitioned into two parts.

This could become a reality if Gaddafi does observe a ceasefire, but there are a couple of reasons that may mean this is unlikely. Gaddafi himself is not someone who likes to back down and the UN resolution is very broad and wide ranging in it’s remit, this potentially gives those backing it quite a long legal lead to help the rebel army if they decide that Gaddafi should not be allowed to stay.

Even the sight and sound of these missiles launching sends a shiver down the spine for those who are not used to it. See the video below from the US Navy.

Photo/Video: US Navy Official Imagery

Breaking News – United Nations Sanctions Libyan No-Fly Zone

Posted by Clive in Politics

[UPDATE: Gaddafi's spokesman has just given a press conference promising an immediate ceasefire]

The United Nations council has backed a resolution to impose a no-fly zone over Libya; with a rather open ended ‘all necessary measures to protect civilians and civilian areas’, but excludes an occupation force.

The UK, France and Lebanon proposed the resolution with support from the US. Five nations abstained including Russia and China, but the resolution passed with 10 votes for and 0 against.

It calls for an immediate ceasefire and allows for a tightening of sanctions against Gaddafi but the main point was the sanctioning of the long talked about no-fly zone.

Col. Gaddafi’s army have recently made inroads against the rebel army allegedly re-taking several towns, and now threatening the large city of Benghazi which is home to a million people and has been central to the uprising.

Earlier Gaddafi had told the people of Benghazi that his soldiers were coming tonight and that there would be no mercy.

Such talk, and the very real possibility of a blood bath as he continues to attack civilians with his heavy weapons, could explain why there were no votes against and none of the permanent UN members choose to use their veto.

Now the resolution has finally been passed events are expected to move quickly, it is likely that the no-fly zone will be mainly implemented by the British and the French with backup from the US and Arab countries.

Western countries are very wary of this being seen as a Western scheme and have made strenuous efforts to involve and get support from the Arab nations. This is likely to continue as the plan is implemented.

In Benghazi there were cheers, fireworks and celebratory gunfire as the news was announced. The impetuous of their cause has just been given a life line.

Photo: Vibracobra23

Where’s Gaddafi? Libya on the Brink

Posted by Gary in Politics

No sign of Gaddafi as fresh reports come in of clashes in the streets of the Libyan capital, Tripoli.

Events are moving fast in Libya as protests and violence has now moved into the capital, Tripoli.

Reports are coming in from people on the ground that planes are being used against protesters.

These reports appear to be valid as it looks like at least 2 mirage fighter planes have defected to Malta, allegedly for being asked to bomb the protesters.

There is also news that more army defections are taking place as parts of the army refuse to turn on their own people, it seems that they are also spurned on by the alleged use of African mercenaries by Colonel Gaddafi to try and suppress the protests.

If he is using such outside mercenaries it appears that Gaddafi has made a crucial mistake, many in the army won’t tolerate foreign fighters on it’s soil.

What we do know for sure is that there are many defections by people previously loyal to Gaddafi at his embassies around the world.

The Libyan ambassador in China resigned live on TV citing the excessive violence against the Libyan people.

Libya’s deputy envoy to the UN, Ibrahim Dabbashi, told Gaddafi to step down accusing his government of genocide.

As for Gaddafi himself, no one is quite sure where he is, there are some reports which say that he has fled the capital.

Meanwhile on the markets the cost of oil shot up to $105.08 a barrel, Libya produces approx. 1.56 million barrels of oil for export. Many are worried that the continued instability in the middle east will fracture the recovery of the worlds economy.

The people of Libya will have other things on their mind tonight.

Photo: OpenDemocracy

Chaos Spreads Through Bahrain and Libya

Posted by Gary in Politics

After Egypt’s uprising, Bahrain, Libya and other nearby regions are following in various degrees of intensity.

In Bahrain thousands of protesters have re-occupied Pearl Square, the main square in the capital Manama, as riot police and government troops pulled out after an order from the ruling family.

The change of heart by the government has followed violent events over the course of the week as protesters occupying the square were fired upon with live ammunition by security forces.

The protests have mainly been driven by the Shia population in the country who have long complained that they are discriminated against. The ruling elite are from a Sunni background.

The Crown Prince, Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa, said in a statement on Bahrani TV that “calm is needed at this time” and offered to hold talks with opposition leaders. At the moment, as far as we know, the opposition parties have refused any such meetings.

In Libya there have been protests against the dictator Colonel Gaddafi in the second city of Benghazi. While in the the capital of Tripoli, there have been organised Pro-Gaddafi rallies.

Gaddafi has been in power now for over 40 years and is not likely to give it up easily, already there are reports of almost 100 people killed in the past few days. Footage from inside the country, leaked onto the internet, show the killing of protesters by snipers.

In the last 48 hours internet access has been cut by the government in an attempt to stop co-ordination and control all possible media channels in the country.

We saw in Egypt how this tactic cannot be wholely successful, google helped to setup a text to twitter service for instance, but can have a major impact.

The seat of Gaddafi’s power is in Tripoli and the next few days will be see if any pro-democracy demonstrations spread there. Only then will Gaddafi’s power really be tested.

Photo: Al Jazeera English