Excerpted from “More airstrikes in eastern Libya; Gaddafi to face international probe” By Leila Fadel and Steve Hendrix, Washington Post Foreign Service, The Washington Post, Thursday, March 3, 2011; 11:22 AM
[SIZE="+2"]F[/SIZE]orces loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi launched renewed airstrikes against two key rebel-held towns Thursday, a day after poorly armed citizens repelled a major government assault on the area. …
“We want logistical foreign intervention, air embargoes, bombardments of air bases, communication centers and supervision of the coasts. Otherwise, the battle will take too long, and it will never end, and more people will die, and there will be a big question mark over the future of Libya.” — Muftah Queidir, a lawyer close to Benghazi's rebel governing coalition¹
“A no-fly zone begins with an attack on Libya to destroy the air defenses. That’s the way you do a no-fly zone.” — US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates²
There are a whole lot of western leaders hoping the Libyan rebellion wraps up quickly so questions about them taking military action on behalf of the rebels are moot. But many signs now indicate that it has become a stalemate with a high chance of much bloodletting. President Clinton didn't act as stories of genocide emerged from Rwanda; later he apologized for his failure to act.³ Is Libya potentially Obama's Rwanda?