Qaddafi Exile Unlikely Hillary Clinton claims that Moammar Qaddafi may be exploring exit options. Count me as skeptical. The problem is that we don’t have a whole lot to offer a dictator in exile. Once upon a time, an autocrat could step down and live out his days securely in the south of France or some other plush locale. But Qaddafi is a special case because he has committed war crimes such as the bombing of Pan Am flight 103. The ability of the international coalition or the Libyan opposition to make a deal for his abdication has been complicated by the Charles Taylor precedent. I have generally been supportive of the ICC as a tool for holding war criminals to account but incidents such as this are clearly an example of proceduralism run amok: in return for getting Taylor into court, we are making it more difficult to depose other dictators. There should be a procedure whereby the UN Security Council could grant immunity for prosecution to someone like Qaddafi as part of a deal for him to leave power.
Yemen 'abandons' human rights - Focus Yemeni authorities have carried out grave human rights abuses as part of an internationally-backed crackdown on a range of security threats facing the country, rights groups have said. In a report issued on Wednesday, Amnesty International says that growing US concern over al-Qaeda's presence in Yemen, combined with domestic challenges to the legitimacy of the government, has prompted a marked deterioration in the human rights situation in the impoverished country. The group says that over the past year, the Yemeni government has carried out vicious military campaigns, arbitrary arrests and extrajudicial killings as it faces international pressure to tackle al-Qaeda-affiliated groups, and seeks to quell a growing secessionist movement in the south while fighting periodic battles with Houthi rebels in the north. Al-Qaeda threat "Other people have been killed by the Americans and by Yemenis for America's sake. Counter-productive Scorched Earth Secessionist movement
ElBaradei criticizes U.S. approach to Egypt Libya crisis: Gaddafi's air force defeated, says RAF 23 March 2011Last updated at 22:06 Air Vice Marshall Greg Bagwell: "Their air force no longer exists as a fighting force" Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's air force "no longer exists as a fighting force", the commander of British aircraft operating over Libya has said. Air Vice Marshal Greg Bagwell said the allies could now operate "with near impunity" over the skies of Libya. He said they were now applying unrelenting pressure on the Libyan armed forces. Latest reports say government tanks are shelling the hospital in the rebel-held western city of Misrata. Witnesses had earlier said the tanks encircling the city had pulled back from their positions under air assault from international forces. And there are also reports of fierce fighting between rebels and pro-Gaddafi forces in the strategic eastern town of Ajdabiya. Wednesday night also saw reports of a huge explosion at a military base in the Tajura region 32km (20 miles) east of the Libyan capital Tripoli. Continue reading the main story Analysis
Yemen president not to extend term - Middle East Ali Abdullah Saleh, the Yemeni president, has backed down on a plan to rule his impoverished Arab country for life after mass protests demanding his ouster. In an announcement on Wednesday, Saleh said he plans for elections in April had been scrapped along with constitutional amendments that would have seen him become president for life. "I will not extend my mandate and I am against hereditary rule," he said. The move would bring an end to a three-decade rule when his current term expires in 2013. Eyeing protests that brought down Tunisia's leader and threaten to topple Egypt's president, Saleh vowed not to pass on the reins of power to his son. "No extension, no inheritance, no resetting the clock," Saleh said during an emergency session of parliament and the consultative council ahead of a "day of rage" organised by civil society groups and opposition leaders for Thursday in all provinces. 'Day of rage' "We consider this initiative positive and we await the next concrete steps.
Hillary Clinton: Middle East facing 'perfect storm' 5 February 2011Last updated at 12:57 Hillary Clinton: "There are risks with the transition to democracy" US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said the Middle East is facing a "perfect storm" of unrest and nations must embrace democratic change. Speaking in Munich, Mrs Clinton said the status quo in the region was "simply not sustainable". She said that transition to democracy could be chaotic but in the end "free people govern themselves best". She was speaking following unrest that has seen Tunisia's president flee and Egypt gripped by protests. There have also been major protests in Jordan and Yemen. 'Strategic necessity' Mrs Clinton said at the meeting of the Middle East Quartet in the southern German city: "The region is being battered by a perfect storm of powerful trends. "This is what has driven demonstrators into the streets of Tunis, Cairo, and cities throughout the region. Tunisian President Ben Ali fled to Saudi Arabia in December
Libya: Allied air strikes secure Misrata for rebels | World news Nearly 12 hours of allied air strikes have broken the Libyan regime's five-day bloody assault on the key rebel-held town of Misrata. Residents said the aerial bombardment destroyed tanks and artillery and sent many of Muammar Gaddafi's forces fleeing from Misrata, ending a siege and attack by the regime that cost nearly 100 lives from random shelling, snipers and bitter street fighting. Mohammed Ali, an IT engineer at Misrata's main hospital, said that waves of air strikes began shortly after midnight on Wednesday. "They bombed a lot of sites of the Gaddafi army. There is a former hospital where his tanks were based. Ali said people in Misrata wanted the coalition to keep up the air strikes until all Gaddafi's forces were driven away from the town to ensure that those who were able to escape with armoured vehicles and guns did not return. A doctor in the town, who did not want to be named, said snipers were continuing to sow fear by targeting not only rebels but civilians.
Yemen leader 'willing to step down' - Middle East Yemen's president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, has offered to stand down - but only to hand over power "to capable, responsible hands," he says. The longtime leader addressed crowds shown on state TV and said he was ready to meet with protesters, as tens of thousands gathered in a "day of departure" rally. But he also said those demanding his resignation had been influenced by the Houthis - a powerful armed clan demanding greater autonomy in their region of the country - and drug dealers. On Thursday night, opposition groups rejected Saleh's offer to quit after a presidential election at the end of the year, stepping up efforts to remove him from power. Yassin Noman, head of Yemen's opposition coalition, dismissed Saleh's earlier offer as "empty words" and a spokesman said the umbrella coalition would not respond. "No dialogue and no initiatives for this dead regime," opposition spokesman Mohammed al-Sabry said on Thursday. Defecting general Amnesty offer
NEOCONS’ TEPID REACTION TO THE EGYPTIAN DEMOCRATIC REVOLUTION By Stephen J. Sniegoski The uprisings currently taking place against the autocratic regimes in the Middle East would seem to be in line with the neoconservatives’ advocacy of radical democratic change in the region. But there is one significant difference. Daniel Luban on Lobelog points out that in the first days of the Egyptian revolution the neocons were largely silent on this development and those who commented tended to express some skepticism as to its likelihood to bring about positive results. While my own brief research confirms Luban’s point that the neocons have not championed radical democratic transformation in the current situation, I also found a number of commonalities and differences among the views of the neocons who voiced their opinions as the events in Egypt have become a featured topic in the mainstream media. The neocons differ among themselves, however, in their assessment of the current situation and in their prescriptions for U.S. actions. Stephen J. Like this:
Libye. Juppé prédit une « opération de courte durée » [En direct] - Conflits Mouammar Kadhafi défie toujours la coalition internationale, ce mercredi 23 mars, au cinquième jour de l'intervention occidentale en Libye. Des affrontement sanglants opposent les forces gouvernementales aux rebelles. La puissance de feu des armées occidentales a cloué au sol les avions libyens et stoppé l’avancée des troupes kadhafistes vers Benghazi, fief du soulèvement de la mi-février, mais les insurgés ne parviennent pas à regagner du terrain. Sur le plan diplomatique, la coalition est engagée dans un vif débat sur le bien-fondé de transférer le commandement des opérations à l’Otan et les critiques des frappes aériennes se poursuivent, en particulier dans les pays émergents. 0 h 35. La présidence française a jugé mercredi que pour commander l’opération militaire de la coalition sur le Libye, « le plus commode » était « d’utiliser les états-majors existants de l’Otan, plutôt que d’en réinventer à côté ». « Est-ce que ça pose un problème aux pays arabes ?
Is it 'game over' in Yemen? Since snipers killed 52 Yemeni protesters a little over a week ago, events in the country have been progressing at a rapid rate. The shootings after Friday prayers drew nationwide condemnation and triggered a series of high profile defections – all of which served to increase the pressure on Ali Abdullah Saleh, the president. But the most dramatic development in the unfolding Yemeni saga has been the defection of Major General Ali Mohsin, the head of the northwestern military zone and the first armoured division. In a recorded speech aired on Al Jazeera, he declared that he was deploying army units to protect the protesting youth. Crumbling pillars Often branded Saleh's right-hand man, Mohsin was thought to have been behind the president's rise to power in 1978 as well as being considered responsible for the victory of the northern forces over separatists in 1994. More defiant than responsive The fear card
Égypte: Obama alerté fin 2010, le renseignement mis en cause | Crise dans le monde arabe Stephanie O'Sullivan répondait jeudi aux questions des élus de la commission du Renseignement du Sénat lors de son audition de confirmation pour le poste de numéro deux du Renseignement américain (DNI). «Nous avons tiré le signal d'alarme à propos de l'instabilité (...) à la fin de l'année dernière», a-t-elle dit, répondant à une question du sénateur démocrate Ron Wyden, qui lui demandait quand le président Obama avait été prévenu. La présidente démocrate de la commission Dianne Feinstein a émis des doutes sur les capacités du renseignement américain à informer le président, la secrétaire d'État et le Congrès dans des délais adéquats. «Ces responsables méritent d'être informés à temps», a-t-elle estimé. Mme Feinstein s'interroge également sur l'utilisation faite par les renseignements américains des réseaux sociaux pour anticiper ce type d'événéments. «C'est très inquiétant», a-t-elle affirmé. «La situation en Égypte évolue rapidement», a-t-elle assuré.
FRANCE • Paris accusé de vouloir dépecer la Libye Alger a demandé, le 22 mars, "la cessation immédiate de l'intervention militaire en Libye". En écho, Le Quotidien d'Oran dénonce l'attitude française. Il y voit le signe avant-coureur d'une mêlée internationale pour faire main basse sur les richesses libyennes, une fois Kadhafi renversé. 23 mars 2011 | Partager : Les voix dissonantes qui se font entendre avec insistance, au sein de la coalition qui mène les frappes militaires sur la Libye, réclament officiellement que le commandement des opérations soit confié à l'OTAN, quand les Américains qui l'assument depuis le déclenchement de celles-ci décideront de passer la main. C'est l'après-Kadhafi qui fait agir et réagir dès maintenant les principaux membres de la coalition. Dans les dissensions qui secouent la coalition et se sont transplantées au sein de l'Union européenne, l'on est loin du débat humanitaire que suscite ailleurs la disproportion de l'usage de la force, tel que pratiqué dans cette intervention en Libye.