Over the past couple weeks I’ve been glued to the 6:30 news every night hoping to find out more about the conflict in Libya. For everyone that does not know what has been going on, the people of Libya have revolted against their dictator, Muammar Qaddafi, who has ruled the country for forty years. Unlike the recent uprising in neighboring Egypt, the Libyan uprising has been extremely violent, with both sides fighting each other with heavy weapons. Qaddafi even ordered fighter jets to bomb his own people. Now, many army units have deserted and joined with the anti-government forces. The result is that the anti-government forces control nearly half the country. What I have found extremely intriguing about the whole situation is the fact that Qaddafi has seemed about as far as one can get from reality. After killing hundreds of his own people in the capital of Tripoli, Qaddafi denied using any force. He also added that the protestors are high on hallucinogenic drugs provided by al Qaeda. In recent interview with the BBC, when asked about the uprising, he calmly denied its very existence saying that all his people love him and would die for him. All of this while the entire eastern half of his country is armed and ready to topple his regime. I find it very troubling that a world leader (and leader of one the world’s top oil producing nations) could have such a delusional view on the events happening in his own country. It looks as though the situation in Libya will not end any time soon. With the stubborn Qaddafi still in charge of the army the future looks dismal for the Libyan people.
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