Quote:Continuing the mixed-message habit it showed in Egypt, the White House appears to be locked in an internal struggle about responding to the Arab uprisings. Details will make a good history class some day, but for now, the result is a mess.



Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says a no-fly zone is on the table. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates promptly shoots it down, telling Congress there are logistical problems, and it would mean an attack on Libyan air-defense systems. President Obama then suggests no-fly remains an option. Got that?



It's tempting to hope the goal is to keep Qaddafi off guard, but that's too generous. As a friend says, always reach first for the obvious answer in a puzzle. If you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras.



In this case, think incompetence, not clever strategy. Obama sent an ambassador to Egypt to tell Hosni Mubarak to begin a smooth exit transition. When the ambassador, Frank Wisner, later said something similar in public, the White House rebuked him. It seems Obama, without telling Wisner or Clinton, had changed the policy and wanted Mubarak out.



Power is centralized in Obama's office or, more accurately, in Obama. For all his talk about partnership, he's big on unilateral action, as long as he's the unit. Sources tell me that on matters ranging from the economy to the Mideast, Obama doesn't listen to anyone.



"He has his own worldview," one Dem said. Another said, "He's very stubborn."



Those are not compliments. And as Libya shows, neither are they virtues.

Quote:While other countries have already evacuated all or most of their citizens from Libya, the Indian government is still struggling to get its people out. The Centre rushed in two Naval ships — Jalashwa and Mysore- which will reach the Libyan coast by Tuesday. By Monday, India pulled out 12,000 out of its 18,000 nationals stuck in the strife-torn country, which is two third of the Indians stuck there. With another 2,500-odd people deciding to give their plans to return to India a rethink, sending Naval ships to Libya seems like a case of rush job, despite options of airlifting being available.

The ships had set sail from Mumbai on February 26. Officials said the landing permission from Tripoli came late, almost at the time when the ships were sent.



“There was also an EU proposal for no-fly zone over Libya. Sea route would have been the only option then,” an official said. India has also been criticised for not hiring rescue ships like China. MEA sources, however, backed the evacuation move.

Quote:As the European and Arab League pressure mounts for a no-fly zone over Libya, Gaddafi reached out to India, seeking investments in the oil sector. The Libyan ruler himself met with Mani Mecklai, Indian ambassador to Libya and her counterpart from Russia and China. India along with Russia and China are opposed to the idea of a no-fly zone.

Quote:The Libyan opposition website Libya al-Youm is reporting fighter jets from what is being called the "Free Libyan Air Force" (never heard of it before today) has attacked the Libyan Navy off Ajdabiya, and 2 Libyan warships are on fire - sinking, while a third warship is said to have been damaged.



If this report by the rebel opposition turns out to be true, this is a very interesting development in the Libyan civil war. I think I speak for many of us when saying I am very curious who this "Free Libyan Air Force" is.



I would not be surprised to learn it is not Libyan at all, or not only Libyan.



UPDATE:



[color="#FF0000"]Reuters and Al Jazeera Arabic TV are reporting that MiG-23s and helicopters have sunk two Libyan warships.[/color]



The same sources being cited by both news agencies are saying tanks were also bombed near near Brega and Ajdabiya, the two towns reported to have fallen to pro-government forces today.



There are also new reports from the opposition website Libya al-Youm that the Gardabya Air Base airport runways have been bombed, which somewhat matches what some of the Libyan rebel Twitter sources are saying by describing smoke coming from an Air Force base outside the city of Sitre.



According to Reuters, "The Brnieq online newspaper quoted an unnamed airforce officer at the Benina airbase in Benghazi."



This is a very interesting development. It also makes the no-fly zone discussions a lot more difficult when both sides are flying aircraft in combat. <img src='http://www.india-forum.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

Quote:Abdul', a doctor, says hundreds have been injured and ambulances seized by troops



The king of Bahrain has declared a three-month state of emergency, state TV reports, following weeks of pro-democracy protests in the kingdom.



It comes a day after troops from neighbouring Gulf states were sent to Bahrain to help deal with the unrest.



Protesters have blocked all roads leading to the capital's financial centre, the scene of clashes on Sunday that left more than 200 people wounded.



At least two people have been killed in Tuesday's clashes, reports say.



One is reported to be a member of the Bahraini security forces killed in clashes with thousands of protesters in Maamee, state television and the information ministry said.



Another Bahraini was also killed in clashes in nearby Sitra, reports said.



The paramedics were kicked out, and they took the ambulances. They went everywhere in them and they were shooting people”



Bahraini doctor

A Bahraini doctor who was at the accident and emergency department at one hospital told the BBC that there were "many, many casualties".

Quote:“Operation Bomb Any Nation I Was Alleged To Have Been Born In”

#ObamaMissionNames Operation “I gotta do something so I ain’t a worse President than Jimmy Carter!”

Operation One Term President

#ObamaMissionNames Operation long form birth certificate

Operation Important Vacation

"Operation Brazilian Runaway".

Operation Uncle Tom Goes to War

Operation Glad I Finally Found Something To Divert Attention Away From The Shithole The United States Has Become!

Don't Want Hilary to Yell at Me Again