On March 10, rebel fighters escaped as Col. Qaddafi’s forces fired violent rocket attacks on the town of Ras Lanuf. This disrupted the rebels’ plans of a westward drive into Tripoli.

On March 12, the Untied States Security Council was asked by The Arab League to impose a no-flight zone over Libya in hopes of restricting Qaddafi’s attacks on his own people. This war has placed immense amounts of pressure on the Obama administration which has been reluctant to intervene. Let’s hope we stay out of this one.  

The Group of  Eight has recently discussed the topic of bringing an outside intervention into Libya; France said there hasn’t been an agreement on the issue of enforcing a no-flight zone to ground the loyalist air force. Germany and Russia wouldn’t agree to a no-fly zone and raised objections to military intervention. German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle stated, “One has to ask the question whether military intervention would hurt more than it helps. We do not want to get sucked into a war in North Africa and we would not like to step on a slippery slope.” It’s hard not to agree.

At the same time, David Cameron, U.K. Prime Minister said leaving Qaddafi in power would send a “terrible message” not only to the Libyan people but also to those who desire democracy and stability. He went on to say, “I am not arguing a no-fly zone is a simple solution to the problem, of course it’s not.”

It seems as though the big decision to make in this situation is to decide whether or not to take the risk, knowing it may fail.  

A little bit of history..

Group of Eight, which began as the dinner for six, was established in 1975 when the presidents of France and Germany invited their counterparts from the U.S., Britain, Italy, and Japan to Chateau Rambouillet on the outskirts of Paris. The purpose was to bring the leaders of the world’s strongest economies together for an informal discussion of the economic turmoil left in the wake of the 1973 oil embargo. Since then, the group has grown; Canada, the European Union and Russia have all joined. Although the meetings have become larger and longer, they are still a chance for informal discussions among world leaders.

After a weeklong battle and nearly demolishing Zawiya, things have taken a turn for the worst, Qaddafi turned up military and psychological pressure against rebel forces. The turmoil continues in Libya as Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi’s loyal forces initiated attacks on the city of Misurata. Government forces fired artillery as tanks moved in and bombarded the city.  Misurata is the last rebel stronghold in western Libya and is located about 125 miles outside of Tripoli, the nation’s capital.

Stated in a recent article, Libya’s state-run television appealed to residents of Benghazi, the center of the rebellion in the east of the country, to join Qaddafi’s troops. The broadcast announced, “The army is coming to secure you and to lift the injustice and horror off you and to protect your pure souls and precious blood.”

The death toll of this massacre could reach as high as 15,000. Qaddafi’s forces are attacking people with tanks and cars manned with his military. Three fighter jets carried out air strikes on the airport that is being used by the rebels as an airbase, causing their attacks to be broken off after anti-aircraft missiles were fired.

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