Frozen Horse posted:

I'm going to reverse my earlier optimism about Quaddafi's chances for pulling off a soft landing. I'm also going to predict that the army is going to react poorly to foreign mercenaries attacking their countrymen. Maybe I'm a soft westerner, but $30,000 wouldn't be enough for it to be worth it to get shot by the Libyan army.

Slantedfloors posted:

$30,000 will start seeming like a lot less once the mercenaries start getting found sans heads.

It's nice the thug-for-hire business is undergoing such a boom, though. I mean, they went from $8/day to $30,000? The Mubs should have held out for more.

Spiderfist Island posted:

I really can't conceive of how somebody can willingly be paid to go and kill people. Then again, I could never join the army for those reasons too- but at least in the army you have actual good equipment and the idea of patriotism to brush away the fact you're killing people.

And can you imagine capturing one of these fuckers, especially without any real weapons? I can't, that's amazing.

These loving goons make me sick.
e: not you guys though

Spiderfist Island posted:

I really can't conceive of how somebody can willingly be paid to go and kill people.

Nenonen posted:

'minor protests' in Somalia? I guess that's one way to put it when the country has been in civil war for twenty years now.

quote:

A turning point?
Gbagbo’s administration nationalises foreign banks

Yesterday (17 Feb), Laurent Gbagbo's government announced on state TV the forced nationalisation of Societe Generale des Banques de Cote d'Ivoire (SGBCI, the local branch of Societe Generale) and Banque Internationale pour le Commerce et l'Industrie de Cote d'Ivoire (BICICI; a unit of French BNP Paribas), although it was not immediately clear whether Standard Chartered and Citigroup's domestic branches would be affected by this decision. As expected, the French government condemned this step and said it had no legal basis since France does not recognise Gbagbo as the Ivorian head of state. The pro-Gbagbo authorities intend to reopen SGBCI and BICICI on Monday, but it remains to be seen whether this can be implemented in practical terms given that financial institutions are short of cash and will still be unable to perform basic inter-bank transactions, as has been the case since the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO) cut off the Ivorian branch from the head office based in Dakar, Senegal, in Jan 11.

Potrzebie posted:

Al Hurra is US Govt. funded propaganda TV.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_hurra

quote:

Good morning. We'll be running live updates of events in the Middle East throughout the day. Here's a run down of the situation in some countries overnight.

Libya
The death toll in the Libyan city of Benghazi has risen to 104, according to Human Rights Watch, after at least 20 people were killed on Saturday. There are reports of dozens of anti-government protesters shot in the eastern city by army and security forces. The pro-government Al-zahf al-akhdar newspaper warned on Saturday that the government would "violently and thunderously response" to the protests, and siad those opposing the regime risked "suicide". One witness told Reuters, "Dozens were killed ... We are in the midst of a massacre here".

Bahrain
Thousands of anti-government protesters camped overnight at Pearl roundabout in the capital Manama. They had reclaimed the site yesterday after the security forces abruptly surrendered it. On orders from the crown prince, troops and armoured vehicles had withdrawn from the square, which they had taken over on Thursday after riot police staged a night-time attack on a sit-in by protesters, killing four people and wounding 231. Crown Prince Salman has been appointed by the king to lead a dialogue with opposition groups.

Yemen
Supporters of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh tried to break up a demonstration by opponents of the government this morning and shots were fired as unrest in the country entered its ninth straight day. As many as 50 government supporters tried to disrupt the demonstration by more than 1,000 Saleh opponents gathered outside Sanaa University chanting "Leave, Ali". One Saleh supporter fired shots from an assault rifle, but there were no reported casualties. Both sides fired weapons on Saturday in protests outside the university - the first reported use of firearms by demonstrators.

Morocco
Thousands of Moroccans are expected to join nationwide protests on Sunday to demand that King Mohammed hand some of his powers to a newly elected government and make the justice system more independent. The street protests will also urge the king to dismiss the coalition government and dissolve parliament.

China
Jittery Chinese authorities staged a show of force Sunday to squelch a mysterious online call for a "Jasmine Revolution" apparently modeled after pro-democracy demonstrations sweeping the Middle East, according to AP.
Authorities detained activists, increased the number of police on the streets and censored online calls to stage protests in Beijing, Shanghai and 11 other major cities. Citizens were urged to shout "We want food, we want work, we want housing, we want fairness" a slogan that highlights common complaints among ordinary Chinese.

The-Mole posted:

strong words

coleman francis posted:

Now, you stop that gaddafi. Don't make us...well, you just stop all this nonsense!

coleman francis posted:

Now, you stop that gaddafi. Don't make us...well, you just stop all this nonsense!

quote:

More than 200 people are known to have died, doctors say, with 900 injured [in Libya].

The most bloody attacks were reported over the weekend, when a funeral procession is said to have come under machine-gun and heavy weapons fire.

One doctor, amid the sounds of fresh gunfire, told the BBC that what had happened was a "massacre".

...

The violence escalated on Saturday, when a funeral procession for victims of previous clashes made its way past a major security compound.

Witnesses said troops used machine-guns, mortars, large-calibre weapons, and even a missile, against the mourners

Libya
It is very hard to get accurate information, but the death toll in the eastern city of Benghazi may have risen above 200 today. The government crack-down on the protests is continuing using foreign mercenaries.

Bahrain
The protest at Pearl Square has taken on something of a carnival feel today with demonstrators celebrating the pull back of the security forces. The ruling elite has made overtures to opposition groups to set up talks about the country's future.

Morocco
Protests are taking place across the country today calling for an end to corruption and more political freedoms. So far there are no reports of serious violence.

Tunisia
There have been clashes between security forces and protesters calling for the replacement of the interim government that was put in place after President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali fled the country last month.

quote:

AP is reporting that Libyan security forces have again opened fire on mourners at a funeral for anti-government protesters killed in Benghazi yesterday. A man who was shot in leg says marchers were carrying coffins past a military compound when they came under fire. One person was killed, and 14 were injured, AP says. The report also seems to corroborate our earlier source in Benghazi (see 1.29pm), who claimed foreign mercenaries, apparently from Chad and Sudan, were taking part in the crackdown.

quote:

Libyan security forces opened fired on mourners at a funeral for anti-government protesters in the eastern city of Benghazi again Sunday, a day after commandos and foreign mercenaries loyal to longtime leader Moammar Gadhafi pummeled demonstrators with assault rifles and other heavy weaponry as well as knives. A doctor at one city hospital said he counted 200 dead in his morgue alone since unrest began six days ago.

The latest violence in the flashpoint city of Benghazi followed the same pattern as the crackdown on Saturday, when witnesses said forces loyal to Gadhafi attacked mourners at a funeral for anti-government protesters. The doctor at a Benghazi hospital said at least one person was killed by gunshots during the funeral march, and 14 were injured, including five in serious condition. He spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal.

A man shot in the leg Sunday said marchers were carrying coffins to a cemetery when they passed a military compound in Libya's second-largest city. The man said security forces fired in the air and then opened up on the crowd.

ganglysumbia posted:

Libya is out of control, flat out massacres...

I thought the Libyan military was not very loyal to Gaddafi. Why is a Egypt type scenario not playing out with the Army preventing a slaughter?

Pureauthor posted:

Bahrain's actions are bizarre. Surely sending out indications that you're willing to hold reform discussions would go down better before you used lethal force against the protesters?

ganglysumbia posted:

Libya is out of control, flat out massacres...

I thought the Libyan military was not very loyal to Gaddafi. Why is a Egypt type scenario not playing out with the Army preventing a slaughter?







Summertime in the States is going to interesting...

ganglysumbia posted:

Libya is out of control, flat out massacres...

I thought the Libyan military was not very loyal to Gaddafi. Why is a Egypt type scenario not playing out with the Army preventing a slaughter?

ganglysumbia posted:

Libya is out of control, flat out massacres...

I thought the Libyan military was not very loyal to Gaddafi. Why is a Egypt type scenario not playing out with the Army preventing a slaughter?

Toplowtech posted:

It's getting far worse with Sarkozy. There is a current diplomatic row between Mexico and France because Sarkozy decided to dedicate the "Year of Mexico in France" (it's a yearly joint cultural celebration event in France with a new country each year and this year, it's Mexico's turn) to a French woman who is currently serving a 60 years sentence on kidnapping charges in Mexico. The Mexican government decided to withdraw. Sarkozy is the smoothest diplomat since Kaiser Wilhelm II.

quote:

"I am deeply concerned by reports of violence in Bahrain, Libya and Yemen. The United States condemns the use of violence by governments against peaceful protesters in those countries, and wherever else it may occur," the president said in a statement read to reporters by White House press secretary Jay Carney.

"The United States urges the governments of Bahrain, Libya and Yemen to show restraint in responding to peaceful protests and to respect the rights of their people," Obama said.

ganglysumbia posted:

Aljazeera just reported protesters have captured tanks and are driving them through the city....

BIG HORNY COW posted:

If full scale conventional warfare against an unarmed civilian populace doesn't unify the Libyan people, I don't think anything will.

I have a feeling it's gone past the point of no return.

Craiglen posted:

What? Where?

Mad Doctor Cthulhu posted:

I'll give it more one country to topple before we go that far. But Saudi Arabia getting involved in everybody's affair is going to be very interesting. If anything, capitalism as a concept is getting a good beating here: these protests are basically going against the corruption inherent in the system that a lot of people globally can relate to.

BIG HORNY COW posted:

Should clarify - I think its past the point of no return in LIBYA.

As for a wider middle-eastern scope its anybody's guess.

CeeJee posted:

Lybian troops were the last ones to defend Idi Amin and now African mercenaries are the last to defend Gadaffi. You could could not make this stuff up.

If it's actually true. Some of the reports, especially the ones that has women and children jumping off a bridge to escape the Africans have a very racist tone to them.

Suntory BOSS posted:

I'm becoming increasingly convinced that this could be the beginning of a Fourth Wave of Democracy and that the United States should put strategic and political considerations momentarily aside in order to aggressively promote and support nonviolent people's movements against autocratic regimes. What's Bahrain going to do, kick out the 5th Fleet and stare down Iran themselves? What will Yemen do, turn away our counter-terrorism aid and training?