The reality of the uneven fight is just now setting in for many rebels. The initial advance of antigovernment forces toward Tripoli may soon be over as Qaddafi’s forces strike back, writes the Asia Times’ Derek Henry Flood.
“The rebels may have gone too far, too fast in their initial lightening assault, and bolstered by their own machismo and the relatively peaceful fall of nearby dictators, thought they had the upper hand, which in turn inflicted an early psychological coup against regime troops. Now, the opposition will have to strategize or learn to very quickly, or risk fading away as a tangential Arab revolt that peters out, albeit with plenty of bloodshed.”
Meanwhile, Qaddafi has extended his battle against rebels into Libyan school houses, where children are being told to only watch state television and periodically receive visits from military officials. A third of Libya’s population is under 15 and a full 70 percent is under 35, so Qaddafi likely views controlling young people as a priority. In a report by The New York Times, however, a number of students told reporters that they did not necessarily oppose those fighting against the government in the east.
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