After six months of difficult fighting, rebel forces control of most of Tripoli but some have told news agencies that pro-Gadhafi forces still reign over 15 to 20 percent of the capital city of Tripoli. In a statement last night, President Obama said “Tripoli is slipping from the grasp of a tyrant. The people of Libya are showing that the universal pursuit of dignity and freedom is far stronger than the iron fist of a dictator.” Mortars and explosions could still be heard Monday morning and elite rebel brigades continue firefights with pro-Gadhafi forces. News reports quoting rebel officials say “tanks had emerged from Colonel Gadhafi’s compound and opened fire.” Rebel leaders also reported that they had arrested Colonel Gadhafi’s two sons. The situation in Tripoli is volatile and fluid and many questions regarding the post Qaddafi era remain. Who represents the anti-Qaddafi forces and what kind of interim government do they propose setting up? Where is Colonel Gadhafi and what will happen to him and his supporters after the rebel forces take power? What kind of relationship will the post-Gadhafi government have with the international community?
Guests:
Fouad Ajami, senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, former director of Middle East Studies at Johns Hopkins University; he is the author of The Arab Predicament, Beirut: City of Regrets, The Dream Palace of the Arabs, and The Foreigner's Gift
Salam Al-Marayati, President of Muslim Public Affairs Council