The latest from Libya
Starving the people:
Living conditions worsened in Libya and aid groups warned of a growing humanitarian crisis Tuesday as the battle between rebels and forces loyal to leader Moammar Gadhafi shut down transportation, kept businesses closed and forced people to stay in their homes.
Conditions were particularly dire in rebel-held Zawiya, a city west of Tripoli where anti-Gadhafi protesters have fought back bloody government counterattacks for nearly a week. Residents reached by phone said pro-Gadhafi forces had set up checkpoints on the city's east and west sides, halting the flow of food and medicine.
The Libyan military splits into warring factions:
Libyan army units that have rebelled against Moammar Gadhafi are organizing under a unified council to launch an attack against forces still loyal to the leader, a rebel officer said on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the West had ideas:
Despite calls for a "no-fly zone" to prevent air attacks on civilians and a deeper refugee crisis, Western leaders appear to hope that increasing political pressure, more shows of force and offers of help to rebels will be enough.
The constraints on intervention are not so much military as political, requiring a United Nations mandate that most analysts see as unlikely without a significant deterioration in Libya, where at least 2,000 people are estimated to have died.
Military analysts say it would be relatively straightforward for Washington and its allies to mount operations against Libya with the resources they have in the region.
Many ideas:
Several Libyan diplomats have been quoted by news outlets as saying these forces are setting up bases in the eastern cities of Benghazi and Tobruk -- the two oil-rich cities that have been liberated by the opposition forces.
British and US special forces entered Libyan port cities of Benghazi and Toburk on February 23 and 24.
Three Indian navy warships are also expected to be deployed in the region. Earlier on Monday, the US military confirmed it has deployed naval and air forces around Libya.
A Pentagon spokesman said various contingency plans are considered to provide options and flexibility once decisions are made.
Does anyone actually think that the major concern for Western interests is helping the rebels? The reality is that the US and other Western interests are dispatching to protect their commercial interests - read that to mean oil. I don' think Gaddafi will go quietly into the night, which is probably what the US is hoping for. Otherwise, how else is all of this military activity to be justified to the American people?