Some politicians and analysts are calling the people's revolution in Libya a civil war. If Libya is a civil war so was the Pol Pot slaughter in Cambodia. A civil war requires allied factions at war with other allied of factions. Most of the geography and population fell under the control of anti-Gaddafi forces in just days. Gaddafi's military and security forces have tried to take back key cities [1] and the oil port of Ras Lanuf [2] to no avail. They are often fighting citizens with limited arms and no military experience. Yet the regime supporters cannot mount a successful offensive. Commanders and troops desert the dictator's ranks [3] and pilots refuse [4] to complete missions midair involving attacks on citizens. It is Gaddafi, his son's, the few remaining cronies, and foreign mercenaries against the people of Libya. That is not a civil war.
Rather, we are witnessing the death throws of a tyrant who [5] would [6] mimic [7] Pol Pot if he had the means. This is the man formally rehabilitated by the Bush and Blair regimes. "Some now question" [8] that rehabilitation. To me, the three are birds of a feather. It made perfect sense.