In February 2011, rebellion erupted in Libya, the latest and bloodiest so far of the uprisings that have swept across the Arab world with surprising speed since January, toppling autocrats in Egypt and Tunisia, and challenging others in Bahrain and Yemen.
Though it began with a relatively organized core of antigovernment opponents in Benghazi, its spread to the capital of Tripoli was swift and spontaneous, outracing any efforts to coordinate the protests. Colonel Qaddafi lashed out with a level of violence unseen in either of the other uprisings, but the rebels fought back and won tribal leaders and an increasing share of the military to their side, seizing the eastern half of the country.
Momentum seemed to shift in March, however, as the superior Qaddafi forces sought to retake several eastern oil cities that slipped from the government’s control in the first days of the uprising, and the rebels faced the prospect of being outgunned and outnumbered in what increasingly looked like a mismatched civil war.
But on March 17, with the government forces closing in on the rebel stronghold of Benghazi, the United Nations Security Council authorized the use of force to protect civilians, and Britain and France began planning to swiftly deploy air power against Colonel Qaddafi's troops. His government responded the next day by announcing a ceasefire, but spokesmen for the rebels said attacks continued, and President Obama flatly declared that Colonel Qaddafi had to pull his forces back from major cities in Libya or the United States and its allies would stop him.
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