| Top of the Agenda: UN and NATO to Meet on Libya Momentum gathered for a collective international response (NYT) to the violent unrest in Libya, as the UN Security Council prepared to draft a proposal for sanctions against the nation's leadership and NATO called an emergency session in Brussels. French and British leaders called for an arms embargo and a war crimes investigation (WSJ). UN human rights officials reported mass killings of thousands of Libyans and recommended urgent action to end the crackdown. Libyan dictator Muammar al-Qaddafi (Guardian) has used aircraft, tanks, and foreign mercenaries in eight days of violent unrest--the bloodiest of the revolutions to roil the Arab region. Anti-Qaddafi forces and defectors (al-Jazeera) from the Libyan army have gained control over several cities in the east. Al-Jazeera reports that military commanders in the country's west, where Qaddafi still largely has control, may also defect. Analysis: BBC Middle East analyst Dr. Omar Ashour looks at several possible scenarios for Libya's future as well as the political obligations of the West. On his blog Pressure Points, CFR's Elliott Abrams calls for a greater assertion of U.S. might in Libya, citing China's example. “We too should be moving ships and planes, and visibly taking the steps that show our own power,” he writes. It's unclear whether Qaddafi's regime will survive after a failed, but brutal, crackdown on protesters in Libya. But if Qaddafi goes, CFR's Robert Danin says Libya lacks the elements needed for a smooth and peaceful transition of power. Multimedia: In this CFR podcast, Robert McMahon and James Lindsay note the ways in which the international community has roundly condemned Qaddafi's effort to cling to power, but no one knows what might replace his regime. In this podcast from the Economist, the University of Exeter's Tim Niblock explains the historical background of the crisis in Libya and what the future might hold. | 
