| Top of the Agenda: From Prayers to Protests in Libya Libyan protestors swarmed into the streets of Tripoli following Friday prayers (NYT), flouting the regime's attempt to lockdown the city. The demonstrations soon petered out as Muammar al-Qaddafi's forces sprayed the crowd with tear gas and what witnesses say was live ammunition. In recent days, militia and mercenaries loyal to Qaddafi have patrolled the streets of Tripoli (BBC) in civilian cars and detained and killed people at will, according to reports. Opposition forces said Libyan air strikes (al-Jazeera) hit near a military base on the outskirts of Ajdabiya, and other clashes are reported in Ras Lanuf, an eastern oil port, and Az-Zawiyah, thirty miles west of Tripoli. Government war planes also dropped bombs for the second consecutive day on the rebel-held city of Brega. A senior army officer in Benghazi, Libya's second largest city and headquarters for the opposition, told the Financial Times that three or four brigades of Qaddafi's men were marching east toward Brega and marshaling near Ras Lanuf. U.S. President Barack Obama said publicly that the Libyan dictator must relinquish power, and he ordered the U.S. military to reposition forces near the embattled nation. Administration officials indicated the scenarios under consideration were humanitarian rather than military (WSJ). The International Criminal Court (AllAfrica) is preparing to investigate the Qaddafi regime for crimes against humanity related to his tactics of violent repression. Analysis: The Arab world's new revolutionary fervor marks a convergence of values the United States should welcome even if it means rethinking the balance of interests and ideals, says Middle East expert Richard Murphy. The Economist investigates fissures in the Libyan opposition movement, tribal politics, and the potential seeds of civil war. On his CFR blog The Water's Edge, James Lindsay asks: "What if Qaddafi Hangs On?" In this analysis from the World Policy Institute, Frank Spring discusses al-Qaeda as a "complete non-factor" in the change cascading through the Maghreb. Multimedia: This interactive map and timeline from the Wall Street Journal tracks events in the countries facing unrest in North Africa and the Middle East. In this video from PBS Newshour, Jeffrey Brown talks to Libyan-born poet Khaled Mattawa about life under the Qaddafi regime and the recent crisis in his homeland. On STRATFOR, Mark Schroeder examines political and economic ties between Libya and other African states, and how Qaddafi's ousting may affect them. In a country-by-country look, the New York Times posts the latest reports from correspondents along with social media updates on the protest movements in the Arab world. | 
