| Top of the Agenda: Libyan Forces Trade Blows The pitched battle between pro-Qaddafi forces and rebels continued to rage Wednesday as soldiers loyal to the regime mounted an offensive into Libya's east and recaptured the oil refinery city of Brega (WSJ). Air strikes were also reported near the rebel-held city of Ajdabiya, home to a strategic arms depot. Meanwhile, the Libyan autocrat appeared on television (al-Jazeera) blaming al-Qaeda for instigating the unrest and stating that he would fight "to the last man and the last woman." The UN passed a resolution accusing Libya of gross human rights violations and suspending it from its Human Rights Council (BBC). The international community had floated the idea of establishing a no-fly zone over Libya, however, Britain and the United States played down the tactic and stressed a more cautious tack. U.S Defense Secretary Robert Gates suggested the time is inopportune for U.S. military intervention (NYT) despite the movement of American war ships into the Suez Canal. Analysis: The Qaddafi government's violence has resulted in at least three hundred civilian deaths and the attempted flight of Libyans and migrant workers, says Human Rights Watch's Tom Malinowski. The U.S. and NATO should consider preparing military options against the regime and ensure delivery of relief aid, he says. In Foreign Affairs, Frederic Wehrey writes that for decades, the outsized personality of Qaddafi has obscured the rivalries among Libya's domestic groups, from the tribes to the military. With this era coming to a likely end, how will these actors now vie for supremacy? Writing for the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Lt. Col. Jason Hanover and Jeffrey White detail the risks and the chances for success in three main options for outside military intervention in Libya. In the New Yorker, James Surowiecki addresses the dangerous state of Mideast economies, and argues, "The autocracies of the Arab world have been as economically destructive as they've been politically repressive." Multimedia: The LA Times "Framework" blog offers striking images of the conflict in Libya from both sides. In this exclusive video interview for CFR, Reza Aslan, author of No God but God, discusses how the uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa influence the balance of power in the region, and whether they are benefiting Iran. | 
