Colonel Qaddafi

He was not expecting Colonel Qaddafi to reach Benghazi, he said, but wanted a few street-fighting skills under his belt just in case.

Colonel Qaddafi decided it was time to leave, and planned to flee to one of his houses nearby, where he had been born.

If Colonel Qaddafi were unconditionally to accept the need for all of this, it might be worth negotiating with him.

He said he tried to escape with Colonel Qaddafi and other men, walking first to a farm, then to the main road, toward some drainage pipes.

A few days later, air transport was crucial again to Colonel Qaddafi's plan to recapture coastal towns close to Tripoli from rebel hands.

Colonel Qaddafi came to be referred to as the Leader or the Guide, the oracle for an unsteady revolution.

In the days since then, with Colonel Qaddafi having gained ground in Tripoli, the defection no longer seems to be on the table.

Early in the Libyan crisis he carelessly said he would "not dare disturb" his friend, Colonel Qaddafi, about the violence in his country.

The military alliance that faced down the Red Army might have been expected to crush the clumsy forces of Colonel Qaddafi in days.

Given the range of uncertainties, the question of targeting Colonel Qaddafi himself becomes more relevant.

Colonel Qaddafi's rapid advance to Benghazi meant that the outside world had to intervene within days or not at all.

But any Western belief that Colonel Qaddafi would be quickly clobbered on the battlefield has, for the moment, been shaken.

Sirte, the stronghold of Colonel Qaddafi's tribe on the coast, continued to stay the eastern advance to the capital.

Colonel Qaddafi must have planned to die in battle like Richard III and Macbeth, or to kill himself.

Benghazi is flooded with looted weapons and, with Colonel Qaddafi's forces knocking at the door, new owners are learning how to use them.

Moreover, it is all about tribes, not democracy, and Colonel Qaddafi plainly has a lot of them on his side.

Colonel Qaddafi and his henchmen have to be told in credible and very specific terms the price they will pay for any more killing.

Given the challenge of predicting what leaders like Colonel Qaddafi might do, think of it as a plea for help.

NATO's assessment (in this week's Economist) was that Colonel Qaddafi had lost all operational capacity.

Colonel Qaddafi had sought refuge in Surt after the rebellion that toppled him in August.

As it inveighs against Colonel Qaddafi, its Saudi allies have helped snuff out the flame of democracy in the Gulf state of Bahrain.

All may change if Colonel Qaddafi can move his forces to the outskirts of Benghazi even if he does not attack the city directly.

A rainy day fund of such dimensions helps Colonel Qaddafi withstand economic sanctions and a freeze on Libyan government assets abroad.

At least once a decade, Colonel Qaddafi fomented shocking violence that terrorized Libyans.

Now it was all the fault of Colonel Qaddafi, a lying, scheming and ruthless dictator.

How long they are prepared to stick at it if Colonel Qaddafi hang on?

NATO aircraft cannot play much of a part since Colonel Qaddafi's men are using civilian buildings the Western alliance is loth to bomb.

Though killing Colonel Qaddafi would be regarded as a wonderful stroke of luck, the aims of the new targeting policy are twofold.

The NTC may be less able to restrain its fighters once the threat from Colonel Qaddafi is removed.

Moreover, Colonel Qaddafi is far more isolated and derided by his fellow Arabs than Mr. Assad is.

If Colonel Qaddafi were to lose Zawiya and its refinery, the game would probably be up.

With Misrata to the east in the rebels' hands, Colonel Qaddafi and his loyalists had no way to flee Tripoli but into the sea.

Colonel Qaddafi was dressed in flowing gold robes and surrounded by traditional African leaders who hailed him as the "king of kings. "

NATO aircraft are continuing their patrols but are less needed, since the rebels now far outgun Colonel Qaddafi's forces.

The difficult decision is whether Colonel Qaddafi's removal, dead or alive, should be an explicit aim of the enforcers.

Fear that Colonel Qaddafi may recover control over the whole country, including the liberated east, may be growing.

There are enormous questions: What will the United States and its allies do if the rebels cannot dislodge Colonel Qaddafi?

Colonel Qaddafi survived countless coup and assassination attempts and cracked down harshly afterward, alienating important Libyan tribes.

Germany wanted sanctions against Colonel Qaddafi, but balked when they failed to stop him.

Colonel Qaddafi was also believed to have adopted two children: Hanna and Milad, a nephew.

Why batter Colonel Qaddafi and not intervene on the side of the opposition in Yemen, Bahrain, perhaps even Syria?

The meeting also resolved to keep up the pressure for Colonel Qaddafi to quit.

Colonel Qaddafi's troops and supporters are rapidly learning just how devastatingly effective western air power can be.

If caught alive, Colonel Qaddafi must be tried, either in Libya or at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

Colonel Qaddafi said women were not equal to men, but he exhibited them as a symbol of the success of the Libyan revolution.

In a Toyota Land Cruiser, Colonel Qaddafi traveled with his chief of security, a relative, the driver and Mr. Dhao.

Libya is a major supplier of oil to France and Italy, and for years both countries have enabled Colonel Qaddafi. Mr.

The raids were seen in some quarters as an attempt to kill Colonel Qaddafi.

In the eastern hinterland, rebels have hoisted the old tricolour that was the national flag before Colonel Qaddafi took power in 1969.

The fall of Colonel Qaddafi would boost democracy and youthful energy across the Arab world.

Western leaders who helped the anti-Qaddafi fighters throughout the conflict also hailed Colonel Qaddafi's demise.

Yet Colonel Qaddafi warned his people that the oil would not last.

The demise of Colonel Qaddafi is a vital piece of the jigsaw falling into place.

Most Arab leaders have little love for Colonel Qaddafi, so have muted their criticism of this latest war.

Earlier Saturday, Colonel Qaddafi issued letters warning Mr. Obama and other leaders not to use military force against him.

If this city of 1m fell, Colonel Qaddafi would be free to hunt down the "rats" who have challenged his rule.

As The Economist went to press, the UN Security Council was at last discussing this but Colonel Qaddafi was advancing towards Benghazi.

Among these ideas was Colonel Qaddafi's notion of Israteen, a unitary state that would house both Palestine and Israel.

With the increased revenue, Colonel Qaddafi set about building roads, hospitals, schools and housing.

Colonel Qaddafi was a 27-year-old junior officer when he led the bloodless coup that deposed Libya's monarch in 1969.

NTC officials said that Colonel Qaddafi had been wounded and taken away by ambulance.

Within an hour of the news of Colonel Qaddafi's death, Libyans were celebrating.

Colonel Qaddafi saw his rule as a never-ending quest, without ever defining the objective.

The extent of damage will not be known in Brega until it is cleared of mines left by Colonel Qaddafi's troops.

More air strikes on Colonel Qaddafi's artillery and armor will help. So would jamming his radio and television broadcasts.

A torturer par excellence, Colonel Qaddafi has brought many a good soul to submission by breaking their fingers.

Though many fled to Afghanistan after Colonel Qaddafi's counter-insurgency, most kept their distance from al-Qaeda.

And since Syria's protesters have started to express their democratic yearning, Mr Assad has been matching Colonel Qaddafi's brutality.

Colonel Qaddafi declared that his political system of permanent revolution would sweep away capitalism and socialism.

It has now changed tack, but Mr Berlusconi has said in private that he is "mourning" for Colonel Qaddafi.

A spokeswoman for the rebel ruling council, Iman Bugaighis, said on Friday that Colonel Qaddafi's troops were moving toward Benghazi.

The expulsion of Colonel Qaddafi's men from Ajdabya is an important turning point.

He insists that he and his acolytes will lay down their arms once Colonel Qaddafi is toppled.

Meanwhile, as Colonel Qaddafi's forces approach, his partisans in the city have become more active.

After Colonel Qaddafi abandoned his pursuit of weapons of mass destruction in 2003, many American officials praised his cooperation.

Monitor Group, based in Boston, has signed up Libya's Colonel Qaddafi as a client.

One thing is certain: the rebels are getting stronger, while Colonel Qaddafi's position is crumbling.

Colonel Qaddafi's attacks on the oil facilities are designed precisely to prevent the rebels' wallet from being filled (see next article).

It must decide whether there is any realistic prospect of the rebels taking on Colonel Qaddafi's forces and power structure in the west.

Colonel Qaddafi, he declared, "is doing what he has to do, resisting imperialist aggression" .

Only two vehicles in the convoy were hit, neither carrying Colonel Qaddafi, a Western official said.

Colonel Qaddafi's hometown of Sirte, which lies between Ras Lanuf and Misrata, has not risen up against him.

It should jam Colonel Qaddafi's communications and rush in a no-fly zone.

Colonel Qaddafi's 18, 000-strong air force, with its 13 bases, is critical in his bid to retain power.

Brega, still heavily defended by Colonel Qaddafi's forces, is almost as crucial as Zawiya.

Colonel Qaddafi's new role comes alongside a changing of the guard in Africa.

On March 30th Colonel Qaddafi's foreign minister, Moussa Koussa, a former longtime head of intelligence, ran away to London.

Both Britain and France have said that they will judge Colonel Qaddafi on his actions, not on his words.

Without discipline or training, adequate communications or a unified command structure, they are no match for Colonel Qaddafi's men.

Colonel Qaddafi's foreign minister, Moussa Koussa , fled to London.

Full of bravado, young farmers in straw hats vow to defy Colonel Qaddafi's Grad rockets, but as soon as any start landing nearby they flee.

That view is too parochial. Colonel Qaddafi is the Arab world's most violent despot.

Once Colonel Qaddafi cannot pound cities such as Benghazi with impunity, opposition across the country will grow again.

Colonel Qaddafi's regime could still collapse quite suddenly.

Colonel Qaddafi once declared that that any money over $3, 000 in anyone's bank account was excessive and should revert to the state.

Colonel Qaddafi had come full circle, or so many believed.

The video on Al Jazeera shows Colonel Qaddafi wounded, but clearly alive.

It is not clear whether Colonel Qaddafi has tanks inside the city.

For now, the most pressing question is how to speed up the departure of Colonel Qaddafi.

As Colonel Qaddafi grew older, the trim, handsome officer with short black hair gave way to someone more flamboyant.

They say they will not disband Colonel Qaddafi's army, police or civil service.

Soon after Colonel Qaddafi's coup, though, milk ceased to come magically to our door.

When Colonel Qaddafi is found, he should be sent to the International Criminal Court to face justice.

the second is to try to shift the risk calculus of the people around Colonel Qaddafi, including his family, in favour of flight.

Colonel Qaddafi might yet respond by lashing out wildly.

But what we can do is continue to squeeze Colonel Qaddafi, show resolve and make it clear that his departure is only a matter of time.

Once a poor village, it is now a city of 130, 000 people, showered with money and privileges during most of Colonel Qaddafi's 42-year rule.

Colonel Qaddafi is the Arab world's most violent despot.

Colonel Qaddafi was never mentioned by name.

two have now been retaken by Colonel Qaddafi's forces.

That resolve won't change Colonel Qaddafi's mind, but it can peel off more of the Libyan military.

Colonel Qaddafi's capture just failed make the cut, however.

But the incident reflects something important about Colonel Qaddafi that is worth remembering today: He's nuts.

[size=10. 5pt]Whatever Colonel Qaddafi's whereabouts, most are concerned with what will follow him.

Colonel Qaddafi addressed Mr. Obama as "my son" in a letter that was jarring for its familiarity.