Why the Arab Spring's success depends on jobs, not guns

TRIPOLI, Libya — The imprisoned son of slain dictator Muammar Gaddafi made his first appearance on Thursday in a local court on charges of harming state security, attempting to escape prison and insulting the nation’s new flag, Libya’s official news agency said. LANA says the trial of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the ousted leader’s longtime heir apparent, was held in the western town of Zintan where he is being held by militiamen. The spokesman of Libya’s General Prosecutor Taha Baara quoted Saif al-Islam as saying: “only God will defend me.”

Submitted by Steve Hass of TheDiplomat.com Why Wasn’t There A Chinese Spring? It has now been two years since the self-immolation of the Tunisian street vendor, Mohamed Bouazizi, provided the spark that set the Arab world aflame. A wave of protests spread throughout the region in quick succession and led to the overthrow of long ruling autocrats in Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen, Libya, and possibly Syria.

On Wednesday Russia blamed Western countries for creating the current turmoil in Africa by arming Libyan rebels, Timothy Heritage an

TORONTO — The Immigration and Refugee Board ordered the deportation Tuesday of an Ontario-based bodyguard who worked for Saadi Gaddafi during the last throes of the Libyan dictatorship. IRB Member Alicia Seifert found Gary Peters complicit in the crimes against humanity of the former Libyan regime and said he had committed a transnational crime by helping Mr. Gaddafi flee Libya in 2011.

An Ontario bodyguard who worked for Saadi Gaddafi provided “invaluable assistance” to the Libyan dictatorship as it attempted to brutally crush an anti-regime uprising in 2011, the Canada Border Services Agency alleged on Wednesday. At an immigration hearing in Toronto, the CBSA accused Gary Peters of complicity in war crimes, citing the “vital role” it said he had played as bodyguard to Mr. Gaddafi, the son of dictator Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and a commander in the Libyan special forces.

Sixteen months ago, Ayoub Badi was so beaten up, sad, hopeless and sick with the relentless pain only torture can inflict he begged for his own death. These days, he’s in Toronto wishing for a date. Mr. Badi is alive. And, like the other wounded Libyan freedom fighters who’ve recently arrived in downtown Toronto, he is eager to enjoy living. The war veterans are in Canada to receive medical care for injuries incurred during the 2011 revolution that led to the overthrow of dictator Muammar Gaddafi. They’re also determined to make the most of their experience.

Interesting analysis from Michael Slackman in the NYT:

Col. Faraj el-Dersi, who defected to the rebel side from Muammar Gaddafi’s police force, was gunned down late last year on the streets of Benghazi, and he bled to death in the arms of his teenage daughter. As Libya on Sunday marked the second anniversary of the start of the uprising that toppled Gaddafi, the death of el-Dersi and nearly 40 other similar slayings are seen as evidence that some in the country are too impatient for a political system that has yet to deliver justice and national reconciliation.