Word has it that Khaddafy has consolidated control of Tripoli with mercenaries and the opposition's planned marches today did not materialize. There is concern that the mercenaries may begin to retake cities in the west that fell to the opposition this past week.
Next door, the Egyptian military boasts 500,000+ men under arms with little to do. If this revolutionary moment is to continue, the Libyans must be helped along. Cairo's leadership in the Arab world would be strengthened if it were to seize the day and assist the locals in bringing Moammar down, once and for all.
Looking ahead, the Arab states of North Africa could be reunited under Egyptian leadership. There is already a Maghreb union in place - though dormant - comprised of all the Arab states west of Egypt. The Arabs were divided into many states by the colonial powers when the Ottoman Empire fell. It would be in the interest of all good people to see them reunited through a democratic movement. It would be better still to see this begin in Africa, the most culturally liberal of the Arab states.
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