Libya

On March 15, four New York Times journalists were captured by Moammar Gadhafi’s forces while covering the fighting in Libya. Photographer Tyler Hicks was in the group, and he describes the brutality and fear that he and his colleagues experienced.

As Libyan rebels retreat from Gadhafi’s forces pressing east, the U.S. has admitted that C.I.A. teams are on the ground in Libya gathering intelligence on the opposition. And Secretary of Defense Robert Gates is on Capitol Hill today answering questions about the U.S. role and objectives in the Libyan campaign.

Rebels in Libya are getting some protection from the no fly zone. But from Downing Street to Washington, there’s a debate about whether to also support them with training and arms, especially given the looming questions about who makes up the opposition.

In his speech last night, President Obama said that the U.S. had to intervene militarily in Libya to prevent a massacre of civilians. What does that mean for U.S. foreign policy going forward?

Despite nine days of allied air strikes, Moammar Gadhafi’s forces have beaten back opposition troops in their campaign to capture Gadhafi’s hometown of Sirte, which is the gateway to the western part of the country.

Journalist Jonathan Miller was at a hotel in Tripoli when Libyan Iman Al-Obeidi burst in, claiming that she had been raped by Gadhafi supporters. Miller describes the scene and how he ended up flat on his back on the ground.

Air strikes continued over Libya after NATO agreed to take control of the no fly zone there. And a top African Union official has called for a transition period in Libya that would lead to democratic elections in a rare rebuke to Col. Gadhafi.

President Obama insists the military operation in Libya serves U.S. interests, but some are skeptical of that claim, including our guest, Andrew Bacevich, Boston University professor of history and international relations.

International forces have launched new airstrikes in Libya as witnesses report that Moammar Gadhafi’s forces continue to push into opposition-held areas.

The president’s decision to commit American forces in the no fly zone over Libya is being criticized on all sides of the political spectrum. Some say he waited too long, others that the U.S shouldn’t be involved at all. We take a look at the political fall-out from the decision and the powers at play within the White House.