Gaddafi's 'Last Stand' Mentality

On 26 February, the UN Security Council passed a hard-hitting resolution designed to send a clear message to Colonel Gaddafi and his regime. As well as an asset freeze, travel ban and arms embargo the UN also took the unprecedented step of requesting that the International Criminal Court (ICC) investigate possible war crimes or crimes against humanity committed by Colonel Gaddafi and his forces. Such a resolution might be expected to persuade most sane leaders to desist from extra-judicial killing, but Colonel Gaddafi is not your average leader. Several days on and it seems that not only did the message fail to stop the violence but that it may be having the opposite effect, persuading members of the regime in Tripoli that they have no option other than to fight for their survival.