the built-in 18%

18% of Americans “do not sympathize” with the Egyptian people. 17.79% of the French voted for Le Pen in 2002.

And now there’s this poll question from CNN.com:

Should universities accept cash donations from repressive regimes?

No 82%
Yes 18%

We ought to search for a “repressive curmudgeon” gene and see if it occurs in 18% of the populace.

the BBC’s latest combat news from Libya

Dramatic events in Ras Lanouf:

1502: There have also been reports of new clashes to the east in Ras Lanouf. The AFP news agency says at least four people have died in violence near the town’s oil compound.

1505: Clearly a volatile situation in Ras Lanouf: Reuters is now reporting that rebels have taken the airport from government forces.

1511: An AFP correspondent has just spoken to a rebel retreating from Ras Lanuf. “[Government forces] are firing Grad rockets. I saw four people killed in front of me. A rocket hit them,” the rebel said. A helicopter was also hovering over the town, he added.

And an eyewitness report from Zawiya, where despite Libyan state TV reports, it sounds like the opposition has retained control.

1538: One resident of Zawiya has told the BBC about the assault on the city by Col Gaqddafi’s forces: “Today this morning about 1100 the Gaddafi forces started trying to get into Zawiya city from the west border, from the Suleyman side. They opened fire immediately… The crowd started to defend themselves and they tried to shoot them back but you know, the crowd bring us a lot of guns, a lot of weapons. A lot of people been died and more have been injured. Most of the injured people we couldn’t collect them because they opened fire on the ambulances so they took the injured and we don’t know what happened with them.”

rebel leader reported killed in Zawiya

Sad news here:

1500: Al-Jazeera is now reporting that the rebel leader in the western Libyan city of Zawiya, Hassan Warbok, has been killed. A witness also told the channel that at 50 people had died in fighting on Friday. A resident told the Reuters earlier that pro-Gaddafi forces had been deployed around the town, with 2,000 fighters to the south and 80 armoured vehicles to the east.

[ADDENDUM: The latest reports are that he died from friendly antiaircraft fire]

the no-fly zone question

It’s a tough question, after all.

1308: A Libyan rebel spokesman tells al-Jazeera that rebels will attack Tripoli once a “no-fly” zone is enforced.

1334: A senior defector from Libya’s government has called for a no-fly zone to be imposed over the country immediately. Murah Hemayma, who was in charge of all international organisations for the Libyan foreign ministry until a few days ago, told BBC World News: “‘The international community must stop talking about Libya and the news and not doing anything. They must implement this no-fly zone. It has been requested by the National Council, which is speaking for liberated parts of Libya, and the people of Tripoli are saying the same thing.”

What do you do here? A Western-enforced no-fly zone might in some eyes deligitimate the homegrown uprising. But nothing is more delegitimating than being massacred, which could be one of the alternative outcomes.

I suppose the Western nations could just let things move along slowly and either let the situation play out naturally or intervene only at the last minute to save the rebels’ necks. But what they’re asking for is not preservation at the last minute: they’re starting to ask for help in launching offensive operations, and they’re starting to complain that the rest of the world is just talking and not doing anything.

As Robert Gates has frankly stated, a no-fly zone doesn’t just mean that NATO or a US/UK pairing tells Qaddafi not to fly any aircraft. It means you have to go in and destroy all the radars and missile sites, in limited Gulf War ’91 fashion.

How would everyone feel about that, after Iraq and Afghanistan? Not very good, I suppose. But what if the rebels beg for it? There’s a real dilemma here.

the new emerging political parties in Egypt

An interesting summary HERE.

Especially cynical was the attempt of former NDP members to reunite under a “January 25 Party” label, though they were immediately called out by protestors.

oath of office in Tahrir

New Prime Minister Essam Sharaf, TODAY.

Libyan rebels advance further westward from Benghazi

According to THIS STORY.

Oman

0908: The BBC’s Fergus Nicoll in Oman says this level of political protest is unprecedented. He says there are helicopters circling overhead but no signs of uniformed security. However, it is assumed that there are plain clothes policemen among the crowds, he adds. Mobile phone services have been cut to minimise contact between activists.

two Brotherhood leaders released from prison

Yesterday. HERE.

Prime Minister likely to appear in Tahrir today

HERE. Not a bad move by Sharaf, especially since he’s a Tahrir protestor himself and will probably get a positive hearing.

Despite the replacement of the Prime Minister yesterday, some demands still remain. Here are the three I saw as of yesterday:

*freedom for all remaining political prisoners

*a criminal trial for those responsible for the February 2 “Battle of the Camel,” as some are now calling the thug invasion of Tahrir; I’ve heard rumors as to who is responsible, but won’t repeat the rumors here unless there is an official accusation in the press [ADDENDUM: I should have added that BATTLE OF THE CAMEL is a somewhat edgy reference to a much more famous battle in Islamic history in 656 A.D.; thanks to Cameron for the reminder]

*Presidential elections must be held before Parliamentary elections. This one made me scratch my head a bit at first. But I think the idea is that everyone wants a real elected leader soon, but they also want time to organize new political parties before the Parliamentary elections (parties being less important at the Presidential level, where they simply want to choose some respected figure to lead the country).