Just a few days ago, one of Iran's nuclear facilities exploded and killed 17 Revolutionary Guards. There are many allegations being thrown around in international politics right now, and it is so far unclear on who is responsible.

A few countries have suggested Israel as a possible suspect. The Israeli intelligence agency, Mossad, has in the past been the alleged assailant for operations such as this in other parts of the region. Politically, if Iran is able to provide proof for these allegations, it will put Israel and the US in a very interesting diplomatic situation.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out

In recent days, it seems like the fight against insurgents in Afghanistan is not gaining the ground that it needs. The Taliban and its allies have killed time and time again despite the assurance by the US that troop withdrawl will go ahead with increased security. 

Just yesterday, armed Taliban insurgents enforced a fatwa (Islamic religious edict) upon two women by beating them with stones and shooting them. This took place just 300 metres from the governors office in Ghanzi city. The police have arrested two men in connection to the murders, but unfortunately the action was taken too late to save the lives of two innocent women. This brings security in the region into great question, as the city is set to be handed over to Afghan forces in the next year.

A similar incident happened recently in the northern provice of Takhar. A governors office was inflitrated by a suicide bomber in police uniform. The bomber managed to kill a high profile General of the Afghan Forces, General Daud Daud. Security is in dire straights here aswell, because someone within the Afghan forces gave aid to the perpetrator. 

The handoff of Afghanistan to native forces by NATO is not going as planned at all, but NATO has not changed their objectives. I fear, as many do, that soon after NATO forces have left the Taliban will once again have control of this nation. 

As of this morning, it appears that the rebel forces in Libya successfully invaded the town of Sirte and sought out the old leader of Libya. Apparently, he was found in a hole in the ground entirely by accident, and was shot within minutes of his discovery. This is a huge development in the politics of the region, and the new government in Libya will forever be defined by this final push.

So, why did this rebel army choose to shoot Gaddafi on sight? Instead of capturing him alive, and forcing him to stand trial for the actions he took against his own people, they have taken away justice for so many. Surely, there is no argument against the fact that Gaddafi was a guilty man. However, this does not mean he should not have stood trial. 

To begin a new government with the murder of the leader of the old government is no proper way to begin a government at all.

It sounds more like a military coup to me. Let's see how it plays out. 

The world fell into a new era over the past 10 months or so as legendary political gains were made in much of the Arab world in the Middle East and North Africa. Tunisia, after months of protest, was able to oust a leader and force their government police force to disband. They will hold democratic elections this month. Egyptian protestors were able to remove their leader and prosecute him. They were also able to disband much of the political stronghold their former leader had built up in the country. They now have a transitional government, with plans to hold elections in the near future. Libya has gone through a civil war, and is in the transition period to a democracy. These huge countries were changed by the actions of the people, and many lives were sacrificed for the gains made.

However, the protest still rages on in two more countries. In Yemen, the death toll for protestors is estimated at over 1,400 people and no change is in sight. The same goes for Syria, where over 3,000 people have been killed since protests began.  The leaders of these countries have seen the results that the people can produce when they mass together for a goal. The leaders of Syria and Yemen are looking toward the leaders of Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya who now all face justice for their time spent in power. I can imagine these Syrian and Yemeni leaders are quite scared of what could happen if they allow their country to be toppled by the people.

But the international community will not stand for injustice. As in Libya, some countries are talking about interference in the happenings of these two countries. When one considers that the death toll for these two countries is more than four times the amount of people who gave their lives for change in Egypt and Tunisia, then it is obvious that this conflict will continue and more lives will be taken until a change is made.

Sanctions against Syria and Yemen could be implemented, but is that enough? There are enough other countries in the world to trade with if the western powers place sanctions on these two nations in turmoil. It would not be enough to place economic pressures on these nations. The western world does not have a monopoly on finances anymore, and without that they wield no power. 

So what can we do? Sit back and watch? These are dictators, they will not be reasoned with or played by emotion. They won't be swayed by their peoples plight and give in. How can we force their hand?  It is the question we thought we solved after WWII, with the establishment of the United Nations. But the world is a different place now. Peacekeeping has changed from standing between two armies, to standing far away and keeping statistics. 

What can we do? 

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As of tomorrow, the conflict in Libya will have been raging for eight months. In eight short months, Libya rebels have essentially turned around an entire country from oppressive to democratized by VIOLENT MEANS. 

This was not the same as Egypt, where that conflict was ended by political means. This was a conventional civil war, with blood shed for freedom. This kind of conflict does not ocurr frequently anymore. 

This conflict is one of a kind in the 21st century. 

Let's see how much longer it takes.