The fighting in Libya has been going on for over one hundred days now and according to rebel leaders, while there has been some progress, it is slow and becoming very frustrating. The goal of the rebels and NATO forces is to take the capital city of Tripoli and to cut off supplies there. If the routes in and around the city are cut off, there will be increasing pressure for Qaddafi to actually step down and leave the country. However, new international developments may change that scenario.

The rebel troops are reportedly stalled in Misrata, just east of Tripoli. Rebel leaders are asking NATO to start coordinating air strikes with their own movements so that they can get the upper hand on the pro-Qaddafi troops. Critics are saying that not only are the air strikes largely disjointed, they are under equipped at best and apparently not flying enough missions to satisfy critics who have pointed out that NATO has only flown a portion of the missions that were flown in 1999 to move the Serbs out of Kosovo. The rebel forces were also dealt a blow when the US announced that there will be a vote to restrict the funding for American involvement in Libya. The American forces may be reduced to nothing more than non-hostile missions, search and rescue missions and intelligence gathering. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has warned Congress that continued funding is not only important to the troops already in the area but to the NATO allies that are in turn, important to the United States.

NATO has said that they are moving slowly and cautiously because of Qaddafi’s use of civilian buildings to hide military operations. NATO has come under fire lately for a number of civilian deaths including several children. Qaddafi, meanwhile has announced that over one million armed people in the country are ready to fight the NATO forces. That might not be as accurate as the leader would like it to be- journalists in Libya have reported on the numerous civilians who have secretly expressed their discontent with the regime and their desire for the NATO operation to move forward more quickly. On camera, many Libyans are smiling and expressing loyalty for Qaddafi but when they can get away from the eyes of the government, they tell a completely different story.

The original intention of a diplomatic end to the conflict is dwindling away as Qaddafi becomes more defiant and vocal. Further complicating things is the announcement that an international arrest warrant has been issued for Qaddafi, one of his sons and another, top ranking Libyan official for war crimes and for various crimes against humanity. With that announcement, it is less likely that Qaddafi will willingly step down and move out of Libya because there will be no safe country for him to live in. That leaves very few options for Qaddafi if he does decide to step down without further bloodshed.