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The U.S.-NATO war in Libya rages on with western powers flying hundreds of air strikes over the weekend and today. An anonymous American Defense official told the Associated Press that they targeted “ammunition stores, air defenses and ground forces, including vehicles and tanks,” identified with Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddhafi. Opposition groups, taking advantage of the air strikes, made strong gains and have advanced to within 60 miles of Gaddafi’s home town and stronghold, Sirte. Meanwhile, in the Gulf state of Yemen, a week after many predicted the fall of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, the uprising still continues. An agreement reached between the opposition and the President would have meant Saleh’s immediate resignation while keeping his family members’ control over local security forces intact. However, as of today it is being reported that President Saleh is backing away from the deal. And, in Syria, where some of the worst government violence has happened, President Bashar Al-Assad’s forces killed at least a dozen people among protesters. This follows the killings of dozens of protesters since the beginning of the Syrian rebellion calling for the end of Al Assad’s rule. The President is expected to make an announcement in a few days rolling back the nearly 50 year old state of emergency rule. When asked if the U.S. would also get involved in the Syrian conflict, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton replied that Syria was quite unlike Libya and that the U.S. would not be involved.

GUEST: Stephen Zunes is a professor of politics and chair of Middle Eastern studies at the University of San Francisco and serves as a contributing editor of Tikkun. His most recent book, co-authored with Jacob Mundy, is Western Sahara: War, Nationalism, and Conflict Irresolution