Colonel Gaddafi Assassinated: End of An Era in Libya

Sixty-nine-year-old deposed dictator Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, a maverick who had ruled Libya with an iron hand for 42 years, was on 20 October shot and killed by the rebels in his hometown of Sirte after the revolutionary forces overran his last bastion.
The longest-serving leader in the African and Arab world, Gaddafi died of his wounds after being captured from a hole where he had been hiding in Sirte, a rebel commander said, adding there was a lot of firing and he was also hit in his head.
"Muammar Gaddafi has been killed," Libyan Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril said in a news conference in the capital Tripoli.
Gaddafi's son Mutassim and Defence Minister Abu-Bakr Yunis Jabr were also found dead in Sirte, the last major bastion of resistance two months after the regime fell in August.
Known for his flamboyant dressing style and gun-toting female bodyguards as much as for his iron clasp over the country, Gaddafi had been holed up with the last of his fighters in the furious battle with revolutionary fighters assaulting the last few buildings they held in his Mediterranean coastal hometown of Sirte. At one point, a convoy tried to flee the area and was blasted by NATO airstrikes, though it was not clear if Gaddafi was in the vehicle.
Sirte’s fall caps weeks of heavy, street—by—street fighting as revolutionary fighters besieged the Mediterranean coastal city. Despite the fall of Tripoli on 21 August, Gaddafi loyalists mounted fierce resistance in several areas, including Sirte, preventing Libya’s new leaders from declaring full victory in the eight-month civil war. Earlier this week, revolutionary fighters gained control of one stronghold.
Life of Gaddafi
Born in the desert in 1942, Gaddafi, at the age of only 29, became the leader of a small group of junior army officers who in September 1969 staged a bloodless coup, overthrowing King Idris while he was abroad for medical treatment. Fiercely anti-Western and inspired by Egypt's President Nasser, he governed according to his unique political philosophy — set out in his Green Book — based on a combination of socialism and Arab nationalism.
Gaddafi quickly showed he would brook no dissent to his idiosyncratic rule, reportedly having students who marched against his regime publicly hanged. In one of his most infamous atrocities, 1,200 prisoners were massacred in a Tripoli jail in 1996.
As far as his relations with other nations are concerned, his outspoken public support for a range of terrorist organizations, including the IRA and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), attracted growing international criticism and concern.
The increasingly erratic nature of his regime was underlined in 1984 when diplomats at the Libyan embassy in London opened fire on a demonstration outside, killing Yvonne Fletcher.
In 1986, the bombing by Libyan agents of a Berlin nightclub, in which two off-duty American servicemen died, prompted President Reagan to launch air strikes on Tripoli and Benghazi. Gaddafi's adopted daughter was among 35 Libyans killed.
In December 1988, came the most notorious incident of all — the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over the Scottish village of Lockerbie, killing 270. The attack prompted global outrage. For years Gaddafi denied any involvement, leading to UN sanctions and international pariah status for his regime.
He finally began to emerge from the cold when South African president Nelson Mandela helped to broker a deal which saw two Libyan intelligence officers handed over in 1999 to stand trial before a Scottish court. In 2003, after one of the men had been convicted, the Libyan government wrote to the UNSC formally accepting responsibility for the actions of its officials in the attacks.
Gaddafi's rehabilitation seemed complete when the same year, following the overthrow of Saddam Hussein by US and British forces, he admitted that Libya had an active weapons of mass destruction program which he offered to dismantle. In 2004, Tony Blair traveled to Tripoli to welcome the West's new ally in the so-called "War on Terror".
Chronology of Recent Events
15/16 February 2011: The arrest of human rights activist Fethi Tarbel starts a riot in Benghazi.
24 February: Antigovernment militias take control of central coastal city of Misrata after evicting forces loyal to Gaddafi.
26 February: The U.N. Security Council imposes sanctions on Gaddafi and his family, and refers the crackdown on rebels to the International Criminal Court.
28 February: EU governments approve sanctions against Gaddafi and his closest advisers.
5 March: The rebel National Transitional Council (NTC) in Benghazi declares itself Libya's sole representative.
17 March: The UN Security Council votes to authorise a no-fly zone over Libya and military action -- to protect civilians against Gaddafi's army.
19 March: The first air strikes halt the advance of Gaddafi's forces on Benghazi and target Libya's air defences.
30 April: A NATO missile attack on a house in Tripoli kills Gaddafi's youngest son and three grandchildren, his government says.
27 June: The ICC issues arrest warrants for Gaddafi, his son Saif al-Islam and intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senussi on charges of crimes against humanity.
21 August: Rebels enter Tripoli with little resistance. Gaddafi makes audio addresses over state television calling on Libyans to fight off the rebel "rats".
23 August: The rebels overrun Gaddafi's fortified Bab al-Aziziya compound in Tripoli, trashing the symbols of his rule.
29 August: Gaddafi's wife, his daughter Aisha and two of his sons enter Algeria. Aisha Gaddafi gives birth in a clinic in a border town hours after crossing the frontier.
1 September: Libya's interim rulers meet world leaders at a conference in Paris to discuss reshaping Libya. Gaddafi, on the 42nd anniversary of his coming to power, urges his supporters to fight on.
8 September: Interim prime minister Mahmoud Jibril arrives in Tripoli on his first visit since it was taken by his forces.
11 September: Libya starts producing oil again. Niger says Gaddafi's son Saadi has arrived there.
13 September: Interim government chief Mustafa Abdel Jalil makes his first speech in Tripoli to a crowd of about 10,000.
15 September: France's Nicolas Sarkozy and Britain's David Cameron land in Libya to a heroes' welcome.
16 September: The UN Security Council eases sanctions on Libya, including on its national oil company and central bank. The UN General Assembly approves a request to accredit interim government envoys as Libya's sole representatives at the United Nations, effectively recognizing the NTC.
20 September: US President Barack Obama calls for the last of Gaddafi's loyalist forces to surrender as he announces the return of the U.S. ambassador to Tripoli. Gaddafi taunts NATO in a speech broadcast by Syrian-based Arrai television station.
21 September: The interim rulers say they have captured most of Sabha, one of three main towns where Gaddafi loyalists have been holding out since the fall of Tripoli. Gaddafi's birthplace Sirte and the town of Bani Walid continue to resist.
25 September: The first Libyan crude oil to be shipped in months sails from the eastern port of Marsa el Hariga for Italy.
27 September: NATO says Libya's interim rulers have taken full control of the country's stockpile of chemical weapons and nuclear material.
12 October: Government fighters capture Gaddafi's son Mo'tassim after he tried to escape Sirte.
13 October: NTC forces say they have control of the whole of Sirte except neighborhood 'Number Two' where Gaddafi forces are surrounded.
14 October: Gunfights break out in Tripoli between Gaddafi supporters and NTC forces, the first sign of armed resistance to the new government.
17 October: NTC forces celebrate the capture of Bani Walid, one of the final bastions of Gaddafi loyalists.
-- A Syrian television station confirms Gaddafi's son Khamis died in fighting southeast of Tripoli on 29 August.
18 October: U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrives in Libya on an unannounced visit, urges militias to unite.
20 October: NTC fighters capture Sirte, Gaddafi's hometown, ending a two-month siege and extinguishing the last significant hold out of troops loyal to the deposed leader.
Assessment
With the fall of the Gaddafi, who came to power in a bloodless coup against King Idris in 1969 when he was a 27-year-old army captain, Libya has become another case of regime change since the start of the popular unrest that broke out in the Arab world this past January and February. Libya’s regime had been led by the Gaddafi family. Despite the fact that Gaddafi took power via a military coup, he did not allow a robust and autonomous military institution that could pose a threat to his authority to develop. This practice, however, seems to have resulted in sizeable defections from the Libyan army, sparking a civil war.
The crisis in Libya may play itself out over a long period of time. The country’s geopolitical reality is one where the crisis within the country can continue to evolve without seriously impacting the region or beyond. Meanwhile, the de facto government of new Libya, the NTC, has been feted in Paris by more than 60 nations and international organizations. The NTC presented its plans for nation-building to the international community and the rest of the world pledged to help the new government in meeting urgent needs and begin the formation of a functioning governing authority.

Pakistan-US Agreement on Counterterrorism Cooperation

The fourth session of the Pakistan-US Working Group on Counterterrorism was held in Islamabad on 5 July. The Pakistani delegation was led by Interior Minister Rehman Malik while William Brownfield, US assistant secretary of state for international law enforcement and narcotics affairs, led the US delegation. At the session, Pakistan and the United States agreed on the need for joint efforts to continue strategic talks, to resolve visa problems, and to curb drug trafficking. Moreover, complying with the US demand, Pakistan banned the export of nitrate, which is used in preparing landmines, to Afghanistan. However, the United States assured to enhance Pakistani security agencies' capability.
Addressing the joint news conference at the conclusion of the talks, Interior Minister Rehman Malik welcomed the resumption of talks between Pakistan and the United States. On this occasion, William Brownfield assured to support Pakistani Government's efforts against terrorism. The meeting decided to form a joint task force to eliminate the explosive devices.
Curbing Narcotics Trafficking
The agreement between Pakistan and the United States on strategy and steps against terrorism indicates that, despite the differences on several issues, some dialogue between the two countries is going on, which is a welcome development in the sense that it will not only help resolve these issues but will also help improve relations between the two countries. Narcotics trafficking is a major issue of this region as well as of the rest of the world. The Pakistan-US agreement on curbing narcotics trafficking is an encouraging development. The need of the hour is that the rest of the world too played its due role in this regard so that the longstanding dream of forming a drugs free global society could be materialized.
The ban on export of nitrate, which is used in preparing landmines, to Afghanistan, is a welcome step. The use of landmines in wars dates back to a long time ago. The use of the landmines in the prevailing situation in Afghanistan can bear devastating results. However, the United States should gain an assurance from the Karzai government that the terrorists would not be able to obtain the chemical, used in preparing landmines, from somewhere else.
Common Interest
During his unannounced visit of Afghanistan, UK Prime Minister David Cameron has said that Pakistan's and Afghanistan's working jointly is in the interest of both the countries. However, President Hamid Karzai is unable to understand that. In his meeting with President Asif Ali Zardari, he expressed grave concern over the alleged shelling in Afghanistan from the Pakistani areas. It is pertinent to mention here that, a few days ago, several hundred Afghan terrorists invaded Pakistani area and reaction was shown from this side of the border.
Speaking in this connection, Interior Minister Rehman Malik has said that the intervention and supply of weapons in Pakistan from Afghanistan needs to be stopped. He added that our borders have been violated five times from the Afghanistan side.
Eliminating Terrorism
David Petraeus, commander of the US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, has said that the foreign forces will focus attention on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in the coming months. It is imperative that the NATO forces not only stopped violations of the Durand Line but also enforced measures to prevent the terrorists from infiltrating into Pakistan from Afghanistan.
The United States can give a new dimension to the cooperation against terrorism by showing progress on these matters. That will also pave way for normalizing the relations between Pakistan and the United States once again.

2012: Year of Change of Big Powers’ Governments

US President Barack Obama has announced that he would contest the presidential election in 2012. Not only he, the leadership of four more permanent members of the UN Security Council is also facing election phase in their respective countries and the change of leadership may possible be seen. Obama announced to participate in the presidential election at a time when he recalled his bombers from Libya. But perhaps to fulfill his this promise or for the time being to show the American people that he intends to fulfill his promises, including the promises he had made in 2008 that he would call back the US troops from across the world, but it is the phase of producing the proof of his US citizenship. He is presenting his birth certificate.
Economic Crisis
British Prime Minister David Cameron too faces elections and perhaps he too may be far away from the success because his coalition government may face any economic crisis. There are signs of change in China as well. Xi Jin Yung will replace Hu Jintao there.
In the case of Russia, the election of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev depends on Vladimir Putin.
The success of the French president depends on his success in Libya and his office is at stake in the Libyan war.
As far as Obama is concerned, he still enjoys popularity and is moving fast and the killing of Usama Bin Laden has upped his popularity graph and history is with him. Republicans have yet not nominated their candidate. Perhaps, the 2016 election may be their target because currently they have no personality, who could compete with Obama. They are, however, definitely being accused in the US that they do not take hard stance against the enemies and ignore friends. If Sarah Palin emerged successful, it would be a historical jerk but its chances are very slim. For the success, Obama also needs success in Libya while the game of the chances of success in Afghanistan and withdrawal of troops from there will have to be played whereas in the US, there is talk of dialogue with 400 Taliban.
The Americans have made much investment on Russian President Medvedev, as they consider him a moderate person and supporter of a moderate policy. The Americans believe that he would avoid the policy of confrontation with the US because their problems too are of very serious nature. This is the reason that he avoids raising voice against the US and NATO because he is aware of the difficulties hovering around Russia. Their economy is not on sound footing and their population is decreasing. They too face threat from the Islamic extremists and they face the threat of the vacation of Siberia. As far as China is concerned, Obama knows that China is preparing to challenge them. It will definitely happen one day.
Correcting World Situation
The Americans are saying themselves that the US hunger that it correct the world situation or can lesson the difficulties of the world has died and it has started looking inwards. Then, the Americans know a little less about the incoming Chinese president but they are supporters of establishing relations on the economic lines.
1. The China challenging the US and the competition between the US and China is unavoidable. It is very important question as what arrangement Obama makes for it.
2. The Russian wholly depends on one vote of Vladimir Putin as to whether he supports the Russian president or not or he himself becomes the president. If he himself becomes the president, the difficulties may increase for the US but the affairs of Putin are not much good.
3. Third issue is of Afghanistan. This issue will be very important in the election campaign of Obama and that whether he starts fulfillment of his promise or not. The American people will definitely want to see it.
4. Last, the most important thing is that another major terrorism incident can change the entire global scenario. Any non-state actor may do anything such that the power game in the world can be turn down. The world may plunge into a global war or the tension may increase in the world. If the US president wins but the British and French rulers face defeat and in addition to Putin does not accept the pro-US president in Russia, the scenario may change. Bu after the arrest and humiliation of the International Monetary Fund Chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn of French origin, who was a candidate for the French presidency, in a sex scandal, the chances of the success of the incumbent French president have increased. Thus, the US president is advancing the game of next five years.

British Prime Minister's Pakistan Visit

Pakistan and the United Kingdom on 5 April formally launched 'enhanced strategic dialogue' aimed at strengthening ties in security, trade, health and education sectors. Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani and his British counterpart David Cameron, while addressing a press conference after a day-long interaction that also covered the UK-Pakistan National Security Dialogue and a meeting with the heads of parliamentary parties, vowed to enhance bilateral investments and encourage their private sectors to help increase bilateral trade from 1.2 to 2.5 billion pounds by 2015.

Prime Minister Cameron termed the Pakistan-UK ties 'unbreakable' and said the two sides focused on trade, security and education sectors. He said he had also increased Pakistan's market access to Europe.

Security Issue

On the security sector, Cameron said that the two sides agreed on police services and intelligence cooperation, besides discussing the importance of Pakistan-Afghanistan relationship. He said that both the countries shared the need of having a peaceful, stable and democratic Afghanistan. 'Pakistan suffered greatly in tackling terrorism and extremism,' he said, adding that there was a huge fight being waged by the Pakistani Government against terrorists and the United Kingdom had a share in combating terrorism.

Education Sector

On education, Cameron said that the United Kingdom had launched a new package to help Pakistan in imparting education to four million children, training to 90,000 teachers and provision of six million text books.

Responding to a question on spending a huge amount on Pakistan's education, Cameron said his coalition government had increased the overseas budget by 7.7 per cent of the gross national income as it was in the interest of the United Kingdom to support the poorest in the poor countries in education, maternal health and in fighting poverty.

Terming illiteracy a root-cause of terrorism, Gilani said that the focus was on education in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and remote areas. He said that more than 30,000 Pakistani students were in Britain for education and called for extending more scholarships. Asked about the visa issues, the British Prime Minister said that the processing had been shifted out of Pakistan 'to make it more efficient.'

Extradition Treaty

When asked about return of former President Pervez Musharraf to Pakistan, David Cameron said that the two countries did not have any extradition treaty and also a 'proper application' was needed to be made to proceed in that regard.

Regarding Pakistan's role on extremism and terrorism, Prime Minister Gilani said Pakistan had rendered unprecedented sacrifices and lost more soldiers and civilians than the combined losses of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Trade Relations

Pakistani President Zardari sought closer ties in other areas, pledging to boost bilateral trade from £1.9 billion a year to £2.5 billion a year by 2015, and announcing up to £650 million over four years for education.

The aid money will help four million children go to school through providing training for 90,000 teachers and six million new textbooks. Cameron promised to continue to advocate for Pakistan to gain enhanced trade access to the European Union, including through GSP.

Strategic Dialogue

The Pakistan-UK strategic dialogue was a significant step and was vital for both sides, for this region and for the world as a whole. The need for the two sides to gear up to achieve the objectives that the two countries have set for both countries in the declaration of enhanced strategic dialogue.

The national security dialogue, comprising political, military and intelligence tracks will lead to creating a better understanding in bringing about clarity on issues of global, regional peace and security.

Peace and Stability in Afghanistan

About the Afghan issue, the president said peace and stability in Afghanistan was necessary for regional peace and emphasized on the Afghan-led peace process in the country rather than foreign led. The president said an appreciation of the dynamics of human relations by the international community was no less important than machines and weapons.

Future ProspectsTo start a new era in the relations between Pakistan and the United Kingdom, the governments and people from both the sides should clear up the misunderstandings of the past, work through the tensions of the present and look together to the opportunities of the future.

UK Faced With Limited Options in Afghanistan

In the name of war on terror, the United Kingdom's mania to occupy Muslim world in alliance with the United States has finally led the United Kigdom to financial bankruptcy. It has been admitted in the British Government's produced statistics that the United Kingdom had to bear an expenditure of £7.34 billion ($10.6 billion) in war on Iraq and has to bear an expenditure of £12 billion ($17.29 billion) in Afghanistan annually. Consequently, the country is running in a debt of £156 billion ($224.8 billion) and the fiscal deficit is mounting with every passing day. Moreover, the life loss of the British soldiers is never less than this deficit. In Afghanistan, 287 British soldiers have been killed during the past nine years; whereas, in Iraq, the death toll hikes to 179.

Deceleration of Economic Recovery
The biggest agenda during the last electoral campaign was how to get rid of this debt. Tory Party (TP) was of the opinion that public expenditures be cut down by £6 billion ($86,47 billion). However, the Labor Party (LP) was against such a massive cut down in public expenditure. Their rationale was that a massive cut down in public expenditure would result in deceleration of economic recovery, and there is a threat that the economic crisis may turn even graver. However, new Finance Minister George Osborne in the incumbent coalition government, in accordance with the manifesto of TP, has declared a cut down of £6.20 billion ($8.9 billion) in public expenditure, whose biggest sword would fall on the head of civil service.

Budget in this area would be cut down by £120 million ($172 million) because of which thousands of government employees would be laid off. Budget of the municipality departments would be economized by £331million ($477 million) which would hit hard on the provision of public services and largely add to unemployment. Cut down in education budget would lead to a reduction of 10,000 in the number of university students. Moreover, it is feared that taxes would be massively increased in the emergency budget that would be announced after two months.

Process of Deficit Reduction
However, it is being emphasized at this time that the process of deficit reduction would not have any effect on the defense budget. However, financial experts say that a saving of £60,00,000,000 ($8647200,000) in the running year is just the beginning and much more would have to be saved next year in order to get rid of the heavy burden of debts and it is highly probable that expenditure on defense, health and education have to be largely cut down. This is the reason why the new British Foreign Minister William Hague, rushed to Washington just two days after assuming charge of his office and held talks with US secretary of state on ways to get rid of war in Afghanistan.

Anyhow, Democrats in the coalition government hold the stance that the United Kingdom should immediately withdraw from war in Afghanistan and 9000 British troops, who are fighting in Afghanistan, should be called back into the country. Influential circles in the government are of the opinion that it is very difficult (for coalition forces) to win the war in Afghanistan and solution to the prevailing situation lies in a political arrangement. However, under military expediency and due to ego reasons, the United States is bent upon continuing war in Afghanistan.

From the time the new coalition government has come to power in the United Kingdom, pressure from the United States is increasing pressure on the United Kingdom that its forces should withdraw from Helmand to assume positions in Kandahar, where the US forces plan to launch a massive operation in June, and in the same connection, the United States is pressurizing Pakistan to launch an operation in North Waziristan.

This is the reason why the new British Defense Secretary Liam Fox and Andrew Mitchell, secretary of state for international development, joined new Foreign Minister William Hague to pay an emergency visit to Helmand where British forces are based. The visit had two objectives. One was to boost the morale of British troops and second was to make the United States realize that Britain is equally participating in the war with the same.

The United Kingdom is faced with a dilemma in case of war in Afghanistan. It has the feeling that it would have to make attempts to declare a lost war as a won war in order to preserve its ego. A joint military operation was launched with full strength and clamor in Marjah, South Afghanistan, in recent March and an attempt was made to prove that the coalition and Afghan forces are liberating this area from the Taliban. A lot of publicity continued for this operation for some time but gradually reports stopped coming about the same. Now, there are again reports of the Taliban regrouping in this area and offering stiff resistance to the US troops.

Continuing US Pressure
Thus, for the United Kingdom, on one hand, there is the problem of special relations with the United States and with it is the US pressure to continue war in Afghanistan. However, there is the problem of mounting war expenditures, and on the other, it has the problem of eliminating the fiscal deficit. In this situation, the gravest and biggest challenge before new British Prime Minister David Cameron is the war in Afghanistan.

Given its financial interests, Britain cannot afford to dismiss US pressure in relation to Afghanistan and assume a different stance (on this issue). However, persistently mounting war expenditures of the British forces is dragging the United Kingdom toward a point of no return. The United Kingdom has the realization that in order to rescue the country out of the financial crisis, it is necessary to eliminate this mountain like fiscal deficit. Thus, United Kingdom faces a dilemma in rescuing itself from the fiscal deficit and war in Afghanistan.

UK Parliamentary Elections 2010

A Conservative minority government with the support of the Liberal Democrats is, narrowly, the favored solution to the electoral stalemate. The poll of 514 voters showed that 53 per cent supported that option, with 47 per cent opposed. A close runner-up is the option of Labor remaining in government in a formal agreement with the Lib Dems. This was backed by 51 per cent and opposed by 45 per cent. It was favored by nearly nine out of ten Labor voters.

A small majority (52 per cent) oppose the Conservatives forming a coalition government with the Lib Dems, though this is backed by 46 per cent, including about four fifths of Tories. The public are evenly split -- 43 to 45 per cent -- on Gordon Brown remaining as Prime Minister. More than a third of Lib Dems back him staying.

The least appealing scenario is for the Conservatives to form a minority government with the support of the Ulster Unionists, favored by 29 per cent, and opposed by 52 per cent. About 60 per cent of Tory voters support this.

The poll shows that one in seven (14 per cent) are pleased that we have a hung Parliament, but more than half did not vote. Almost two fifths (37 per cent) are worried about a hung Parliament, with women more concerned than men (44 versus 31 per cent), and professionals and managers more than other social groups. When asked if they had known on 6 May what they knew on 8 May, after the results, only 7 per cent said they would have voted differently.

Urgent Policy Attention
The British people did not get the clarity they needed badly in the parliamentary election. This does not bode well for Europe, grappling with questions on the role of the euro and the existential meaning of political federalism. Britain's fiscal position, not linked to the euro, is not yet in crisis. But the unemployment overhang of 8 per cent, or 2.5 million people out of work, required urgent policy attention.

There was a faint hope that the concurrent societal breakdown in Greece over mismanaged public finances, and the nervousness being felt in Portugal and Spain, would galvanize British voters to offer up a clear mandate to either the incumbent Laborites or the Conservatives. One or the other had to have the backing of numbers in the House of Commons to get requisite austerity measures passed. Sharply declining markets all week in Europe, Asia and Wall Street were signaling a failure of government and eroding investor confidence. This could continue.

The British had a wasted election. The outstanding feature was the failing of the Conservative prime minister-presumptive, David Cameron, in getting a leader's message across to the nation. He had the advantage of a challenger's hunger to see off an extended incumbency, and Britain's struggle to recover from the recession was an incumbent's Achilles' heel for the taking. But his best was just not good enough. He has fallen short.

He said on election night that Gordon Brown's Labor Party had lost the mandate to govern. This was accurate only as a numerical claim, in the roughly 100 seats the Conservatives have gained at the expense of Labor. But he has not got a majority and the electorate up and down the country is divided. And he looks deflated, nothing like a winner. Cameron could yet emerge as the prime minister when the horse trading is done in the next week. But would he have the firm mandate that is the victor's due?

Underrated Man of Action
The three main parties now go into an extended period of backroom dealing to patch together a government. Prime Minister Brown was properly respectful of tradition in saying he only wanted to play his part in Britain having a 'stable, strong and principled government'. Well spoken - this decent and underrated man of action did not look defeated even as the Conservative tally inched up. If Labor can make a deal with the Liberal Democrats over their leader Nick Clegg's professed distaste for the Laborites, it would be a personal triumph.

The United Kingdom would be in steady hands. If he yields sportingly to the Conservatives, he lives up to his words. And Clegg? What the Lib Dems' modest results prove is that television idols have a short shelf life. If he obtains a sizeable role in government, he will have to grind out to win his spurs.