“Libya is Forever Changed by These Events”: Libyan Poet and Scholar Khaled Mattawa on the Pro-Democracy Movement Amid Government Violence

"After a week of pro-democracy demonstrations in Libya that left more than 300 people dead, protesters have continued to demand an end to the 42-year regime of Colonel Muammar Qaddafi. One of Gaddafi’s sons, Seif Islam Gaddafi, addressed the nation over Libyan State TV on Sunday, and threatened there would be civil war if the protests did not end. For more we are joined by the acclaimed Libyan poet and scholar, Khaled Mattawa. “I think the regime is over even if Gaddafi manages to survive,” Mattawa says. “Libyans are saying, ‘Yes we will have a new constitution, perhaps we will have a new flag. But we do not want you or your father or the rest of your plan, so get out of here.”..."