Muammar Gone Daffy

Up until now, the events of the Middle East has made this time an exciting one in which to be alive. In scenes reminiscent of the fall of the Iron Curtain in Europe, Islamic nations are casting off their old dictators and making steps toward democratic government. The presidents of Tunisia and Egypt have already been forced out, and despite attempts to suppress their people, the king of Bahrain and the president of Yemen are feeling more than a little bit of pressure. Not to mention the mullahs of Iran. While some people in the region - the Egyptians, most certainly - are ready to form governments based on democratic principles, some countries could easily slip into greater authoritarianism under new governments. They could resemble the old banana republics of Latin America more than the emerging post-Communist regimes of eastern Europe.

No one knows which way Libya is going. In fact, thanks to its legendary dictator, Muammar El-Qaddafi - in power since 1969 - Libya could blaze its own self-destructive path. The flaky Qaddafi, who became synonymous with terrorism in the 1980s with his support of commando attacks in Europe and his backing of the 1988 Pan Am Flight 103 bombing - is holding onto power by any means necessary, even employing the Libyan air force to mow down demonstrators. (Two senior mutineering air force pilots flew their fighter jets to the nearby island nation of Malta and requested political asylum after defying orders to bomb protesters.) Qaddafi, 68, made a bizarre appearance on Libyan television to insist that he remains firmly in power, and in fact he did not look at all well. No one seems to know who's in charge over there, and oil traders have responded accordingly, sending prices upward.

Other countries in the region undergoing unrest may become democratic republics or military dictatorships when all is said and done, but Libya is looking more and more likely to become after Qaddafi a society no one will be able to define or recognize.