Regional leaders forced to confront harsh truths - FT.com

Public opinion across the Arab world may be cheering on the Libyan rebels in their showdown with Colonel Muammer Gaddafi, but official Arab reaction has been largely muted.

It was only on Monday, after the rebels entered Tripoli, that the Arab League voiced its “full solidarity” with the efforts of the Libyan national transitional council. The league is to hold an emergency session on Thursday to discuss readmitting Libya under the leadership of the NTC, according to Egypt’s Mena news agency.

The spectacle of a third Arab leader being overthrown by his people in less than a year is unlikely to appeal to rulers in a region where presidents expect to be in power for life and some plan to pass down the office to their sons.

* username: rupertbu