[Sundae]

Have heard that the airforce are bombing civilians.
Not verified the last I heard.

Not totally sure why people are surprised. I don't mean people here - I mean talking heads and politicians.
You think nice guys get to hold onto dictatorships?
Bastards rise to the top by force. Fucking bastards stay there because they are not afraid to use it/ too afraid to lose it.

I think most anti-Western hatred in these countries is from the fear of losing their cultural way of life. This fear is preyed on and magnified by the ignorant and the powerful who want to maintain the status quo. If you sat down with an averagely intelligent anti-Westerner you would find the things they are most against are founded on lies. The remainder will be religious or cultural differences.

Think how average Americans in the 50s and 60s were terrified first of Socialism and then young people who wanted to grow their hair. It's not always rational.

FYIY, Gadaffi shored up a lot of African Muslim states.
(Malawi for example is not a dictatorship but has had the same leader since 2004. Unusual in a democracy.)