Ali Ahmida interviewed by CNN and Toronto Star on international court's arrest warrants for Moammar Gadhafi

Ali Abdullatif Ahmida, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Political Science, was quoted by CNN International and the Toronto Star for stories analyzing the significance of the International Criminal Court's issuance of arrest warrants on June 27, 2011 for Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi and two of his relatives. The CNN story was also picked up by a number of media outlets.

"Since last week, things were heating up toward an exit strategy for Gadhafi and his sons, either inside or outside Libya in another African country," Ahmida told CNN. Some rebel leaders in the Transitional National Council said they would consider allowing Gadhafi to stay inside Libya, and both sides were starting to indicate a compromise was possible, Ahmida said.

But now, the regime "may circle the wagons a little more," and Gadhafi will think, "'I'm a hunted criminal and should pursue civil war to the end,'" Ahmida said.

“The arrest warrant may have complicated things instead of solving them,” Ahmida told the Star. “Gadhafi has committed vicious crimes. But the larger question is will it help to resolve the conflict now, and bring a future without such prolonged suffering?”

Since the North African and Middle Eastern uprisings began in January, Ahmida has been interviewed by a number of media outlets, including NPR's Morning Edition and Charlie Rose show, CBC Radio Canada, KPFK Pacifica Radio, Los Angeles, WBEZ Chicago Public Media, Mother Jones magazine and more. Ahmida, who was born in Libya, is the author of The Making of Modern Libya: State Formation, Colonialization and Resistance, and several other books on Libya and North Africa. Find out more about Ahmida and read and listen to a number of his other recent interviews.