Excerpt from transcript
MARGARET WARNER (Newshour): The rebels' recent military gains, which Obama administration officials applauded today, came after setbacks, including the killing last month of the rebel military commander Abdul Fatah Younis, apparently by his own men. That was the most visible sign of disarray in the rebel movement, headed by the Transitional National Council, or TNC.
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DIRK VANDEWALLE, Dartmouth College: Well, as your reporter indicated, we have seen these battles rage back and forth. We have seen a number of cities, Misrata, and all along the eastern coast being taken by rebels and being taken back by government forces, and indeed going back and forth a number of times in the case of Misrata and other cities.
But I think that if indeed what -- the news is true that Zawiyah has fallen to the rebels and that perhaps the rebels could then move on to the actual refinery of Zawiyah, then I think we really are in a whole different ball game, because Zawiyah really is one of only two roots that the government can use to bring supplies in.
And, ultimately, as one of your correspondents mentioned, the noose is tightening. The supplies that the Gadhafi government have, the resources at its disposal are gradually being undercut. And, so, it is a matter of time. But certainly the fall of Zawiyah would be a significant tipping point, if indeed the rebels can hold on to it in the near future.
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