Mexican federal police on Feb. 28 announced the capture of Victor Torres Garcáa AKA Édgar Mauricia Barrera Corrales AKA "El Papirrin"—alleged leader of a drug network that calls itself "The Resistance." "El Papirrin" was detained in Uruapan, Michoacán, along with two alleged associates, several guns and bags of drugs. La Resistencia was so-named because it was formed as an alliance of various cartels to resist the drive by Los Zetas to dominate Mexico's narco networks. "El Papirrin" was said to be a veteran of the Beltran Leyva cartel.

Tunisia's Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi resigned Feb. 27, as security forces again clashed with protesters. "I am not ready to be the person who takes decisions that would end up causing casualties," Ghannouchi said. "This resignation will serve Tunisia, and the revolution and the future of Tunisia." (Middle East Online, Feb. 27) Three protesters were killed in street clashes with security forces in Tunis the previous day. (Middle East Online, Feb. 27)

The UN Security Council on Feb. 27 unanimously ordered a travel ban and asset freeze on Moammar Qaddafi's regime, and ordered an investigation into possible crimes against humanity in Libya. The council made a new demand for an immediate end to the violence, which it said had been incited "from the highest level" of Libyan leaders. The travel ban and asset freeze in Resolution 1970 targets the 68-year-old Libyan leader, four of his sons, and top defense and intelligence officials. (Middle East Online, Feb. 27)

Last month, Louisiana's Sen. David Vitter and Kentucky's Sen. Rand Paul introduced legislation aimed at amending the Fourteenth Amendment—specifically, denying birthright citizenship to those born to undocumented immigrants. (The State Column, Jan. 30) This idea was notoriously broached last year ("worth considering," he said) by then-House Minority Leader—today House Speaker—John Boehner. (CNN, Aug. 8, 2010) This would be an alarming enough development, if it were not happening amid a sinister mainstreaming of pro-Confederacy revisionism...

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez expressed his support for embattled Libyan leader Moammar Qaddafi in a Twitter post Feb. 25: "Long live Libya and its independence! Qaddafi is facing a civil war!" The Tweet was immediately protested by Venezuela's opposition, which is also demanding that Qaddafi return a replica of independence hero Simón Bolívar's sword that Chávez decorated him with when he hosted the Libyan in 2009.

Fighting in Libya spread to western towns near Tripoli Feb. 25, as cities in the east organized interim governments, raising the old flag from before Moammar Qaddafi came to power in 1969. Dueling rallies were held in Benghazi, where thousands celebrated their liberation from Qaddafi's regime, and in Tripoli, where the dictator himself appeared at the capital's Green Square. Qaddafi called on his partisans to "defend Libya," pledging, "If needs be, we will open all the arsenals." Before the Tripoli pro-regime rally, security forces fired on protesters, leaving several dead. Oblivious to the deadly repression that preceded his address, the strongman appealed to Libya's youth to "dance and sing, Moammar Qaddafi is with you."

Israeli forces fired rubber-coated bullets at protesters in the West Bank city of Hebron Feb. 25, leaving at least nine people injured. Four international activists and two Palestinians were detained, organizers said. The military said that only one person was arrested. The demonstration, which called for the reopening of one of the city's main streets, came on the anniversary of the 1994 massacre of 29 Palestinians in Hebron by a Jewish extremist.

Protests were held in towns and cities across Iraq Feb. 25, with marchers filling Baghdad's Tahrir Square in a national "day of rage." In Mosul, three were killed when security forces fired on the crowd. Four were also killed in clashes between protesters and security forces in Haweija, a town north of Kirkuk. (AlJazeera, DPA, Feb. 25)