Arab World pro-democracy upheavals reached Libya on Wednesday, as anti-regime activists clashed with security personnel and pro-government supporters in the nation's second largest city of Benghazi (NYT). The movement reportedly began as a sit-in demonstration demanding the release of an outspoken human rights attorney. Most of the protestors were relatives of victims of a suspected massacre (WSJ) at a Tripoli prison in 1996. The crowd gathered youth supporters as it moved into the center of town and began calling for the removal of Libyan leader Muammar al-Qaddafi, who has been in power for over forty years. According to local accounts, state police used tear gas, rubber bullets, and water cannons to disperse the crowds (AFP), injuring at least fourteen.

The outbreak of violence comes a day before Thursday's anti-government demonstrations (BBC), which are being organized via the Internet and social media. Opposition leaders are calling for "A Day of Rage" (al-Jazeera), hoping to replicate similar rebellions in neighboring Egypt and Tunisia.

Analysis:

In this op-ed for Project Syndicate, CFR President Richard N. Haass reflects on the revolution in Egypt and the implications for the country's political future.

In op-ed for the New York Times, Thomas Friedman examines the fallout from the Egyptian revolution and the consequences for the region.

The ouster of autocrats in Tunisia and Egypt in popular revolts has awakened a hunger for change in the Arab world, says CFR's Thomas W. Lippman, but it's unlikely to result in a widespread fall of regimes.