International pressure to force Libya’s Colonel Muammar Qaddafi out of office increased today. The European Union has adopted an arms embargo and other sanctions against the Libyan leader. And U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Rodham Clinton has said Qaddafi should step down from power immediately.

But Qaddafi remains defiant in his attempt to hold onto power. Over the weekend, a government spokesman insisted that “no massacres, no bombardments, no reckless violence against civilians” had taken place. Joining us to talk about the latest developments is Ali Ahmida, chair of the political science department at the University of New England. He’s the author of several books including Forgotten Voices: Power and Agency in Colonial and Postcolonial Libya.