Ghandi's methods of non-violent protesting, such as satygraha, rely on the willingness of authority to cooperate with protesters. What promotes authority to bend to the will of protesters practicing satyagraha is the authority's public image, and how it will be affected by their reaction to protests. In India, satyagraha forced the British government to change the way it ruled India because the British government was worried about its international image. If the British refused to cooperate with protesters, they would be perceived as a cruel absolutist government that didn't care about its people. However, non-violent protesting might not always work the way in which it did in India. With a government that pays little attention to what the rest of the world thinks of it, for example, Muammar Gaddafi's absolutist regime in Libya, satyagraha or any other method of non-violent protesting will not work. The current Revolution in Libya began with non-violent protests, which were quickly smothered by the government's use of violence. While the UN-enforced no-fly zone over Libya, put into effect of March 17th, caused Gaddafi forces to stop firing on civilians, it failed to convince Gaddafi to step down. While the situation in Libya is extreme, it is an instance in which force, rather than non-violent protesting, seems to work best in accomplishing a goal. Ghandi's non-violent practices can and will be successful in most cases; however, there are rare cases, when a government refuses to cooperate, during which force can be applied to more effectively accomplish a goal.
*Picture- a group of Libyan protesters fleeing violent Gaddafi troops
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2011/mar/04/libya-uprising-gaddafi-live
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