In this most peculiar military operation, the three leaders of it, Obama, Cameron and Sarkozy have taken to writing a joint article for the newspapers to set out their stall. The goods on the stall are not quite those advertised nor are they the ones their stall is licenced to sell. Moreover, there are issues of quality control.
They declare that regime change is not their purpose, not least because they have no licence for it, yet the future of Libya is ‘unthinkable ‘ with Gaddafi in place. They may not like thinking it, but thus far it is the fact. Put in simple terms, these three leaders have had enough of Gaddafi and want him out. If they combined their military assets and used them, with a parachute division from each, the job could be done in a week. Instead they resort to gobbledy speak.
The NATO mission is fraught with internal disagreement and too few planes. Gates and Clinton have vetoed any further upgrade in the US effort from its current ‘supportive’ role. Obama is too weak politically to do anything about it. Both Cameron and Sarkozy have lukewarm support from their own electorates. At this rate there is a good and growing chance that Gaddafi will outlast all three of them. What a mess.