Libyan rebels say NATO isn't doing enough

Rebels with a cause

The rebels have a general and the rest make do with a colonel going crazy. The general seems capable but has a few proper soldiers and a ragtag of a volunteer army. The colonel is incapable, has a lot of proper soldiers and a diminishing crowd of loyal flagwavers. A general should take precedence over a colonel. Libya is in real conflict, that's certain. Said Gaddafi is making it up as he goes along, a bit like his doctoral thesis. Old clips of raving supporters are shown on Libyan TV as if to prove some point. And the country is fast looking like a dumping ground for bits of old twisted metal. Do they have guys driving around in trucks blowing their horns like we do in Birmingham and Solihull?

The rebel leadership in Benghazi seems attractive to the Western powers. Thet are made up largely of pro-democracy types, ranging from doctors to entrepreneurs. The one thing they have in common is a desire to speak and live freely. But should NATO bomb what the rebels want them to bomb? How deep should NATO get into this conflict? Well, I think as far as possible without getting toes and fingers burnt. Proper help is letting the rebels do the defeating themselves, albeit with some effective help. They don't want swaggering British officers giving Gaddafi Senior a dressing down in public. They just want to get to Tripoli to tell him the game's up.

Libya is far too important a country, strategically, economically and culturally for NATO not to be seen to be doing things properly. That is knocking out Gaddafi's military capability.

Posted in: civil wars,Gaddafi,Libya,NATO