Libya

From the Hall of Montezuma, to the Shores of Tripoli

I sort of kind of followed the developments that led to our military involvement in Libya, but I have only half-heartedly followed the debate over whether it was the right thing to do.

I've heard a lot of comparisons to Iraq and the no-fly zone over Kurdistan.  OK.  I get it, they're Arabs.  Iraq is a quagmire.  I get it.

But it seems to me a better example of this sort of excursion is Kosovo.  When that happened, we heard a lot of the same criticisms of the use of air power as we are hearing today.  But Kosovo turned out pretty well.

I guess the desire to see failure before it happens is pretty strong.  But given the LACK of contrary voices before Iraq, I guess this is healthy.

I would like to see - as with Japan's nuclear armageddon that never happened - a little less judgment drawing while events are still unfolding.

UPDATE: This seems interesting.  Juan Cole who was regularly seen as prescient on Iraq notes the self-evident way that Libya is different from Iraq.  He is slammed in his comments.

It seems everyone wants to view Libya via their pre-held ideological positions as opposed to the facts on the ground.  If we wind up sending in the 82nd Airborne, the critics will be right.  I doubt that will happen.