I am shocked to read in today's FT that Russia opposes intervention in Libya. It must be an example of temporary amnesia, given their behavior over Russia's invasion of Georgia in 2008. Given that Russia claimed then that it was just intervening as a humanitarian effort, Russia's position today regarding Libya is quite queer. How can Russia be opposed to a no-fly zone when they not only established complete command and control of Georgian skies, but invaded and crushed Georgia's armed forces? Obviously a no-fly zone will require that any force put together to enforce such a no-fly zone would have to be willing to engage pro-Gaddafi air planes and to countermand any foreign source trying to land men and or material to support Gaddafi.
The Germans and French are recreating their shameful behavior over Yugoslavia where they enforced an arms embargo against the Bosnians while the Serbs and Croats had plenty of arms and only encouraged the slaughter. What we have is all the preparations for another Yugoslavia all over again.
The spectre of international incidents multiplies daily on the horizon, where people are rising against governments. Turkey's Prime Minister chastised western governments over the idea of a no-fly zone, presumably in fear of a rising of Kurds and a possible similar situation. Letters in the Financial Times yesterday asked why the west did not establish a no-fly zone over Gaza given the near constant Israeli attacks by air.
The world is on in the midst of an upheaval not seen in its intensity or prevalence since 1848. Then as now, it was technological and cultural change coupled with mass migrations (rural to city and Europe to America). In America the midwest was ablaze with civil strife over the possibility of territories entering the Union as slave or free. In Central and South America revolution had spread in country after country from 1800 to 1850. How the world responds to this new wave will define the character of the 21st century as the focus is in Islam's center and the populations of these nations is the fastest rising.