Just reported today:
Libyan rebel leaders visiting France say they have asked President Nicolas Sarkozy for military aid to enable them to march on Tripoli, the stronghold of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi. - Voice of America
In another development, Chinese state news agency Xinhua says President Hu Jintao has called on all parties in Libya to agree on an immediate cease-fire and resolve the crisis through dialogue.
It says he made the comment in a phone conversation Thursday with South African President Jacob Zuma.
Xinhua says Hu expressed appreciation for South Africa's bid to mediate a political solution to the conflict on behalf of the African Union, and promised to coordinate with Zuma on those efforts. ibid
Nothing's ever black and white least of all where war is concerned. But developments in North Africa are lending more and more credence to the quagmire theory of long term intervention in regional conflict. NATO and its allies (primarily the French and the U.S.) believe in the zero sum of regime change once armament and rhetoric are deployed. While other international players - one in particular in South Africa - are leaving all options open to a negotiated cease fire.
You choose which approach is the more realistic and least damaging to the stability of North Africa. Should the French march on Tripoli with the rebels? Should the U.S. provide the air support for such an invasion? Can you smell the sweet crude of "democracy and self determination" flowing back into Europe? Is it possible that Gaddafi's position on the rights of the Libyan peoples could "evolve"?
Stay tuned.