A jet fighter anti-Government traverse Street Tripoli in clashes with forces loyal to Muammar al-Gaddafi in central Misurata, the only city in the West of the
Libya which remains in the control of the rebels. (Odd Andersen / AFP/Getty Images)
Reports from Washington and Benghazi in
Libya - a month ago in
Libya, loyal to Muammar al-Gaddafi troops advancing on the opposition-held areas, tens of thousands of civilians feared for their lives, and the rebel forces are appeared in disarray with little chance of driving Kadafi of power.
After four weeks and hundreds of air strikes by the United States and their NATO allies, in many ways little has changed.
Tanks and artillery of the Al-Gaddafi is more threatening the capital of a de facto rebels of Benghazi in eastern Libya, and warplanes Kadafi and combat helicopters are based. But disorganized rebel forces are still out sighted and outnumbered by the Libyan army units, who, with their Chief, showed no sign to surrender.
On the contrary, al-Gaddafi has intensified its counter-offensive these days. Grad mounted on truck rockets to bomb residential areas of Misurata, the only city in the West of the Libya still in the hands of the rebels and rights groups of the military accused man of Kadafi of the use of cluster bombs.
"We precipitate in this without a plan," said David Barno, a former army General who commanded once United States and NATO forces in Afghanistan. "Now, we are in the Middle, go in circles."
The failure of the air campaign to force the expulsion of the Al-Gaddafi, or even to stop his army of bombing of civilians and to recapture the cities held rebel, pose a dilemma Crescent for President Obama and other NATO leaders: what future?
In private, the American authorities acknowledge that some of their assumptions until they intervened in the Libyan conflict may have been defective. Among them was the notion that only air power degrade military of the Al-Gaddafi to the point where it would be obliged to put an end to its attacks, and that the United States could leave the air strikes mainly to Britain combat aircraftFrance and other European countries.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister David Cameron, who leads the NATO to launch air campaign in Libya, said last week that the alliance had to intensify its attacks to the mandate of the United Nations to protect civilians. But win agreement to back intervention could further divide the alliance already evil split.
The US army moved in a supporting role earlier this month, and Obama gave no indication that it will send U.S. aircraft in combat missions, a fortiori again reconsider his promise not to use troops to the ground in Libya.
His decision to intervene in the Libya was not popular at the Pentagon, where the Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates and top uniformed officers showed little interest in taking a major role in the conflict, while they are engaged in the war in Afghanistan. Obama has successfully overcome the objections of his advisors by promising to keep the role of the United States limited.
If the most powerful member of the alliance is not prepared to degenerate, a few other members will be eager to do so.
But the longest Kadafi brandishes under the NATO attacks, the pressure more there will be in the Washington capitals and European deal with the escalation of the military campaign, arming the rebels or ratchet sanctions and other indirect measures, in the hope of forcing the power.
Admiral James Stavridis, the American commander of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization has asked the NATO members for additional attack aircraft - a request that the American authorities have clearly that other members of the alliance will have to meet.
Decision of the Obama to limit the military role of the United States left NATO without A - 10 Thunderbolt II or combat AC - 130 spectrum, we had U.S. designed for accurate and close to the ground troops air support attacks against targets on the ground.
The United States allows A-10 and other aircraft to strike pending in cases of emergency. But bring the aircraft in the fight is not the review, a NATO officer said.
However, the air campaign has clearly weakened army of Kadafi. Allied air strikes have destroyed about 40% of equipment and headquarters military installations Libya, according to a senior U.S. military officer.
With an area of maritime exclusion preventing Kadafi supply sea, there are also signs that his Government is struggling to provide ammunition, transportation and food to the troops on the ground. They include the 32nd Brigade, an elite unit headed by the Al-Gaddafi more young sons, Khamis and the main target of the air strikes, said the U.S. official.
The Al-Gaddafi to stay in power long term prospects are not good, insist the United States authorities. They cite the defection of several assistants top of the page, including its former head of the information and the loss of billions of dollars in oil revenues that he used only once to help ensure the loyalty in a tribal society.
But these gains have not changed the balance of military power.
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Tony Keller has co-authored a