What is taking so long to enforce a no fly zone in Libya? We have declared Gaddafi must go and yet we sit by and watch while he bombs the rebels from the air. Robert Gates, the Secretary of Defense, said that enforcement of a no fly zone starts with an attack on Libya by destroying their air force and ground based air defenses. I would submit that this is the position of the timid, not of a superpower.
The US should act in concert with NATO. NATO should inform Gaddafi that he can't fly his air force and that NATO will enforce that. But NATO should also state that they will not launch a preemptive strike against Libyan air defense installations. However, Gaddafi and all his military officers should be warned that any attempt to fire on NATO airplanes will result in escalating responses. The first "offense" would be met by destruction of the firing site. A second "offense" would be met by the destruction of that site and the total destruction of the local commander's headquarters and a third "offense" by an attack on Gaddafi himself as well. NATO is powerful enough to enforce its will by threats.
Might this result in an attack on a NATO aircraft? Possibly. But when people volunteer to join an air force, that is what they sign up for. I would hope that most NATO aircraft are capable of eluding a Libyan attack.
I am normally opposed to US intervention in the internal affairs of other nations, but there are times when it would be welcomed and I am positive the rebels in Libya would be very grateful to the US and NATO if we stopped the air attacks on them. If we also did it "the hard way" without destroying the country in the process, we might even earn their respect as well as their gratitude.
