France wants to be in command because it wants operational freedom to hunt down Qaddafi fast, on the ground, dig him out, ugly or not. France has had it with Libya's illegals, wants revenge on Qaddafi for the war in Chad, and wants economic control of the future united Libya because of its oil and uranium deposits in the S of Libya.
Italy wants NATO to run the show, knowing that would bureaucratize and drag out the war and search for Qaddafi. Why? Because that would hasten the partition of Libya with Italy controlling the E half that has the oil & refineries they desperately want to control.
Libya used to be a colony of Italy and they want it back to have a presence on both sides of the Med. The French have much more influence in the W half of Libya via Tunisia and Algeria, but the W half has little oil.
Isn't there an oil pipeline under the Med. into Italy?
That'd be their horse in the race. Not a ligit reason to attack Libya - just wanting to protect that oil from falling into the hands of France or another country,
Will someone tell me again what right we have to interfere in a CIVIL WAR in a SORVEREIGN country?
Interesting- thanks. I suppose Obama figures he will weasel out and let them duke it out then.
Do you have an opinion of what, if any, U.S. interest warrants aggressive involvement of our military? At least any interest so vital that it is worth further inflaming the Muslim world? (I will stipulate inflammation may be built in and unavoidable.)
Thanks gandalftb.