not sure I can agree with this

From The Telegraph:

“So far, President Obama has kept his own counsel, presumably for fear of providing Gaddafi with a pretext for blaming the uprising on foreign interference. There have also been calls for the Americans to enforce a no-fly zone to prevent warplanes being used to quash the revolt – but why should these matters be left to the Americans, or to Nato forces? Are other Arab leaders so intent on saving their own necks, or so wary of fomenting insurrection elsewhere, that they will do nothing beyond denouncing Gaddafi? Egypt, for example, may have problems of its own, but it remains the most powerful military presence in the region. Its new leaders should not stand by and watch as their fellow Arabs are massacred.”

Even some of my Egyptian friends have said this. But I really don’t see how Egypt’s military has either the spare time or even the legitimacy to send a force into Libya right now. It would be asking a bit much even in normal times, but these are mighty abnormal times for the Egyptian Army.

Besides, it’s not like there’s even time for a protracted overland invasion by Egypt, and it’s not clear that all the protestors would welcome such an incursion.

Any effective military action against Qaddafi by an outside force would have to be either a no-fly zone declared by the UN (which doesn’t sound like it will happen, and also leaves open the question of who would enforce it– it would either be the USA or NATO), or a “decapitation” air strike against Qaddafi, which would just feel like Iraq II at a very inappropriate time.

So, what’s left? Maybe I’m having a failure of imagination here, but I can’t think of any obvious alternatives. Maybe some sort of logistical support could be provided to the rebels. You could give them more heavy weaponry, but then there’s the chance it would be used against Tripoli against Qaddafi but with all kinds of collateral damage.

In any case, I don’t think The Telegraph is being at all realistic in its military demands on Egypt at the moment.

“Egypt, for example, may have problems of its own…” Why, yes it does.