I am watching this unfold on TV and noting that it is French aircraft that are currently enforcing the no-fly zone, not American. There are also reports of Danish, Norwegian and British aircraft en route to bases in Italy that will participate. And there are reports that several Arab countries (yet unnamed) are part of the coalition.
There is a major difference between what we are doing in Libya vs. what we did in Iraq. In this case, it is not only a U.N. resolution but an Arab League resolution calling for the no-fly zone. And the resolution also mandates a cease-fire.
We didnt meddle in Egypt because it wasnt necessary. Egypt's military is highly trained and professional, and it basically told Mubarak that it would not obey instructions to open fire on unarmed civilians. In Libya, however, Ghadafi has employed mercenaries to reinforce his army and that army is using tanks and air power to attack civilians. At some point, it does become appropriate for the rest of the world to intervene and it would appear that the rest of the world has chosen to do so.
