Within a few hours of the first wave of attacks, the Arab League had already condemned coalition attacks for hurting civilians. This is the same Arab League that called for a no-fly zone but has put in no military assets or money to make it happen.

France and Great Britain have obtained a set of military guidelines that might have achieved the stated goals of protecting civilians and the underlying goal of toppling Gaddafi had they been passed a month earlier than they were. Being a month late, they rushed to implement the policy in haste — and with no guarantee of success.

The Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu famously quipped: "What is essential in war is victory, not prolonged operations." With Libya, Anglo-French diplomacy has achieved the beginning of prolonged operations. Victory is another matter.