Quote Originally Posted by Entropy View Post
I spent much of the 1990's supporting the Iraq NFZ's and did the same in the Balkans.

Regarding Libya, yes, tactically, it's pretty easy as far as the threat goes. Practically, it's very resource intensive. But what's the point? What's the objective? If we want the rebels to win, there are lots of ways to do that with a lot more surety than a NFZ. To me, cynical bastard that I am, it looks like something from the good intentions fairy - a low risk way to be seen as "doing something."
I think it is partly that, but it is also 1) some folks talking up the idea without any sense of the requirements or likely military impact on Qaddafi, and 2) other folks wanting to do more, but recognizing that given current political constraints a NFZ might currently be the most that is possible.

What I am suggesting (but not necessarily recommending) is that you could use a NFZ as political cover for a rather more ambitious set of airstrikes intended to degrade the regimes core capabilities, and not simply the LAF and Libyan SAM network.

This doesn't eliminate the risk, however, from the regime's possible unconventional responses (holding foreigners hostages, flying civilian human shields, etc).