And that's why I say: PLEASE, do yourself a favour and don't explain something like 'see Libya, you can't know what might have happened in Syria if we intervened there', or 'we shouldn't because we don't know what are we doing'. Libya of 2011 is an excellent example for what was possible to do with Syria too (up to, say, mid-2013). Libya of 2014, on the contrary, is an entirely different pair of shoes - one that has nothing to do with 'military intervention' of 2011 any more: it's connected with private interests of who-knows-what circles in the USA, perhaps Egypt too.
As I said I thought what we did in Libya worked also as far as removing a dictator and chasing his brutal mercenaries out of the country. I don't think we had a lot of time to think about the morning after, much like Afghanistan, so we rushed in and as usual sort of hoped it would work out for the best. I definitely don't think we should have more than SOF on the ground, but the arguments about the negatives are now we have a failed state (as you said it will have to rearrange itself overtime), which allowed a massive amount of weapons to spread to other parts of Africa according to some empowering a number of groups such as AQ in Mali and enabled the BH to be better armed than the Nigerian military. It also enabled the Islamists to vie for power in Libya, which apparently is prompting Egypt and QAE to intervene to protect their interests based on fear of the Islamists getting a base in the region where they can support rebel groups in their countries.

I have no idea how Libya will sort things out in the midst of this chaos and interest groups with widely divergent interests, and numerous external actors interfering. At the end of the day we have to deal with the world as it is, not as we want it to be.

In short I think the way we supported the Libyan rebels was a classic use of our military in a relatively modest way to achieve a strategic impact, but we'll be hesitant and with good reason if we don't develop the doctrinal approach subsequent to removing a dictator for promoting conditions that enable the people to sort out their future. That becomes especially difficult when it is the Islamists that are the best organized (politically and militarily) and they threaten our interests and the interests of others in the region. It is something we helped enable and now we can't escape it, and yes I think we would see a similar result in Syria and that mess would threaten Iraq even more and also Turkey and Jordan. Act yes, but after thinking through it. Frankly that should have been done by now, but instead we're responding to Iraq like it is a crisis (it is) instead of deliberately. That is what happens when you have a country that has divorced itself from strategy.

As for Haftar, the following might be of interest to others following this thread. Have I heard of him? Yes Did I did know his background? No.

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/ne...tions-in-libya

The retired Libyan General Khalifa Haftar said in a taped speech Friday that seeking the help of Arab troops in Libya is "no longer unlikely."

Haftar addressed members of the Libyan parliament, urging them to make necessary decisions to support his "Karama Operation".

"We have to be aware of the conspiracy planned against our army," he said.

Haftar added that "the army will not interfere in the political process, and will always maintain its impartiality."
http://www.theguardian.com/world/201...ifa-haftar-war

Hafter estimates that, with his current capabilities, the operation will take six months. "But if we receive military supplies from friendly countries the time will be less," he says, an indication that such help has perhaps not yet materialised despite talk of Egyptian, Emirati and Saudi support. "We have not asked Egypt to conduct air raids in Libya, but if we need this we will ask for it without any hesitation."

He claims to have "indirect contacts" with the US, and hints he believes support may be forthcoming. "I don't think the Americans will stay away from this fight against terrorism. We are battling an enemy hated by the whole world."
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-27492354

After Gaddafi's downfall, Mr Haftar appeared to have faded into relative obscurity, like other former regime figures who joined the revolution.

That remained the case until February 2014, when TV channels posted a video of him outlining his plan to save the nation and calling on Libyans to rise up against the elected parliament, the General National Congress (GNC).