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America initiated the action in Libya and moved into the background permitting NATO to take the lead. Britain and France had invested in Libya and were more than willing to step in to protect their investment. However, NATO has quickly sought American intervention in the form of supply of logistics and command. This has put America in a very piquant situation.

It received virtually zero support from its NATO allies for its campaign in Afghanistan and Iraq. Now, when it is prepared to take a backseat and conserve its resources, it is discovering that its leadership is needed by NATO.

Although this is a very nice situation for the American ego, it is not a nice situation for the American economy. Obama is already under fire for declaring war against Libya without sanction from the Congress. One reason why America was keen on transferring command to NATO was to avoid criticism in this regard. In such a scenario, the prospect of Americans taking charge of the Libya operations is clearly going to affect public opinion in Libya.

Once America takes the dominant stand, Al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations will step in and will do their best to ensure that the current Libyan government continues. The prospect of Libya becoming another Afghanistan where victory and loss are rendered irrelevant is a frightening prospect for American strategists.

Only time will tell whether the renewed Americans support to the NATO effort will bring a quick end to the crisis. The only way to end the current Libyan crisis is to overthrow the Gaddafi government and bring in a government that is acceptable to the masses.