Possible interventions include not only a no-fly zone but also providing weapons to the rebels, offering inducements to Gaddafi loyalists to defect, jamming Libyan military radio transmissions or bombing Mr. Gaddafi\u2019s tanks and artillery when they move east. Each option carries risks for the United States, and Mr. Obama\u2019s caution is understandable.<\/p>\n
On the other hand, Mr. Gaddafi\u2019s military is weak, and many Libyans clearly are desperate for change. And a Gaddafi victory also carries risks for U.S. interests, as Mr. Obama himself has said. A sacking of Benghazi will be accompanied and followed by a horrific bloodbath. A revitalized dictator is likely to be distinctly unfriendly to Western interests. And other despots will conclude that Mr. Gaddafi\u2019s brand of merciless revenge brings better results than the Tunisian and Egyptian models of accommodating people\u2019s yearning for freedom \u201d\u201d and that American threats to the contrary can be discounted.<\/p>\n