Here's another insight. I'll keep it short since I don't want to go into the details and all ...
What I believe happened now, is that there is a new agreed upon strategy between the oil companies and the government which involves removing Qaddafi but securing their investments. By imposing a no fly zone, and taking direct intervention, the west hopes to secure for itself a place among the movement and the people so that in the near future when it comes time for Libya to do business, they will do it with the West. It's basically a way to confront an insecure situation by trying to control its outcome as best as possible. The reason why its an insecure situation is because the US knows that the attitudes that the Libyans have towards the US are predominantly negative, and therefore, by getting involved and "coming to the rescue" they hope to not only change these attitudes, but also, to use their "rescue" as a form of business leverage in the future.
China and Russia did not support the no-fly zone because they have always been against military intervention in the Middle East. Because of that, they have been able to avoid getting sucked into costly operations, battles, and even wars. Getting involved militarily is always bad for business. It would definitely hurt them economically, especially China who has been making progress in the Middle East through good business partnerships. They know that wars, embargoes, and sanctions in the region would hurt them. That's the reason they didn't support the no-fly zone.
What I believe happened now, is that there is a new agreed upon strategy between the oil companies and the government which involves removing Qaddafi but securing their investments. By imposing a no fly zone, and taking direct intervention, the west hopes to secure for itself a place among the movement and the people so that in the near future when it comes time for Libya to do business, they will do it with the West. It's basically a way to confront an insecure situation by trying to control its outcome as best as possible. The reason why its an insecure situation is because the US knows that the attitudes that the Libyans have towards the US are predominantly negative, and therefore, by getting involved and "coming to the rescue" they hope to not only change these attitudes, but also, to use their "rescue" as a form of business leverage in the future.
China and Russia did not support the no-fly zone because they have always been against military intervention in the Middle East. Because of that, they have been able to avoid getting sucked into costly operations, battles, and even wars. Getting involved militarily is always bad for business. It would definitely hurt them economically, especially China who has been making progress in the Middle East through good business partnerships. They know that wars, embargoes, and sanctions in the region would hurt them. That's the reason they didn't support the no-fly zone.
