If you must go into war in North Africa, go in heavy, go in hard and get out fast. Humanitarian warfare, however, says go in light, go in soft and stay a long time.
As the rebels fail to advance on Gadhafi's strongholds in western Libya, allied powers enforcing the no-fly zone have increasingly floated the idea of providing the opposition fighters with weapons.
Far from having any significant stake in Libya's future, by sending forces to support the no-fly zone, Ottawa is looking to raise Canada's international geopolitical profile.
In its response to the recent uprisings in the Arab world, the West has been walking a tightrope of contradictory principles. Libya became the place where they fell off.
Understanding what Egypt's future holds requires examining the evolution of the incumbent political arrangement and the central role played by the military.
