[Skybird]

Gaddafi's army is suffering constant numbers of deserters and defectors.

Optmistic assessments conclude that the strength of Gaddafi's ground forces is down to as low as one third of their former combat strength.

Number of Nato-air-on-rebel-ground-blue incidents have been radically reduced. Special ops on the ground made sure that there are stable communication links between rebel forces and NATO air. Rebels forces do not advance anymore into the line of NATO air fire without NATO having given green light.

It seems to me the strategy all in all seems to work,though slower than expected. But it seems to work. But due to the slow pace, it costs Britain, France and others much more than they anticipated.

Question to me remains if the rebels really are worth to be supported. My doubts over their "democratic and humanistic" intentions have grown in recent weeks.

All this at a time when a high-ranlking British navy officer said that the Brits are unable to defend the Fakkland islands any longer, and British pilots train French language because they need to do service on a French carrier, and leaving defence minstre Gates (US) warns Europe that America no longer has the means and the will to compensate for Europe's lacking financial invstement into defence budgets.

I forsee a falling back of US politics to more pragmatic calculations of US interventions, away from ideologic drive towards sober cost-effect calculations on a purely national vital interest. US cannot afford to serve as the world policeman anymore. And Europe claims more weight and importance than it can give substance to by its military (lack of) power.

The socalled Arab Spring, all in all, has been overestimated.

Since I have doubts over the rebels, I still strictly oppose hightech and heavy weapon dleiveries to the rebels. They won't give them back once Gaddafi is finished. And I do not like what they will be used for then, most likely: setting internal bills, supporting Islamic drives, pointing them against Western troops or Israel, smuggling them to factions hostile to the West.