Moussa’s mess

Just as the world thought the Arab League had entered adulthood its Secretary-General, Amr Moussa, threw a teenage tantrum, voicing concern that the coalition bombing of Libya went beyond a no-fly zone. He had wanted the protection of civilians, he said, not the bombardment of more civilians.

But it is hard to see what Moussa had in mind. Did he want to micromanage operations from his desk, picking targets as Lyndon Johnson did during the Vietnam War? Or is the temptation to play to the Arab gallery too much?
Could it be that Moussa’s presidential ambitions in Egypt are better served by not being too close to the West? Either way, his behaviour is disappointing.

But it is also a useful reminder of the brittleness of the coalition, the need to ensure the air attacks are not portrayed as unjustified or excessive and for the aim of the mission to be widely agreed upon.