After more than three months of stalemate, the rebels’ quest to remove Gaddafi from power depends almost entirely on a NATO force that they do not control and that insists its mandate is restricted to protecting civilians. Rebel commanders can only ask NATO for help, then wait and hope.
Well, yes. The inability of the rebels to overcome the loyalists is why NATO intervened. Not that the rebels aren't important. Without them, NATO plan would be nonsensical. The only way our plan makes sense is that if bombing cracks the morale of the loyalists, the rebels can march in nearly unopposed to take over. Not to mention the existence of the rebels provides justification for the bombing campaign.
And recall that when NATO intervened, loyalist forces were at the outskirts of Benghazi poised to drive into the city.
Without the NATO that now overshadows the rebels, there would be no rebels outside of Tripoli prison cells. And we'd be talking about Libya as the firebreak against the Arab Spring.
