THE DAILY CHART: Gaddafi's perspective

To enforce the UN-approved no-fly zone over Libya coalition forces fired missiles at radar systems and ground-to-air missile sites, followed by strikes from US warplanes on Libyan military airfields. British planes were also involved in bombing Libyan targets, flying 3,000 miles from British soil to mark the longest range bombing mission since the Falklands. French planes are now patrolling Libyan skies and launching a second wave of attacks. As a second night of bombardment from coalition forces appeared imminent, a Libyan military spokesperson declared the second cease-fire with rebel forces in three days. Colonel Muammer Gaddafi is outnumbered.

This chart from Stratfor shows some of the military hardware coalition forces will utilise in coming days. But as George Friedman points out, the "great unknown" is whether Gaddafi will be practical and yield to forces far more powerful than his own, or view the battle as an "existential" fight. If he chooses the later it's likely a ground invasion will be needed to protect the rebels, but as Robert Gottliebsen adds, the finances of America and Europe are not looking healthy. Another prolonged, costly war in the Middle East would be a hard sell for America because it already has two and many European countries would have to work even harder to implement domestic austerity measures if they were saddled with the added weight of increased military spending.