INSIGHT - US/UK/French view on Libya operation

The Egyptians are on the ground, arming and training the rebels. From their perspective this whole operation is a UK-French-driven campaign. The US was in many ways pushed into it. The resolution was almost completely drafted by the Brits.
The UK guy says UK is driven by energy interests in this campaign. BP post-oil spill is suffering in US other options are to expand in Siberia (problems with Russia), Vietnam and .. libya. They see a Ghadafi ouster
as the best way to meet their energy interests.

UK wants to meet its energy interests. ATSers didn't think this was a uniquely American brainchild, if I recall correctly. Here's what is said about the French reasons:

The French are more complicated. They dont' need the energy. The French had a multi-billion dollar contract signed with Ghadafi for 40 Rafale jets, that was going to be the saving grace for the French defense industry. Then the French (so he claims) hear about AQIM threats backed by Ghadafi on French targets, and they got pissed. Sarkozy painted himself in a corner. More than that, though, (and this is what the british and the
french guy agreed on,) was that this was France really, really wanting to show that it can DO this. To prove its relevance.

Its relevance? Wait a minute here. Wage war on a country as a chest-thumping exercise? I can see where this would lead to a "Let's change the regime." Here's hoping the French people want to change their own too: Honi soit qui mal y pense!

And the Americans?

George believes this is the US deliberately buying time and tryign to bluff ghadafi into a negotiation. They don't want this war. Certainly Gates doesn't. This has to be a US=-led operation. No question. All their excrcises and the way NATO is configured only allows for a US-led operation.

Source

Great find
S&F
No matter how much you try to tell people that the politics are deep and vast it just doesn't seem to get through
And this is just a small part
The US is just a face

reply to post by Neocrusader

In essence it seems to boil down to BP and their influence, if that intelligence analysis is correct. I wonder about France though as to the real reason behind their going along with it..