Libya

The killing of 9 civilians by a stray NATO bomb is an inevitable casualty of war, and a good reason not to get into a war which was never going to serve British interests anyway. The news will make the Arab world increasingly uneasy, and less tolerant of what can only be described as action outside the UN mandate.

At the same time NATO is receiving criticism from the rebel forces for not involving itself to the full, and the Benghazi government in waiting is asking for money.

This all amounts to a failed political strategy and an ineffective military one.