Conflict in the Libyan desert is no stranger to western powers. In a way it is almost a perfect place to fight a war, with few cities and lots of empty desert. On the downside, there is no place to hide in the shifting sands, no way to defend a position without being flanked, and pretty tough just to dig a foxhole. 70 years ago the Libyans were just spectators to a worldwide conflagration, today they are the centerpiece of a struggle, hopefully for a democratic revolution, but maybe just a tribal war.