No one has so far come up with an effective formula for ending the Libyan stalemate. The Western-Arab alliance is hoping steadfastedly for one of two outcomes: Either the rebels win the military conflict against all escalations, or Gadhafi voluntarily steps down. Either event would come as a surprise.

In the US, where skeptics have dominated the discussion from the start, there have already been demands for the operation, which seems to lack any strategy, to be ended immediately.

“Hoping to get lucky is no basis for US foreign policy,” Doug Bandow of the libertarian Cato Institute wrote on the Huffington Post website. “The administration should begin a speedy exit from Libya. Washington doesn’t need another disaster in the Middle East.”

That would mean a loss of face, which no Western government wants. The crucial question is: Who has more patience, NATO or Gadhafi?