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powers — China, India, Brazil and others — are deeply sceptical about the whole concept. Britain, France and the US all voted in favour of the UN resolution authorising force in Libya. But the fashionable grouping known as the Brics — Brazil, Russia, India and China — all abstained. None of them have much time for Colonel Gaddafi. But countries like China, India and Brazil see little to gain, and much to lose, by risking money, men and influence in foreign interventions. Their instinct is to mind their own business and to concentrate on the long-term goal of building up their own economic strength. A massacre in Libya might be unfortunate, no doubt — but Benghazi is a long way from Beijing or Brasilia.
There are some complications. Germany abstained but, in doing so, placed itself outside the western mainstream. South Africa, which has been invited to the next Brics summit, voted for the Libyan resolution, but then criticised the bombing campaign vociferously.
So the broad picture holds. The established western powers still have a missionary zeal to put the world to rights. The rising powers are much more cautious and egocentric.
But the western allies are fighting against a background of shrinking resources. The British have just announced big defence cuts and the French are also battling to contain their budget deficit and maintain their welfare state.
The reluctance of the American military establishment to take on this new commitment has also been palpable. President Barack Obama and his generals know that the age when a US president could simply say that America would do “whatever it takes” is over. Admiral Mike Mullen, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, has said that the biggest threat to US national security is the budget deficit. In the post- Iraq, post-Afghanistan era, public support for military operations overseas is also limited.
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