1973 as it might be

It's too early to say whether the Libyan response to Resolution 1973, in calling an 'immediate cease-fire and the stoppage of all military operations', is just a temporary ploy, a way of playing for time, a sign that Gaddafi has taken fright, a sign of the weakness of his regime, or some combination of these; and it's too early, likewise, to know where all this is going to finish up. But if the resolution - by itself and without the need for military action - does mean an end to the regime's threat of bloodshed against the many Libyans wanting to see the back of it, this might give pause to those whose permanent stance is that recourse to (justified) force never does any good. Of course, it also might not.