An international coalition, led, for now, by the United States, continues military operations designed to protect civilians in Libya. YNN's Bill Carey says the campaign has touched off a debate over the future of U.S. relations across the region.

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SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- The beginning looked familiar. But the argument was that this was not the start of a war. That there are limits to what lies ahead.

"What is the national interest? What are we hoping to achieve by virtue of doing what we're doing? And I don't have a good answer to that and I'm not sure that people at the highest levels of government have a good answer to that," said William Smullen of the Maxwell School.

Libya has proven to be the darkest chapter of a confusing story. A sudden wave sweeping the Arab world.

"What we are witnessing in the region right now is of monumental significance and I think it's going to be very, very crucial for the international community to be on the right side of history," said Mehrzad Boroujerdi with Syracuse University's Moynihan Institute.

And, for now, many observers say the right side of history is with a band of insurgents in Libya.
It has been an approach that has been difficult to adopt for western powers who, for years, supported dictatorships to maintain stability in the region.

" Anything that we do that dispels that notion. That shows that we'll put our money where our mouths are and, in fact, support the democratic movements of the region, will have a positive impact," said Miriam Elman with the Project on Democracy in the Middle East.

None of the experts foretold what would happen in this region. And none can claim now to know what will happen next. There are fears that creating upheaval could open the door to radical forces to take control. But, so far, that seems not to be the case.

"The vanguards of these movements are not the likes of al Qaeda. Instead, you have this young, technologically savvy generation that is asking for a certain set of democratic rights, that have been long denied them," said Boroujerdi

But, after Libya, what approach would best serve the U.S. and its allies? Many of those who've studied the region say now is the time to insure developing democracies receive the aid they need to survive and prosper.

" I don't think it would be that expensive. Our two wars, in Afghanistan and Iraq, cost way more than anything we could do in terms of public diplomacy," said Elman.

Producing a different type of ending to a story that, so far, has such a familiar feel.