U.N. Authorizes No-Fly Zone Over Libya

The United Nations Security Council Thursday evening authorized a resolution supporting a no-fly zone over Libya. The move comes as Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi threatened to destroy the eastern city of Bengazi -- which has a 2,500-year history -- and to show "no mercy" to the people of the city.

In a strongly worded statement by Susan Rice, U.S. ambassador to the U.N., said "The United States stands with the Libyan people in support of their universal human rights."

There were no votes against the resolution, but China, Russia, India, Brazil and Germany abstained. The Indian ambassador said the council had taken its vote "with very little credible information" about the situation on the ground in Libya. The Brazilian ambassador stated her nation's concern that the resolution, she felt, went "far beyond" the call by the Arab League for a no-fly zone, and expressed concern that the resolution could "exacerbate tensions" on the ground.

Any way you look at it, it appears that the world is now at war against Gadhafi.