afx: I’d like to check on whether or not the NATO handoff resulted in a significant drawdown of US forces. My understanding (and I will confirm that as well) is that we were bowing to international pressure regarding involving the UN and NATO and following a more multilateral approach.

Of course, I also have a very dim view of both the UN and NATO. The UN especially. Their track record regarding interventions is horrible. Between the Dutch forces in the Balkans (Srebrenica massacre), or the UNAMIR deployment in Rwanda in 1994, the UN just sucks, plain and simple.