Precursor? Really? More like more logs in the fire. Libya, Afghanistan and Iraq are already going on. What kind of war are you talking about?
When 2 big countries go at each other or fight each other, that would be real big war. Libya, Afghanistan and Iraq are just warm up. Alternatively, when a big and powerful country supports Libya, Afghanistan and Iraq that would be real big War. I think Russia and China have sympathy for Libya (not sure).