But the world cannot hold its breath waiting for a change of heart by Putin and China, which is why a no-fly zone should be examined as a military option. In the aftermath of the Gulf War in 1991, a no-fly zone, initially proposed by British Prime Minister John Major, did not topple Saddam Hussein, but it did prevent him from carrying out further attacks from the air on Kurds in the north and Shia in the south.
但世界不能屏息等待普京和中国回心转意，这就是禁飞区应该作为试验性军事选择的原因。1991年海湾战争后，由英国首相梅杰首先提出的禁飞区虽然没有推翻萨达姆·侯赛因，但却是阻止了他继续从空中打击北部的库尔德人和南部的什叶派。