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Originally Posted by scandium
...b: the no fly zones (NFZs) were imposed upon Iraq unilaterally and without the legitimacy of any UN resolution or other international authority;
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You may disagree with the interpretation and application of the following, but there
was a U.N. Security Council Resolution (688) on this:
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"The Security Council... 1. Condemns the repression of the Iraqi civilian population in many parts of Iraq, including most recently in Kurdish populated areas, the consequences of which threaten international peace and security in the region; 2. Demands that Iraq, as a contribution to remove the threat to international peace and security in the region, immediately end this repression... 5. Requests further the Secretary-General to use all the resources at his disposal, including those of the relevant United Nations agencies, to address urgently the critical needs of the refugees and displaced Iraqi population; 6. Appeals to all Member States and to all humanitarian organizations to contribute to these humanitarian relief efforts; 7. Demands that Iraq cooperate with the Secretary-General to these ends"
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[edit:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_...Resolution_688]
That's the resolution the U.S., Britain, France (originally; subsequently I think they withdrew), and others agreed to in April 1991, and the legal grounds on which the NFZs were based.
That is a fact, notwithstanding that there is room to interpret it differently. It isn't quite fair to say that the U.N. was not involved. It
might be more accurate to say that current political forces have taken advantage of the U.N.'s involvement, but the U.N.
was involved.