A no-fly zone or No-Fly Zone (NFZ) is a certain area of airspace in which aircraft are prohibited from flying over. This restriction is taken by a State, on its own territory, for reasons of national security, or by international organizations through an agreement, as a way to prevent criminal regimes that carry out bombings and violent attacks on their own people.
Making such a decision has military, political and diplomatic repercussions. Recognized as a step toward war, the declaration of a no-fly zone is quite similar to a demilitarized zone in that invading territory could justify military retaliation.
To be effective, the area must be patrolled by military aircraft that have the authority to shoot down unauthorized aircraft. Commercial aviation must be notified in advance to divert their planes, and aircraft wishing to leave said territory must request authorization before taking off.
The execution of a no-fly zone is not a passive act, but a military intervention. As such, it is highly likely that the ire of the regime in question, in the absence of air strikes, could choose to intensify its ground attacks against civilian populations. Furthermore, enforcement of this zone often requires air strikes, which could endanger innocent civilians.
Historically, three no-fly zones have been executed in order to protect them from the risk of being bombed. In 1991, after the first Gulf War, the allied forces of the US, Great Britain and France without a UN decision, established two no-fly zones in Iraq (one in the north and one in the south)., each area was intended to protect the Iraqi population persecuted by Saddam Hussein. They remained in force for more than a decade until Hussein was overthrown in 2003.
The following year was different when in the Balkan war and under the mandate of the UN, the ban on military air traffic in Bosnia-Herzegovina was deployed, directed by NATO. Even so, the move could not prevent tragedies such as the Serbian siege of Sarajevo or the massacre of civilians in Srebrenica. The area remained until 1995.
In March of this year, a no-fly zone was applied to the country of Libya, to defend the rebels against the forces of Muammar Gaddafi (leader of the Lebanese government), who clearly have the possibility of a brutal massacre of the opposition. The decision was made by the UN, said operation began on March 19 under the name of "Dawn of the Odyssey", it is expected that Gaddafi will be overthrown and not much blood will flow in Lebanese territory.
Many countries have established no-fly zones to protect important political, military, and historical landmarks. Although shrouded in secrecy and never officially confirmed, here are some of the most famous: the Taj Mahal (India), Machu Picchu (Peru), Buckingham Palace (UK), Negev Nuclear Research Center (Israel), the White House, the Pentagon and Walt Disney World (USA). And recently in Japan after the nuclear accident that occurred in March this year, the government established a 30 km exclusion zone around the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant.
