With no sign of further U.S. assistance, the anti-Iranian Kurds finally asked Saddam to lend artillery support so they could retake their capital. He agreed, forcing the pro-Iranian Kurds to literally head for the hills. And that was Bill Clinton's pretext for bombing Saddam's air defenses in the south, hundreds of miles from the Kurds. The attacks weren't really meant to do much damage. In truth, Clinton will probably concede Irbil to Baghdad as a counterbalance to Iran.
Trouble is, warning shots are almost always misunderstood.
Which means Clinton just made us a few million more enemies. The only long-term solution doesn't involve bombs. A sane energy policy which aggressively pursues renewable solar, wind, and fusion power would make this endless parade of tyrants and killings completely unnecessary.