Kuwait, Qatar, Israel, UAE, Oman, Bahrain, Jordan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia all officially were part of the Coalition of The Willing. That was the group of countries assembled by the Bush administration to help us liberate Iraq.
From: US names 'coalition of the willing' news.bbc.co.uk
Arab absence
And the list is most extraordinary for the countries that are left off - which include all of the Arab states, including those countries where US troops are massing for an invasion, like Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain.
With feelings running high in the Arab world against the possible invasion, presumably these countries felt it wise not to be publicly identified with the US action.
Nor is the main US ally in the Middle East, Israel, mentioned, although it is expected to provide at least air rights for US aircraft to strike Iraq.
And traditional US Arab allies, like Egypt and Saudi Arabia, clearly did not want to associate themselves with military action against Saddam Hussein......
But the state department admits that only a few of these countries are providing any major military presence in the Gulf, notably Britain and Australia. ....
State department spokesman Richard Boucher explained that the list included some countries, like Japan, which are only prepared to provide post-conflict financial support for the reconstruction of Iraq. ....
Many of the countries on the list are from Eastern Europe, where countries like Romania are providing basing rights, while Poland has offered 200 troops and the Czech Republic is sending a chemical-biological warfare support unit.
It was not clear what support countries like Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Bulgaria were providing to the US coalition, but many are seeking US financial or military support through Nato.
And the US had promises of support from some of the countries which are already involved in the war on terrorism, including Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Georgia, and the Philippines. .....
US image plummets
Meanwhile, a new poll by the Washington-based Pew Research Center indicates that the number of Europeans with a favourable image of the US has plummeted, even among the coalition of the willing.
In Italy, only 34% view the US positively, compared to 70% in 2002.
In Spain, only 14% have a favourable image.
That may explain why Italy and Spain, although strong supporters of diplomacy, are not sending troops to the Gulf.
And even in Eastern Europe, support for the US has dropped from 80% to 50% in Poland.
jttmab |
