Coalition grows. Old Europe still pouting.

[Lincoln]

President George W Bush said after a Cabinet meeting on Thursday that "over 40 nations now support our efforts. We are grateful for their determination, we appreciate their vision and we welcome their support".

Earlier, the president's spokesman, Ari Fleischer, said that the "coalition of the willing" was made up of countries of every race and faith, on every continent, with a population of 1.18bn and a GDP of $27 trillion.

He said the coalition was growing all the time, but put the number at 35.

And Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said it was larger than that assembled during the first Gulf War in 1991.

On Tuesday, the state department had released a list of 30 countries who support the US position on Iraq, and provided some kind of material assistance, while an additional 15 countries were said to be supporting US efforts, but unable to go public.

No details

But a state department spokeswoman on Thursday said that there were no plans to release any additional names, as the situation was still fluid, and the number was growing all the time.


Powell; briefed President
However she said that around 35 countries have now publicly backed the US, some of them countries which had previously preferred to be anonymous.

It is understood that Iceland, Kuwait and possibly Cyprus may be on the expanded list.

The state department also says that the total number of countries supporting the US publicly or privately, is around 45 - making the total the same as on Tuesday.

Only a few of these countries are providing any major military presence in the Gulf, notably Britain and Australia.

Mr Fleischer said that 85% of the military effort was American.

Arab absence

The list is most extraordinary for the countries that are left off - which include nearly all of the Arab states, even those countries like Qatar and Bahrain, where US and British forces have been based ahead of the invasion.

With feelings running high in the Arab world against invading Iraq, 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.

And traditional US Arab allies, like Egypt and Saudi Arabia, clearly did not want to associate themselves with military action against Saddam Hussein.

Range of support


The list includes countries which are providing troops, over-flight or basing rights, logistical support or assistance with reconstruction efforts.

In the latter category are Japan and South Korea, 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 Iceland were providing to the US coalition, but some are seeking US financial or military support through Nato.

Mr Fleischer said it was not surprising that countries which had recently moved from tyranny to liberty would support the liberation of Iraq.

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.

The US was surprisingly unsuccessful in gaining any allies in its traditional backyard of Latin America.

Only El Salvador, Nicaragua and Colombia - where the US is funding a huge anti-drugs war - were prepared to be identified with the US coalition.

And the only two African countries which are on the list, Ethiopia and Eritrea, are bitter rivals who are both seeking US support in a boundary dispute.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tuesday list of coalition countries:

Afghanistan, Albania, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Colombia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, El Salvador, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Georgia, Hungary, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, the Netherlands, Nicaragua, the Philippines, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Turkey, United Kingdom and Uzbekistan.

Possible additions: Kuwait, Cyprus, Iceland, Bahrain, Qatar.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/2870487.stm

[chequita guevara]

Kuwait's already in the list, considering it was the staging area for the invasion.

Big deal, so 35 countries out of 195 say they're with us. There are three countries sending troops, and we're one of them. That's all that count, us, the UK, and Australia. Everything else is just shoe kissing.

[BeBro]

over-flight or basing rights, logistical support or assistance with reconstruction efforts.

Well, then I don´t know what you guys are complaining about - we´re providing that too....

[ranskaldan]

You do realize that nearly all of these countries are facing massive opposition -- from their own peoples?

When approval of America starts going down to Middle Eastern levels - in both old and new Europe - something is very wrong. And I'm not just talking about demonstrations that look nice on TV -- the cold hard poll numbers are going way down.

The governments might want to work with America, but the people do not. And the governments are apprehensive about that --> they need to ride the crest of popular sentiment, after all.

Perhaps it is time for America to put away the illusion of international support and wake up to the fact that they have squandered much of the international goodwill accumulated during and after the Cold War.

[Lincoln]

Anyway, old Europe will come aboard after the dirty work is done -- as usual we fight and they *****.

[chequita guevara]

Where's New Europe?

[ranskaldan]

New Europe is mostly countries with governments that are in danger of losing their next elections.

[Lincoln]

"New Europe" is supposedly the countries that were recently freed from Soviet domination. I guess they know the meaning of oppression. A lesson that old Europe seems to have forgotten.

[axi]

Earlier, the president's spokesman, Ari Fleischer, said that the "coalition of the willing" was made up of countries of every race and faith, on every continent, with a population of 1.18bn and a GDP of $27 trillion.

Try counting how many actual PEOPLE, out of the whole 6 billion on earth, support the war.

Ooops!

Try counting how many of them would actually support a war, EVEN IF the American President were not obsessed with it.

Ooops!

Try counting how many of them are SERIOUS about it.

Ooops!

It looks like the coalition really consists of just 6 people:
Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rice, Wolfowitz and Perle.

Not even Blair wouldn't want a war if it weren't for Bush.

[chequita guevara]

They're just as old as Old Europe, and a hell of a lot nastier too. Slavs are scary people.

[ranskaldan]

Originally posted by Lincoln
"New Europe" is supposedly the countries that were recently freed from Soviet domination. I guess they know the meaning of oppression. A lesson that old Europe seems to have forgotten.

With 11% of Romanians and 5% of Bulgarians supporting a unilateral Iraqi war, I agree that new Europe hasn't forgotten the meaning of oppression yet.

[axi]

Slavs are scary people.

Tsk, tsk! Stereotyping, are we?

[Lincoln]

How does anyone know how many actual people support the war? Who is going to count them?

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by axi


Tsk, tsk! Stereotyping, are we?

Some of my best friends are Slavs.

[ranskaldan]

Well, if the only statistics you trust are the ones where EVERYONE is counted, then I'm afraid there isn't too much information available right now.

E.g., we don't really know that America's GDP is higher than Iraq's... you know, we didn't count every single dollar.

[Lincoln]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara


Some of my best friends are Slavs.

Are they for or against the war? I am trying to get an accurate count here...

[Nubclear]

Originally posted by Lincoln
"New Europe" is supposedly the countries that were recently freed from Soviet domination. I guess they know the meaning of oppression. A lesson that old Europe seems to have forgotten.

Russia has forgotten the meaning of the word opression?

[axi]

I'm an engineer. When an engineer cannot perform a measurement, he performs a scientific assessment.

[Nubclear]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara
Slavs are scary people.

Eat my rolleye attack

[chequita guevara]

*chegitz licks your eyeballs.

[ranskaldan]

[Lincoln]

Originally posted by ranskaldan
Well, if the only statistics you trust are the ones where EVERYONE is counted, then I'm afraid there isn't too much information available right now.

E.g., we don't really know that America's GDP is higher than Iraq's... you know, we didn't count every single dollar.

Opinion polls are notoriously biased one way or another depending on who is asking the questions and how they are asked. Does anyone ever bother to ask the villagers in Thailand for example? Much of the world's people do not have telephones. These people are virtually ignored. There is no way to know how many actual people support or oppose the war.

[Nubclear]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara
*chegitz licks your eyeballs.

[chequita guevara]

[Lincoln]

Originally posted by axi
I'm an engineer. When an engineer cannot perform a measurement, he performs a scientific assessment.

Well then, how many people who ride your trains are opposed to war?

[ranskaldan]

We could try asking the villagers in any country - provided that they know where Iraq is and what is attacking it.

Of course, America could also choose to ignore the rising resentment and fear, and instead indulge in these fantasies of "worldwide support".

[Nubclear]

Originally posted by ranskaldan
Perhaps it is time for America to put away the illusion of international support and wake up to the fact that they have squandered much of the international goodwill accumulated during and after the Cold War.

Thats the only way it'll save itself.

Afghanistan, Albania, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Colombia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, El Salvador, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Georgia, Hungary, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, the Netherlands, Nicaragua, the Philippines, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Turkey, United Kingdom and Uzbekistan.

Such powerhouses

with a population of 1.18bn

And how much of it actually supports war? Oops, dont you think?

Kuwait, Cyprus, Iceland, Bahrain, Qatar.

Not only does Saddam have to worry about the US, but he has to worry about CYPRUS!!!!

[Lincoln]

Originally posted by ranskaldan
We could try asking the villagers in any country - provided that they know where Iraq is and what is attacking it.

Of course, America could also choose to ignore the rising resentment and fear, and instead indulge in these fantasies of "worldwide support".

Actually there is rising support except for commies like Che.

[Nubclear]

Originally posted by Lincoln


Opinion polls are notoriously biased one way or another depending on who is asking the questions and how they are asked. Does anyone ever bother to ask the villagers in Thailand for example? Much of the world's people do not have telephones. These people are virtually ignored. There is no way to know how many actual people support or oppose the war.

Australia: 90 percent oppose war, 100 percent margin of error? Sorry, I dont think so.....When it becomes a supermajority, you know that no matter how you read the ballots, its not ognna turn out in your favor

[Lincoln]

Right. Only the powerful should be allowed a voice...