|
We'll be hearing a lot in the coming months from our side about Bush's unilateralism, and the other side will country by noting there are 30+ nations in the "Coalition of the Willing." Below are the countries with troops there and how many from each.
36 countries have troops in Iraq:
United States 120,000 Britain 11,000 Albania 70 Australia 1,000 Azerbaijan 150 Bulgaria 470 Czech Rep. 92 Denmark 496 Dominican Rep. 300 El Salvador 360 Estonia 55 Georgia 70 Honduras 370 Hungary 300 Italy 3,000 Japan 250 (750 on the way) Kazakhstan 25 Latvia 120 Lithuania 105 Macedonia 28 Moldova 25 Mongolia 180 Netherlands 1,100 New Zealand 60 Nicaragua 230 Norway 150 Philippines 95 (175 on the way) Poland 2,400 Portugal 130 Romania 400 Singapore 200 Slovakia 69 (120 on the way) South Korea 675 (3,000 on the way) Spain 1,300 Thailand 443 (30 on the way) Ukraine 2,000
So... looks like both sides have a point. There are a lot of countries involved, but more than 90% of the troops and funding are American with the number of American troops there apparently about to swell. However, there are a number of countries on board.
So who has the stronger point? Is the coalition simply window-dressing? If so, is it even possible to convince Bush supporters that's the case? Also, were any concessions (aid, etc.) provided to any of these countries to get them on board?
|