37-nation coalition?
The White House is fond of reminding us that the U.S. is not fighting alone in Iraq, but that we are part of a “coalition.” Marty Kaplan has this to say about that the president’s most recent affirmation that there is a 37 nation coaltion:
Moldova is in (12 troops), but Tonga is out. Bosnia & Herzegovina contributed as many as 37 soldiers in theater, but Slovakia and Hungary have pulled out. El Salvador has stayed, but Nicaragua has gone. Australia, yes; New Zealand, not so much. Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, you betcha; Denmark and Norway, gone. Mongolia is in, but Ukraine is out. It appears that Kazahkstan’s 29 troops, and Armenia’s 46, are hanging in there, but Thailand has left the building.
For more, check these stats on Wikipedia.
What if you told your spouse that you and a “coalition of 36 other friends” bought an expensive boat? But then what would your spouse say if he/she found out that you paid for 98% of the cost of the boat? What if he/she found out, further, that you gave big bribes to the other members of the “coalition” in order to get them to “participate”?
Bush needed a “coalition” to give himself political cover, so he bought one. Most were eastern European countries that want stronger ties to the West, so were happy to donate a few troops in exchange for debt relief or other perks.