The White House website keeps a list of those nations in the coalition of the willing. And the list keeps changing. It currently includes some 46 nations, the latest to join is the south Pacific island of Palau. But some countries are uncomfortable with their inclusion. Croatia, originally on the list, has asked to be removed. Angola’s no longer there. The sign-up sheet is a far cry from a coalition in 1991, when 32 countries sent troops to the Persian Gulf. This time, only four have deployed soldiers.
Partners like Rwanda and Nicaragua are only likely to offer their moral support. It’s a style of diplomacy designed to deflect accusations of unilateral action, but it raises questions about the value and legitimacy of coalition warfare.
Guests:
Nancy Soderberg, Vice President of The International Crisis Group and former US Ambassador to the United Nations
Alejandro Santos Querubin, Editor In Chief of Semana
Jay Solomon, East Asia correspondent with the Wall Street Journal
Abby Tan, reporter with the Christian Science Monitor
Masha Lipman, freelance Russian journalist
Jason Beaubien, Africa correspondent, National Public Radio