Show Originally Aired: 3/24/2003 CALL 1 800-423-TALK
Coaxing the Coalition
A Scottish flag flies on an armored personnel carrier of the British forces Queen's Dragoon Guards, as it speeds on Kuwaiti territory. (AP) Email to friend
View a map of the "coalition of the willing."
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.
