19. The Coalition of the Willing
America could have carried out this war by itself and they would have had similar results. Seriously I don’t think the two explosive specialists Iceland sent, the eleven minesweepers from Moldova, or even the 2,000 Georgian troops have changed anything. The Coalition of the Willing not only brought no legitimacy to Bush’s illegal war, it also dragged a bunch of countries into a shitstorm comparable to Hurricane Katrina. Bush obviously doesn’t understand that it is an argumentative fallacy to assert that if many people are doing it, it is alright. That’s like a high level drug dealer getting a lot of small level university drug dealers to do his dirty work. What Bush fails to understand is that the United Nations, the largest multilateral decision making organization on the planet, did not sanction this war. It is illegal, it is illegal, it is illegal.
Really the Coalition of the Willing is the most deceptive name since the Philadelphia Flyers’ “Legion of Doom” line in the mid 90s. In actuality, one could argue that the Legion of Doom line comprised of John LeClair (an American), Eric Lindros (a concussed, confused individual), and Mikael Renberg who wasn’t really scary at all, but was the token European tacked onto the group, is a microcosm of the structure of The Coalition of the Willing. You got LeClair, the American, who wasn’t overally skilled or smart but relied on his brute force for his success, he represents solely the United States in the Coalition of the Willing. Then you have Eric Lindros, clearly the brains of the operation, skilled, talented, but his body (mostly his concussion prone head) was never truly cut out for hockey in the modern era, Lindros represents Japan, Poland, Britain, Australia, and South Korea. Then you have Mikael Renberg, a good player, but clearly overshadowed by the other two, his existence on this line was dependent on the skill and brute force of Lindros and LeClair, he wasn’t necessary but made the group more festive. Renberg represents every other little country that was tacked on to the Coalition of the Willing to up the proverbial hit count of Bush’s war (Iceland, Tonga, Albania, Macedonia, and consistent powerhouse Mongolia).
Mongolia’s 85th Calvary Unit Patrolling Basra
There was boatloads of criticism with regards to the countries involved in the Coalition of the Willing, many in opposition to the war argued that only two major allies of the United States, Britain and Australia, sent large forces. When John Kerry raised this point to Bush in the 2004 election, Bush responded with the most idiotic comment he’s ever made: “He forgot about Poland.” Good God! Kerry forgot about Poland, the international powerhouse Poland, I mean I’m not a war expert but I don’t think Poland had any major effect on the current status of Iraq. What this comment also did was basically reveal that Bush really didn’t have a powerful force on his side: Russia, China, France, even Canada, equipped with their Lee Enfields and Ross Rifles, sat this one out.
A serious issue I have with this ragtag group of liberators was that Bush painted them as a group focused on freedom, when in truth many countries part of the Coalition of the Willing are not models for freedom in any capacity. Georgia for example has had a history of poisoned leaders and electoral fraud and what happened in the 2006 Honduran elections wasn’t exactly a model of integrity. But that doesn’t really matter to Bush, as long as he is supported in his agenda, he doesn’t give a fuck. Since going into Iraq, Georgia has been inducted into NATO, something that was heavily supported by the United States, coincidence?
I have no problem with a nation lobbying for assistance on an issue where their national security is threatened, but when you are out to fulfill an agenda that is illegal and will cost the lives of hundreds of thousands of people, you should keep your mouth shut. The fact that this Coalition of the Willing has been painted by supporters as a universal good is absolutely insane, I’m proud my country didn’t get involved in this mess.
Really is this who the Iraqi people want patrolling their streets?
I almost vomited watching that video.
It’s horrifying to see people treat life so callously. All because these guys are hopped up on adrenaline, testosterone, and a weapon-power-trip. Sickening.
it is a disgusting and evil act. but this man has been trained to kill people, after that, how much value could you possibly place in the life of an animal.
While I agree that the video is disturbing and the Marines that took part in this video should be held accountable for their actions; I disagree that you should paint the entire United States Marine Corps in a negative light because of this. I know alot of Marines and for the most part they are good people. Like every other group of people of any kind you will have some bad apples. The Marines are no different. However, the whole shouldn’t be judged because of the actions of a few. The Marines have done far more to help the world than to hurt it.
Jason, fair comment.
I don’t intend to paint the marines as being bad in any capacity. Quite frankly I have an enormous respect for the soldiers in Iraq, even as a Canadian. It’s the administration that has abandoned them that I fucking hate. An administration that is so neglectful of it’s own soldiers that shit like this happens.