IPS Releases Report on US Arm-twisting over Iraq War

IPS Releases Report on US Arm-twisting over Iraq War
IPS Press Release, 26 February 2003

As US officials intensify their arm-twisting offensive to gather support for a war on Iraq, the Institute for Policy Studies is releasing a new study today that examines the specific levers of US military, economic, and political power.

The study, entitled Coalition of the Willing or Coalition of the Coerced? [PDF document] looks at how this leverage applies to each current member of the UN Security Council. It also analyzes the power the US government exerts over the broader group of countries that the Bush Administration has dubbed the "Coalition of the Willing". Although the Administration refuses to release a list of the members of this coalition, the authors compiled a list of 34 nations cited in press reports as supporters of the US position on Iraq.

Major findings

• Although the Bush Administration claims that the anonymous "Coalition of the Willing" is the basis of genuine multilateralism, the report shows that most were recruited through coercion, bullying, and bribery.
• The pursuit of access to US export markets is a powerful lever for influence over many countries, including Chile and Costa Rica, both of which are close to concluding free trade deals with the United States; African nations that want to maintain US trade preferences; and Mexico, which depends on the US market for about 80 percent of its export sales.
• The populations of the countries in the so-called "Coalition of the Willing" make up only about 10 percent of the world’s population. Opponents of the US position currently include the leading economies of four continents (Germany, Brazil, China, and South Africa).
• President Bush could make or break the chances of Eastern European members of the "Coalition of the Willing" that are eager to become members of NATO. In order for these nations to join the military alliance, Bush must ask the Senate for approval.

The authors of the 13-page study include: TNI/IPS UN and Middle East expert Phyllis Bennis, IPS Director John Cavanagh, and IPS Fellow Sarah Anderson. According to Bennis, "It's hardly a new phenomenon for the US to use bribes and threats to get its way in the UN. What's new this time around is the breathtaking scale of those pressures - because this time around, global public opinion has weighed in, and every government leaning Washington's way faces massive opposition at home".

The study is available at: Institute for Policy Studies
733 15th St. NW #1020, Washington, DC 20005
Tel: 202/234-9382, Fax: 202/387-7915