Bangladesh, Portugal, will not send Troops

The US military's desperate search for an international division of peace enforcers in Iraq has pretty much completely failed. Bangladesh and Portugal, whom the US had pressed to provide troops, announced Monday that they would not. They said that their publics were overwhelmingly opposed, and that the recent UN resolution was too thin to change that. South Korea is also dragging its feet on sending new troops. India has formally declined. Pakistan goes back and forth between saying no and maybe someday. Only Turkey is willing to supply 10,000 troops, but they are not wanted by the Iraqis, and probably will not be invited to come.

The failure to find allies is all Bush's fault. He is the one who trampled on UN and NATO allies in pursuing a unilateral war, and who refuses to let the UN have a substantial role in post-war Iraq. His administration bungled post-war security, scaring off countries that might otherwise have provided peace enforcing troops. He is also unwilling to reward allies that do help with Iraq security with anything substantial. He is running Iraq the way Ebenezer Scrooge ran his little company, and neither of them is likely to have a lot of friends over come the holidays.