Quote:
Originally posted by NousDefionsDoc
Yeah, I know we've left some people in a lurch at times. But we're always there for the really big ones that involve world domination. And I think this is one of those times.
I'm with you on Pax Americana. I really don't give a rat's ass if we have many allies or not. Shame to have to invade a country just because we need to stage or over fly their AO though.
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As far as I can recall, Austria was the only relevant country that prevented overflight during the Iraq war, invoking the neutrality provisions of its constitution. Belgium tried briefly, thinking it was being a good little lapdog of the axis of weasel, but found itself isolated as both France and Germany approved overflight and ground transport. The Irish opposition tried to invoke the neutrality card, but the Taoiseach pointed out that if Ireland affirmatively denied the US use of Shannon, that would be a violation of its neutrality.
And all those Arab countries whose support we supposedly failed to get - Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia most importantly - didn't seem to do much to hinder us.
Only Turkey presented a real obstacle, one which may have cost us lives. Saudi Arabia was a thorn over use of bases, but we had already factored in that contingency, so it was not an obstacle.
I do wonder what the quid pro quo was, though, of Russia allowing us to maintain a more or less permanent presence in Central Asia and the Caucasus.