Since the Iraq war began in 2003, several countries have joined the “Coalition of the Willing.” But in backing President Bush’s failed policies in Iraq, many of those leaders have been ousted by their voters as the war has become increasingly unpopular and unsuccessful.
ThinkProgress has compiled a list of several major leaders in Bush’s coalition who supported the invasion with troops and did not redeploy those troops from Iraq. Of 14 major partners in the Coalition, eight leaders were defeated in elections, two stepped down, two were term limited, and two remained in office.
COUNTRY | LEADER | ELECTORAL STATUS |
Albania | PM Fatos Nano | Defeated, July 2005 |
Australia | Pres. John Howard | Defeated, Nov. 2007 |
Britain | PM Tony Blair | Stepped down, June 2007 |
Denmark | PM Anders Fogh Rasmussen | In office ( pledged withdrawal in Feb. 2007) |
Dominican Republic | Pres. Hipolito Mejia | Defeated, May 2004 |
El Salvador | Pres. Francisco Flores Perez | Term Limited, March 2004 |
Hungary | PM Peter Medgyessy | Defeated, Aug. 2004 |
Italy | PM Silvio Berlusconi | Defeated, April 2006 |
Japan | PM Junichiro Koizumi | Stepped down, Sept. 2006 |
Norway | PM Kjell Magne Bondevik | Defeated, Sept. 2005 |
Poland | Pres. Aleksander Kwaśniewski | Term Limited, Dec. 2005 |
Romania | PM Adrian Năstase | Defeated, Nov. 2004 |
South Korea | Pres. Roh Moo-hyun | In office |
Spain | PM Jose Maria Aznar | Defeated, March 2004 |
Some of the strongest supporters of President Bush were the leaders of Spain, Britain, Italy, and Australia, who contributed tens of thousands of combat troops to the war. As the war unfolded, each leader lost popularity at home and was eventually voted out of office. Currently, their successors either have or are in the process of withdrawing their nations’ troops from Iraq.
JOSE MARIA AZNAR
Description: Prime Minister of Spain
Electoral Status: Defeated in 2004
Bush on Aznar: “Aznar is a strong fighter in the war against terror, and I value his advice. I respect and appreciate his leadership.” [2/22/03]
SILVIO BERLUSCONI
Description: Prime Minster of Italy
Electoral Status: Defeated in 2006
Bush on Berlusconi: “He understands the history and the values that our two countries share. The people of the United States and Italy love freedom. And we know that freedom must be defended.” [7/21/03]
TONY BLAIR
Description: Prime Minister of Britain
Electoral Status: Succeeded by Gordon Brown in 2007
Bush on Blair: “Yeah! This guy is a very strong, respected leader. He’s absolutely the right guy for me to be dealing with.” [5/17/07]
JOHN HOWARD
Description: Prime Minister of Australia
Electoral Status: Defeated in 2007
Bush on Howard: “I can’t think of a country more like — a place more like Texas than Australia. … I really enjoy my relationship with the Prime Minister.” [5/16/06]
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