"Coalition of the Bribed and Bullied?" U.S. Economic Linkage and the Iraq War Coalition

When the United States invaded Iraq in 2003, critics referred to its allies not as the “Coalition of the Willing,” but as the “Coalition of the Bribed, Bullied, and Blind.” How accurate is this view? This paper will examine the role of American economic linkage as a policy tool in shaping the coalition. As we shall see, sometimes positive economic instruments were used, ranging from foreign and military aid to access to U.S. markets. For other countries negative linkage was used, that is, the threat of economic sanctions. In the end, such tactics were often effective. This helps demonstrate the relevance of economic linkage in forming alliances.