The world turns its back on the United States: Trump is left alone with Netanyahu in his war against Iran

USA has been left alone with Israel in his war against Iran. It is the first time that any European, American or Asian country follows Washington in one of its great war adventures.

George Bush father gathered for first gulf war (1990-1991) an international coalition of 34 countries to expel Iraq from Kuwait. He was accompanied, among others, by the United Kingdom, France, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

In Kosovo (1999), support was mainly Western and articulated within NATO. Large European countries, such as the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy and Spain, were among the members of KFOR that put a stop to the Yugoslav regime’s killings.

In 2001, after the al Qaeda attacks of 9/11 against the United States, NATO activated Article 5 of mutual defense for the first time in its history. Allies and other partners deployed forces against Afghanistan because the Taliban regime had harbored and protected Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of the attacks. They stood alongside the United States for two decades and lost hundreds of soldiers in the war.

The invasion of Iraq in 2003 It was more controversial and the alliance was smaller. The most visible partners were the United Kingdom, Australia, Poland and, at the political level, Spain.

The coalition against Islamic State terrorist groupformed in 2014, brought together more than 90 countries.

Broken alliance with the United States

Trump has broken that pattern of mutual support by launching a bombing war against Iran. He did not notify his partners of an attack defined as preventive and in the middle of negotiations. Five weeks later, and after initial doubts from some countries like Germanyit is clear that no other capital is going to heed Washington’s invitation to join the conflict for the moment, even to reopen the Strait of Hormuza key maritime passage whose closure threatens the global economy with a major crisis.

Spain closed its airspace and vetoed the use of the joint bases of Rota and Morón to American aircraft. France did not authorize the use of its bases for attacks on Iran and Italy denied the use of the Sicilian base of Sigonella. The United Kingdom, for its part, did accept the use of british bases for limited defensive purposes against Iranian missiles, but refused to participate in the initial offensive attacks. This Tuesday he announced that prohibits the use of its bases for US attacks against civilian infrastructure, such as bridges and power plants, with which Trump threatens if the ayatollah regime does not bow to his demands, after the 2 a.m. ultimatum this Wednesday.

Japan said it had no plans to send escort ships; Australia stated directly that it would not send any ships; and South Korea avoided committing and left any decision for later review.

Trump’s disappointment with his allies

Trump has responded to these rejections with threats and public disqualifications. He is at the same time irritated that his allies have not come to his aid to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and contemptuous of the military power of the Europeans. The the sample shows greater anger against the United Kingdom. This same Monday he mocked the two aircraft carriers that the British country has, which he considers to be old and useless compared to the latest generation American ships.

However, the Europeans yes they have military capabilities that would come in handy in an international coalition. They have a large number of boats dragamine which the United States does not have. They are key if Iran follows through on its threat to mine the narrow waterway through which about 150 cargo ships normally pass daily. Europeans also have a large amount of frigatesuseful for a future escort of these freighters through the Strait of Hormuz.

The Republican’s tone has been very harsh against his partners. He has threatened Spain with “cutting off all trade.” He laughs at Keir Starmer all the time. “This is not Winston Churchill,” he said. He has mocked Emmanuel Macron saying that his wife hits him strong, in reference to a slap in the face that the French president received before getting off the official plane. France is “very unhelpful” and Trump warns that the United States will “remind him.” It has also expressly pointed out several Asian and Pacific partners: “South Korea did not help us,” “Australia did not help us” and neither did “Japan”, linking that reproach to the presence of tens of thousands of American soldiers in the two Asian countries after the Korean War.

There are in the European chancelleries fear that Washington use this situation as an excuse to end the reduced support for Ukraine against the Russian invasion. Or that, de facto, it takes the opportunity to dynamit the I’LL TAKE. Both Trump and his Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, have argued that what good is the Alliance if they do not help them when they are needed. This would end eight decades of mutual protection on both sides of the Atlantic, in what has become an alliance of 32 countries.

The image that remains is that of a fractured western coalition and a political rift between Washington and several of its traditional partners over how far to go with a war launched without prior consensus.

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