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Iceland Melts in the Baghdad Heat
We had come so close to finding 34 of President Bush's 36 countries with troops in Iraq. But now it appears we won't be at 34 for long: next month, Iceland, part of the NATO mission to Iraq, is pulling out its one lone soldier. From the Iceland Review, last week:
Foreign Minister Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir has decided to remove an Icelandic Crisis Response Unit (ICRU) member from a NATO training program for the Iraqi army in Baghdad next month, causing disappointment among NATO leaders.The ICRU member has been working in Baghdad for the last two years, primarily as a media representative, and will cease working there October 1, Morgunbladid reports.
(Thx to TPM Reader HT.)





Comments (37)
who says "no man is an island"?
September 14, 2007 2:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
Dang.......I wish I could hear Bush mangle that Foreign Minister's name.........
September 14, 2007 2:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
I applaud the countries that are leaving. The U.S.-led occupation serves no national or global security interest. There is a powerful incentive for small countries to provide token support to the U.S. project in Iraq but if the project is wrong it's not moral for small countries like Iceland to even symbolicly support the U.S. Iraq mission.
If there is a serious international effort for regional peace that would be one thing but all that exists is a U.S. dog and pony show. Iceland is right to say 'no more'.
September 14, 2007 2:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
I guess the terrorists win then.... So long Reykjavik.
September 14, 2007 2:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
Did you hear? They actually had to book three flights back home - 1 for the ICRU member and 2 for the terrorists that will follow him home.
Randy
September 14, 2007 3:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
How many terrorists are going to follow the soldier home to Reykjavik?
September 14, 2007 3:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
Ummm....Iceland doesn't have an Army.
September 14, 2007 3:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
My kindergartener has one teacher and one teacher's aide -- twice the size of the Icelandic contingent.
And they're tough as nails.
September 14, 2007 3:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
Also worth noting that the Icelander in question was a civilian.
http://www.nato.int/docu/speech/2007/s070405a.html
September 14, 2007 3:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
Does Iceland even have an army? And if so, why? Special Forces necessary against polar bears, perhaps?
September 14, 2007 3:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
I guess W will have to revise his statement from last night - only 35 nations now.
September 14, 2007 3:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
One the most popular bumper stickers in Iceland is similar to our own; the notorious yellow ribbon magnet.
Theirs is slightly different, however. In Iceland, the yellow ribbon magnets say "support the troop"...
September 14, 2007 3:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
Jolly,
If I remember correctly, Iceland hasn't had an army since the 1800's.
September 14, 2007 4:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
Actually,
I think the bumper stickers in Iceland say "Support That Dude", since he is actually a civilian.
Randy
September 14, 2007 4:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
rl, you can remember back to the 1800s?
Geez, I can hardly remember stuff that happened in 1999.
;-)
-- ARG
September 14, 2007 4:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
>> who says "no man is an island"? <<
Or no woman: Iceland still uses patronymics, I believe. Gísladóttir would denote a female child. ;-)
September 14, 2007 4:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
Iceland has never had an Army. The decision to join "the Coalision of the Willing" was made by exactly two men, then Prime Minister Davíð Oddsson and foreign minister Halldór Ásgeirsson, withour even consulting the Alþingi (Parliament). As those two were then leaders of Parties with a majority in the Alþingi, they were never called to account for this blatantly illegal action there. This decision was extremly unpopular with the icelandic people, with polls consistently showing more than 80% opposed. The getlemen in question have since wisely decided to retire from politics. The current foreign minister is the leader of the Socia-Democratic Alliance who has always opposed the invasion of Iraq in genereal and especially our inclusion in the" the Coalition of the willing" in particular
September 14, 2007 4:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
Are they counting Iraq itself as one of the 36 countries with a military presence there?
September 14, 2007 4:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir is a woman (so far as I can tell).
http://www.althingi.is/cv.php4?nfaerslunr=264
September 14, 2007 4:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
...as goes Reykjavik, so goes Peoria, Des Moines, Springfield, Shelbyville, ... the dominoes are tumbling ...
September 14, 2007 5:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
This is horrible, horrible news! How can we have a war without Iceland? It's going to be like having a picnic without potato salad, a barbecue without brisket, an AA meeting without George Bush. I was undecided, but with Iceland now out, I fear all is lost.
September 14, 2007 5:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hell, there goes General Petraeus's Blodmor connection. A devastating loss to the Allied Armies.
September 14, 2007 7:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
In Iceland, generally, but not always, children are named after the first name of the father. So, in anglo terms, if the father's first name is John and he has a daughter, her last name is Johnsdottir vs if he has a son, his last name is Johnsson.
September 14, 2007 10:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
Gives new meaning to the slogan:
"An Army of One"
September 15, 2007 11:23 AM | Reply | Permalink
Are they counting Saudi Arabia and Iran?
September 15, 2007 2:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
I wonder if our Icelandic friends would be willing to trade Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir for Condaleeza Rice? We would be happy to throw in Doug Feith and draft choices to be named later.
September 15, 2007 2:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
Some of the remaining ain 't so willing.Camp Echo in Diyaniah was attacked not so long ago. Security was in the hands of a Polish Army contingent.While a Special Forces unit was being attacked the General of such forces kept his troops out of the fray.They were due to rotate home in a little while and he was not about to lose men in a war that is unpopular at home.As a Viet-Nam vet I calls that smart,not cowardice.
September 15, 2007 3:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
Some of the remaining ain 't so willing.Camp Echo in Diyaniah was attacked not so long ago. Security was in the hands of a Polish Army contingent.While a Special Forces unit was being attacked the General of such forces kept his troops out of the fray.They were due to rotate home in a little while and he was not about to lose men in a war that is unpopular at home.As a Viet-Nam vet I calls that smart,not cowardice.
September 15, 2007 3:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
I actually read that the Icelandic soldier is not actually a soldier, but instead is a Public Relations officer. (I believe I read this on Think Progress yesterday, when we were trying to figure out just who those 36 countries are that are helping us).
I'm still sticking to the notion that Bush was also counting the laborers working for First Kuwaiti, KBR and other contracting firms. After all, there was the report about Filipinos who didn't realize they were going to Baghdad until after the plane took off (First Kuwaiti told them they were going to Dubai to do work). They were basically kidnapped.
My guess is that slave laborers and foreign national contractors count amongst members of the "coalition of the willing". In other words, if you carry a passport from any nation and you're there doing something, you're in Bush's count.
September 15, 2007 4:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
First smart move in years,American is no friend of Iceland,ONLY a trading partner,ready to exploit Iceland in a heart beat.Wake Up Iceland before, you,sell your country out from under you,for a few coins of silver.
September 16, 2007 5:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well, maybe Bjork can go over there and re-establish the Icelandic garrison! She could bring the rest of the guys and they can have a Sugarcubes reunion there! That would increase the Icelandic presence in Iraq 5 fold! That would be something Bushie could brag about!
September 17, 2007 12:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
36 counrties is that right to help the most waring country in the world.When i was a kid of 19 i joined up in 1943 to help rid the world of a mad man and that was Hitler and a number of countries joind to help,Now all these countries have joind another man man [ George Bush]
to fight an illegal war and kill millions of people.. He should ger the same a Saddum Hussien got..
September 17, 2007 3:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
Johnny Magnum
The terrorists did not win they are still trying to win the war in Iraq.Those people you call terrorists are just people that are fighting for the country the same as you would if the Iriqis attact the states the way the cowardly Americans attacted Iraq.
September 22, 2007 8:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
Johnny Magnum
The terrorists did not win they are still trying to win the war in Iraq.Those people you call terrorists are just people that are fighting for the country the same as you would if the Iriqis attact the states the way the cowardly Americans attacted Iraq.
September 22, 2007 8:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
Johnny Magnum
The terrorists did not win they are still trying to win the war in Iraq.Those people you call terrorists are just people that are fighting for the country the same as you would if the Iriqis attact the states the way the cowardly Americans attacted Iraq.
September 22, 2007 9:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
Johnny Magnum
The terrorists did not win they are still trying to win the war in Iraq.Those people you call terrorists are just people that are fighting for the country the same as you would if the Iriqis attact the states the way the cowardly Americans attacted Iraq.
September 22, 2007 9:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
Johnny Magnum
The terrorists did not win they are still trying to win the war in Iraq.Those people you call terrorists are just people that are fighting for the country the same as you would if the Iriqis attact the states the way the cowardly Americans attacted Iraq.
September 22, 2007 9:24 PM | Reply | Permalink