Norway's coalition to pull troops from Iraq

[struggle4progress]

OSLO: The left-leaning coalition preparing to form Norway's next government said Thursday it planned to withdraw Norwegian troops from Iraq and from U.S.-led operations in Afghanistan.

The three-party Red-Green bloc, which is set to take power next week, also said it would raise taxes and allow continued oil exploration in the fragile Arctic ecosystems of the Barents Sea.

The Nordic country has 20 soldiers in Iraq - 10 in staff-officer positions within the British and Polish contingents, and 10 involved in training Iraqi forces.

The Labor Party leader, Jens Stoltenberg, the 46-year-old prime minister-designate, said shortly after the election last week that he had informed President George W. Bush of the plans to withdraw troops from Iraq. <snip>

http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/10/13/news/norway.php

[marmar]

1. Why Norway and Denmark have or had troops in Iraq...

just baffles me. Clearly, their governments are total BushCo prostitutes, because war seems very anti-Scandinavian. Sweden has been a very active critic of the war, however.

[Lexingtonian]

4. My guess has been

that it wasn't done as a favor to Americans, it was on the pleading of or bargaining of favors with the British. I suspect the reasons for the Dutch participation also involve 10 Downing Street before they do 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

[brentspeak]

5. Today, Scandinavians are not gung-ho about going to war

But they still are highly skilled in the military arts. Norweigen soldiers, and especially Finnish ski-troops, are well respected troops.

And I'm not sure why they joined the coalition. Probably due to being traditional US-Scandanavian allies. Experience with a president like Bush caught them by surprise.

[joemurphy]

2. Oh no! Another defection in our "Coalition of the Willing"!!! n/t

[rurallib]

3. Don't forget Poland! (or have they left too?)

[leesa]

6. 'Bout damned time.