Stardate 20040119.1302

(On Screen): I think that one of our allies in this war hasn't gotten the recognition it deserves. I know that I have neglected it, and I wanted to correct that oversight. Japan has been a steadfast supporter of the US from the very beginning, and deserves credit for that, and considerable gratitude.

By far the most reliable and steadfast ally we've had all along has been Australia. This is a continuation of a long-standing relationship going back to before WWII. (In this article I explained how I feel about the Australians and their support in this war.)

There can be no doubt that the UK has made the biggest non-US contribution in every way, militarily and politically and diplomatically. But it was politically difficult for Tony Blair to support us and nearly cost him his job on more than one occasion. In the months before the invasion of Iraq, British opponents of the war and others in Europe actively worked to bring Blair down and to deprive us of British support, and there were a couple of times when it seemed as if they might succeed.

European involvement more broadly has always been complicated and conflicted and controversial, at least in "old" Europe. The struggle over how Europe should deal with the US and with the imminent invasion of Iraq became tied up with other issues, such as whether Europe should speak with one voice or many, and whether Europe should seek to become a counter-balance to American power. Many Europeans has "issues" that were triggered by it (such as nostalgia for past greatness, and resentment about declining power and influence in the world). So Europe ended up being something of a political battlefield in this war, with some leaders there being strong opponents and some being strong supporters.

On the other hand, "new" Europe has been much less confused about where their interests lie, and the Poles in particular have been among our strongest supporters.

The Japanese don't have anything like the same kinds of "issues" about the US as "old" Europeans. There was never any question of Japan offering military support for the invasion, of course, but in all the ways that Japan could help, they have done so. On the level of diplomacy they've been strong and reliable supporters, and Japan has been extremely generous monetarily. And now the Japanese have taken the unprecedented step of sending troops to Iraq.

And it isn't a token commitment, either.

The 1,000-strong Japanese contingent, expected to arrive in Iraq by March, will help purify local water supplies, rebuild schools and provide medical care in the country's south. They will carry arms for self-protection but their role will be noncombatant.

This is yet another demonstration of the way that history seems to have a sense of humor and a strong sense of irony. In WWII, America was pulled into the war by a Japanese attack, and our primary allies thereafter were the USSR and the most anglicized nations of the Commonwealth: the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. We also worked with exiled French and Polish forces, and numerous other nations cooperated to a greater or lesser extent. Our main enemies were Germany and Japan; Italy was also an enemy but a less formidable one, which changed sides in 1943. The nations of the Iberian peninsula remained neutral, deciding that the war was a fun time they'd rather read about in the newspapers.

China was a de facto ally, but China was divided and our strongest ally there was the Nationalist faction of Chiang Kai-shek, which later lost to Mao's Communists and retreated to Taiwan. China lost more dead in WWII than any other nation except the USSR, but its primary importance in WWII was that the majority of the Imperial Japanese Army was in China for most of the war. (And the fact that the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor was a result of American opposition to Japanese attempts to conquer China.) Since 9/11, China has largely attempted to stay neutral in the international diplomatic struggle, hoping to remain aloof, and to emerge unbruised and strong while other major powers pummel each other.

Canadian and British and American forces freed France in 1944. (Free French forces fought, and fought well, but fought under American command with American supplies and weapons, using American organization and doctrine. They only represented a small fraction of the military force involved. And it was, after all, their own nation they fought for.) English speakers paid a stiff price to kick the Germans out and to liberate France, and the French have never forgiven us for that dishonor.

In the last two years, France emerged as the European nation which has most strongly opposed us, and the French now view the Germans as their closest and most important ally in their struggle against the American hyperpuissance and against all anglophones everywhere. Germany, once the most martial of nations of Europe, and the most feared of the Axis nations we fought against in WWII, is now pacifist and has been following the French lead.

The USSR allied with us during WWII, b