CounterPunch Exclusives

CounterPunch Exclusives

Exit Ramps From the U.S.: New Coalitions of the Willing

Photograph Source: Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken – CC BY-SA 4.0

The expression “coalition of the willing” was first coined by an American political scientist in the 1970s and used by George W. Bush during the Iraq War. It was an American attempt to circumvent the United Nations to carry out peacekeeping or stabilization missions. Now that logic is being turned on its head. Coalitions of the willing are no longer imagined as supporting U.S. action, but as a hedge against U.S. uncertainty. What began as a tool of American leadership is now being reimagined. Ad hoc coalitions are forming to distance themselves from Washington rather than follow it.

The United States under Donald Trump has become an unreliable partner; trust between Washington and its traditional allies is diminishing. Amid disputes over NATO burden-sharing and allied support in the Iran crisis—a continuation of the pattern described in Barbara Tuchman’s The March of Folly: From Troy to Vietnam—Trump dismissed America’s closest ally. Decrying Britain’s lack of support in Iran, Trump declared: “We don’t need them any longer — but we will remember.” UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the remarks “insulting and frankly appalling.”

Distancing the U.S. from not just the United Kingdom but also from its closest military alliance, Trump declared in a March 2026 statement “We no longer ‘need,’ or desire, the NATO countries’ assistance — WE NEVER DID!”

As allied confidence in U.S. commitments weakens, and as Trump signals that the lack of trust is mutual, governments are........

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