GEORGIA 859 troops and growing When it comes to Iraq, British Prime Minister Tony Blair is widely regarded as the Dwight Schrute to President Bush's Michael Scott. But that's probably because people haven't paid much attention to the aggressive toadyism

GEORGIA 859 troops and growing

When it comes to Iraq, British Prime Minister Tony Blair is widely regarded as the Dwight Schrute to President Bush's Michael Scott. But that's probably because people haven't paid much attention to the aggressive toadyism of Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili.

At a time when even the staunchest U.S. allies are preparing to withdraw from Iraq, Georgia is doubling down. Its recent decision to increase troop levels from 850 to 2,000 can be attributed in a large measure to the country's strong interest in having U.S.-trained troops capable of crushing separatist movements within Georgia, and also to rising tensions with neighboring Russia. The rocky relationship—which once involved Russia cutting off Georgia's natural gas supply in the middle of the winter—has made NATO membership a top priority. And Shalva Pichkhadzehas, head of the organization in charge of getting Georgia into NATO, has not been shy in linking the country's support in Iraq to NATO membership: "We are showing them [the U.S.] that if we are admitted to NATO, they will have a really faithful ally. We say, 'We will be your ally and will do whatever we can for you, and you, in your turn, help us join NATO.'"

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JAPAN troops TBD + money + air support = ?

It makes sense for a country that feels threatened by China and North Korea to sidle up nice and close to Uncle Sam. In a move that some said violated its pacifist constitution, Japan sent 600 troops to Iraq. The deployed soldiers, who were told to camouflage themselves by growing mustaches, took on non-combat reconstruction duties in southern Iraq. Many Japanese were skittish nonetheless about having the country's troops sent to a combat zone in a non-peacekeeping role for the first time since World War II; these concerns were exacerbated when a Japanese citizen in Iraq was found beheaded and wrapped in an American flag in late 2004. Japanese troops left Iraq in early 2006, after the British turned over security responsibilities for the region in which they were deployed to the Iraqis. However, Japan continues to support coalition forces by airlifting supplies into Baghdad from Kuwait, and is loaning Iraq more than $800 million for oil pipeline repairs.

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KAZAKHSTAN 27 troops, 1 military fatality

Even without the obvious Borat jokes, Kazakhstan's involvement is notable.
One of three Muslim-dominant countries to contribute troops (Azerbaijan and Albania are the others), it is the only country represented from Central Asia. Their involvement in Iraq seems best explained as part of an ambitious strategy to develop their military capabilities through increased interaction with NATO and the U.S.—a delicate task that runs the risk of angering their monstrous neighbors, Russia and China. Kazakhstan entered a military cooperation agreement with the U.S. that is set to expire next year; the country's defense minister suggested that it was "time to think about ending the work of our military unit in Iraq."

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