POLAND 900 troops, 20 military fatalities At the war's outset, it was suggested that Polish involvement stemmed from its people's solidarity with the oppressed people of Iraq. But the Polish foreign minister threw cold water on that vibe when he said that

POLAND 900 troops, 20 military fatalities

At the war's outset, it was suggested that Polish involvement stemmed from its people's solidarity with the oppressed people of Iraq. But the Polish foreign minister threw cold water on that vibe when he said that access to Iraqi oil fields "is our ultimate objective" in Iraq. (This is an understandable desire given Poland's reliance on Russian oil imports.) Another likely factor is a general Polish interest in establishing close ties with the U.S. to buttress its second-rate status in the European Union.

In Iraq, the country's been a strong but at times disgruntled ally. The Polish president complained in 2004 about being "misled with the information on weapons of mass destruction." And the left-wing government which initially led Poland into the war was ousted a year later, some say because of a perception that it wasn't getting enough out of the U.S. in return for their Iraq efforts. The new government has kept pushing back plans for withdrawal, but say now that its troops will be out of Iraq by the end of this year.

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ROMANIA 600 troops, 2 fatalities

Romania has been an ideal U.S. ally in many ways: It provided logistical support to U.S. troops invading Iraq, sent its own troops to Iraq months later, and opened up its country to new U.S. military bases (possibly including the highly controversial but top-secret CIA detention facility). The president of Romania has even boasted of a "Bucharest-London-Washington axis."

But the country's involvement in Iraq still sparked a highly publicized falling-out in the Romanian political leadership last year, after the prime minister and defense chief unexpectedly announced that plans for expedited troop withdrawal were being drawn up. A furious president squashed these plans the very next day, ensuring that troops would remain in Iraq for at least a while longer. The president, who later survived an impeachment bid (mostly unrelated to the Iraq controversy), maintains his support for troops in Iraq, while the prime minister stands behind his belief that having troops in Iraq is "unpopular and no longer useful."

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SINGAPORE 1 troop

Singapore pledged early on to support the invasion, with or without a UN resolution. To make sure nobody got any funny ideas as to why, the deputy prime minister let everyone know that "there has been no monetary and other inducements paid to Singapore by the U.S. to support the U.S. position." This was about two months before the U.S.-Singapore Free Trade Agreement was signed. But Singapore's defense minister laid out the country's rationale for supporting the U.S. to broader interests by citing "the supply of oil and the spread of terrorism" and explaining its view that "how the situation turns out, there is a direct bearing on some of our most vital interests." This makes sense given Singapore's reliance on Middle East fuel imports and its aggressive posture in fighting extremist elements within the country's sizable Muslim population, particularly the Jemaah Islamiyah terror network that operates throughout Southeast Asia.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong underscored this month the country's concerns about a U.S. withdrawal from Iraq contributing to the spread of Islamic extremism: "If America switches course and quits in a way that is seen as a defeat, its enemies will claim victory and jihadists everywhere will be emboldened." Singapore has had troops on the ground in Iraq—with one officer in Baghdad at the moment—but its role has focused primarily on providing fuel, supplies, and other support to coalition forces in and around Iraq.

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