Coalition of the willing

The term coalition of the willing refers to an international alliance focused on achieving a particular objective, usually of military or political nature.

Usage

• One early use was by President Bill Clinton in June 1994 in relation to possible operations against North Korea, at the height of the 1994 stand-off with that country over nuclear weapons.
• Coalition of the willing referred to the US-led Multi-National Force – Iraq, the military command during the 2003 invasion of Iraq and much of the ensuing Iraq War.
• It has also been applied to the Australian-led INTERFET operation in East Timor.
• Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Ralph Gonsalves referred to the partnership of former President of Cuba Fidel Castro, former Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago Patrick Manning and former President of Venezuela Hugo Chávez for the construction of the Argyle International Airport as “the Coalition of the Willing," with a display dedicated to it located at the airport. Manning also sought to create a "coalition of the willing" in the form of an economic union with member states from the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States in 2008.
• The People's Partnership administration of former Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago Kamla Persad-Bissessar which won the 2010 Trinidad and Tobago general election has been referenced as a "coalition of the willing."

References