On Aug 7, a truck bomb exploded outside the Jordanian Embassy compound in Baghdad, killing more than 10 people. On Aug 19, a truck bomb devastated the UN headquarters in Baghdad, in the worst attack ever committed on a UN civilian complex in the history of the United Nations - more than 20 people were killed.

A little over one month later, on Sept 22, a suicide bomb exploded at a car park next to the UN headquarters in Baghdad, killing only one, but adding to the general instability near the UN headquarters.

On Oct 12, many people were killed in a blast outside the Baghdad Hotel, in the center of the city.

Two days later, a car bomb exploded outside the Turkish Embassy in Baghdad, killing 17 people. On Oct 27, a series of bombs exploded in Baghdad killing 35 people and wounding over 200 - these attacks were partly aimed at the international Red Cross building.

Finally, on Nov 12, insurgents in Iraq used a truck bomb to make a devastating strike on the Italian Carabinieri base in the southern city of Nasiriyah, killing 19 Italians.

Supporters targetted

All of the preceding attacks are part of a simple strategy aimed at isolating the United States in its occupation of Iraq. By striking devastating blows against countries supporting the US occupation of Iraq, insurgents believe that they will be able to limit the support that other countries and organisations supply to Washington. Judging by the reaction from victims of these attacks, the insurgents are correct.

After the attack on the UN headquarters in Baghdad, the UN greatly scaled back its operations in Iraq. Suffering from the attacks on Oct 27, the Red Cross also decided to scale back operations in Iraq, citing too much instability. But perhaps more startling to the US administration was the reaction within the coalition to the attack on the Italian Carabinieri compound.

On Nov 13, one day after the deadly attack, Japan withdrew an earlier pledge to send troops to Iraq by the end of the year. Pointing to the instability in the country, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's administration said that any such deployment would probably have to wait until next year, giving Tokyo time to monitor developments in the war-torn country.

South Korea, too, altered its plans to send troops to Iraq following the attack. Seoul planned on sending 5,000 troops to Iraq to join the coalition fighting forces, but due to the increased instability in the country, President Roh Moo-Hyun decided to limit his commitment to 3,000 troops.

Deputy Foreign Minister Lee Soo-Hyuk stated, "South Korea believed that the dispatch of some 3,000 troops is appropriate, but the United States expected the deployment of a bigger contingent."

Other countries planning on sending more troops, such as the Netherlands, also have said they would rethink their deployment of troops to Iraq.

Washington must act

Furthermore, in Italy, opposition parties and critics of Premier Silvio Berlusconi's administration have already called for a review of Rome's commitments to the coalition in Iraq.

The attack on Nov 12 has shaken Italy, a country that hasn't experienced a military attack of this magnitude since World War II and one where the population has always been against US involvement in Iraq and Italy's commitment to that occupation.

If attacks such as these continue on supporters of the US occupation, the chance of dwindling support for the US is high. While the US population largely supported the war in Iraq, the populations of nearly every country supporting the US occupation were always starkly against the US invasion; it will take a lot longer for the US population to demand a troop pullout than it will for the populations of other troop-committing countries.

The reaction to these attacks could not be clearer. Guerrillas will continue to target supporters of Washington. If the guerrillas can make coalition involvement in Iraq become more politically costly, there is a serious possibility that the coalition could begin to unravel, leaving Washington further isolated.

In order to prevent this scenario from developing, Washington would have to greatly reduce the current lawlessness and instability in the country which is allowing anti-US militants to operate freely and effectively in the largely anarchic country.

Report Drafted By: Erich Marquardt

The Power and Interest News Report (PINR) is an analysis-based publication that seeks to, as objectively as possible, provide insight into various conflicts, regions and points of interest around the globe.