The Atlantic Council’s Jorge Benitez and Gabriel Maletta take a closer look at which nations have joined the coalition against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS) – and what kind of support each country is providing.
“Although NATO has no direct role in the coalition countering ISIL in Iraq and Syria, the transatlantic contribution to the coalition is invaluable,” Benitez, director of the NATOSource blog, told the New Atlanticist.
“The [NATOSource] infographic reveals that 86 percent of the members of the coalition against ISIL are either NATO member or partners. After so many years of critics questioning the value of NATO, the composition of the coalition fighting ISIL demonstrates that the US receives most military assistance from the nations that belong to or work with the transatlantic Alliance. Thirteen of the fourteen nations conducting air operations in Iraq and Syria are NATO members or partners. The composition of the coalition fighting ISIL is also evidence that the transatlantic security community makes essential contributions to defending Western interests and values in regions other than Europe.”
