# Who is the USA's Best Ally? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [February 11, 2012, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-usas-best-ally/612492 "2012-02-11T02:39:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2012, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-usas-best-ally/612492/121 "2012-02-17T22:21:48Z")
> [@A\_clever\_user\_name](#): > > (though interestingly, apart from providing intel, we let them go it alone in Falklands). Um, they were fighting Argentina. They didn’t need our help. > [@The\_Universe\_Lashes\_Out](#): > > In fact, it has a tendency to incite said issues. Yeah, but Jewish girls are SO HOT! ---
**Author:** ![rogerbox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/76d3ee/32.png) [@rogerbox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rogerbox)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2012, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-usas-best-ally/612492/122 "2012-02-17T22:25:46Z")
Has anyone mentioned Guam? It’s like Puerto Rico but has a more important military function to the U.S. right? But it’s in the grey area of not counting since it is a part of the U.S. in the same way Puerto Rico is? I’m not sure. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2012, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-usas-best-ally/612492/123 "2012-02-17T22:30:29Z")
> [@Dissonance](#): > > Are you sure about that? If the Liberty counts against them, it seems we’re pretty shitty [allies](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friendly_fire#War_in_Afghanistan) [to](http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2009/09/04/canada-united-states-military-probe-friendly-fire.html) [the](http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/WikiLeaks+report+cites+other+friendly+fire+incident/3325446/story.html) [Canadians](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarnak_Farm_incident) and [even](http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jul/25/friendly-fire-deaths-toll-afghanistan) [worse](http://www.gulflink.osd.mil/du_ii/du_ii_tabh.htm) [to the](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friendly_fire#Iraq_War)[UK](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_War#Friendly_fire). We’re even bad allies to [ourselves](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1994_Black_Hawk_shootdown_incident). So we don’t show favoritism, even to ourselves! USA! USA! USA! ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2012, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-usas-best-ally/612492/124 "2012-02-17T22:32:56Z")
> [@xtisme](#): > > Saying that the Israeli government longs to kill Muslims is equally stupid, however…and equally inaccurate as well. Trying to hand wave away the fact that people still run the government by trying to dehumanize the discussion by boiling things down to ‘a government’ is equally silly. Human beings run Israel…it’s not an impersonal entity. > > As for the latter, talking about ‘America going to war for oil’ is not as offensive as saying ‘American goes to war to happily slaughter Muslims/Brown People/Whoever Else You Think America Wants to Slaughter this Year’. It’s an attempt to boil down a complex situation into a sound bite for the faithful. It’s also ridiculous in the same way as trying to disconnect Israel from the folks who live there…PEOPLE run the US government, and it’s people WE elect. So the policies that the US takes are a reflection of the people who live here…same as with Israel. > > -XT Corporations run the US government. And corporations are not people. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2012, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-usas-best-ally/612492/125 "2012-02-17T22:45:53Z")
> [@rogerbox](#): > > Has anyone mentioned Guam? It’s like Puerto Rico but has a more important military function to the U.S. right? But it’s in the grey area of not counting since it is a part of the U.S. in the same way Puerto Rico is? I’m not sure. Guam is the same as Puerto Rico - an unincorporated US territory. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2012, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-usas-best-ally/612492/126 "2012-02-18T02:37:45Z")
What is metric for “best”? Seriously, I can’t parse the question. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2012, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-usas-best-ally/612492/127 "2012-02-18T02:45:46Z")
> [@Evil\_Captor](#): > > Corporations run the US government. And corporations are not people. That is bullshit. While citizens have much political power, there is a combination of special interests (which include labour unions and leftist pressure groups not just corporations) that has tremendous and I believe unhealthy influence. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2012, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-usas-best-ally/612492/128 "2012-02-21T16:36:41Z")
No love for Lichtenstein? Seriously, don’t forget Ireland. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2012, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-usas-best-ally/612492/129 "2012-02-21T16:39:30Z")
> [@BMalion](#): > > Seriously, don’t forget Ireland. Ireland?? They were neutral in WWII. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2012, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-usas-best-ally/612492/130 "2012-02-21T16:47:47Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > Ireland?? They were neutral in WWII. True, but they sent us many immigrents and are very friendly. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2012, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-usas-best-ally/612492/131 "2012-02-21T16:49:17Z")
I’m not sure “lots of immigrants” is a relevant measure. China sends us lots of immigrants. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2012, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-usas-best-ally/612492/132 "2012-02-21T16:52:37Z")
Just a thought. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2012, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-usas-best-ally/612492/133 "2012-02-21T17:01:32Z")
I was just channeling a line from the latest Archer TV show episode. It was funny, and I’m not sure I even knew about Irish neutrality before that. I probably forgot. ---
**Author:** ![robinson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/848f3c/32.png) [@robinson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robinson)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-usas-best-ally/612492/134 "2012-02-23T06:31:32Z")
Do you consider sinking the Liberty a “friendly fire” incident? I don’t. ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-usas-best-ally/612492/135 "2012-02-23T07:18:56Z")
> [@robinson](#): > > Do you consider sinking the Liberty a “friendly fire” incident? I don’t. Why? Just a day before the Israeli Air Force had bombed and IDF Armored column and was in the midst of a war against three Arab nations trying to destroy her. Accidents do happen. That was the conclusion of the US Navy investigation. [http://www.thelibertyincident.com/docs/CourtOfInquiry.pdf](http://www.thelibertyincident.com/docs/CourtOfInquiry.pdf)(PDF). Do you think it’s only the American military who make such mistakes? ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-usas-best-ally/612492/136 "2012-02-23T08:11:33Z")
Has anybody yet mentioned the [First Special Service Force](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devil%27s_Brigade)? This was a joint US-Canada force, formed in WWII, that fought together, during that conflict. I live a stone’s throw from the highway that the Canadians took to travel to meet their American counterparts for initial training at Helena, Montana: Alberta Highway 4, which becomes US Interstate 15 south of the 49th parallel. The road, on both sides of the border, has been designated as the “First Special Service Force Memorial Highway.” That two different countries can come together to form a single military unit ought to mean something, in terms of this discussion. Neither Israelis, nor British, nor French, nor Australians were involved in this force–just Americans and Canadians, fighting together, in a single unit. With all due respect to our non-North American friends, I would suggest that the best friend that the US has, is Canada. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-usas-best-ally/612492/137 "2012-02-23T12:59:29Z")
> [@robinson](#): > > Do you consider sinking the Liberty a “friendly fire” incident? I don’t. USS Liberty wasn’t sunk. You should perhaps learn a little more about the incident if you got that rather significant fact wrong. ---
**Author:** ![robinson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/848f3c/32.png) [@robinson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robinson)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2012, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-usas-best-ally/612492/138 "2012-02-25T02:54:25Z")
> [@](#): > > USS Liberty wasn’t sunk. You are correct, the Liberty wasn’t sunk, though not for lack of trying by IDF. If I had thought twice about it I should have said attacked. The fate of the ship was not topmost on my mind. The wholesale carnage among the crew left an indelible impression on me, as I knew one of the survivors. ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2012, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-usas-best-ally/612492/139 "2012-02-25T03:09:53Z")
> [@robinson](#): > > You are correct, the Liberty wasn’t sunk, though not for lack of trying by IDF. Strange, one would have thought that if it wasn’t friendly fire and they were actually nefariously trying to sink it, they would’ve been using anti-ship and not anti-infantry weaponry. ---
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2012, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-usas-best-ally/612492/140 "2012-02-25T03:39:38Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > Neither Israelis, nor British, nor French, nor Australians were involved in this force–just Americans and Canadians, fighting together, in a single unit. With all due respect to our non-North American friends, I would suggest that the best friend that the US has, is Canada. No, because no British, Fench, or Austrailians have ever been involved in joint forces with the US… If the argument is military cooperation, then let’s look at the most recent war, Iraq. If you could point out Canada’s participation in this chart, I’d be grateful. > **[Multi-National Force – Iraq](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multi-National_Force_%E2%80%93_Iraq#Troop_deployment_in_Iraq_2003-2011)** > > The Multi-National Force – Iraq (MNF–I), often referred to as the Coalition forces, was a U.S.-led military command during the Iraq War from 2004 to 2009. > The vast majority of MNF-I was made up of United States Army forces. However it also supervised British, Australian, Polish, Spanish, and other countries' forces. It replaced the previous force, Combined Joint Task Force 7, on 15 May 2004. It was significantly reinforced during the Iraq War troop surge of 2007. MNF-I was reorganized into it... United States: 150,000 invasion 165,000 peak-(withdrawn 12/11) United Kingdom: 46,000 invasion (withdrawn 5/11) Australia: 2,000 invasion (withdrawn 7/09) Romania: 730 peak (deployed 7/03-withdrawn 7/09) El Salvador: 380 peak (deployed 8/03-withdrawn 1/09) Estonia: 40 troops (deployed 6/05-withdrawn 1/09) Bulgaria: 485 peak (deployed 5/03-withdrawn 12/08) Moldova: 24 peak (deployed 9/03-withdrawn 12/08) Albania: 240 troops (deployed 4/03-withdrawn 12/08) Ukraine: 1,650 peak (deployed 8/03-withdrawn 12/08) Denmark: 545 peak (deployed 4/03-withdrawn 12/08) Czech Republic: 300 peak (deployed 12/03-withdrawn 12/08) South Korea: 3,600 peak (deployed 5/03-withdrawn 12/08) Japan: 600 troops (deployed 1/04-withdrawn 12/08) Tonga: 55 troops (deployed 7/04-withdrawn 12/08) Azerbaijan: 250 peak (deployed 8/03-withdrawn 12/08) Singapore: 175 offshore (deployed 12/03-withdrawn 12/08) Bosnia and Herzegovina: 85 peak (deployed 6/05-withdrawn 11/08) Macedonia: 77 peak (deployed 7/03-withdrawn 11/08) Latvia: 136 peak (deployed 5/03-withdrawn 11/08) Poland: 200 invasion—2,500 peak (withdrawn 10/08) Kazakhstan: 29 troops (deployed 9/03-withdrawn 10/08) Armenia: 46 troops (deployed 1/05-withdrawn 10/08) Mongolia: 180 peak (deployed 8/03-withdrawn 09/08) Georgia: 2,000 peak (deployed 8/03-withdrawn 8/08) So, a country 1/6th the size of the US sent nearly 1/3 of the number of troops the US did? Twice per capita? Screwed our economy, funeral parades through our towns. Yet Canada is the best ally because a thousand troops worked with the US once? My objection is that whenever someone thanks a US soldier “for their service” they should thank a British soldier twice. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-usas-best-ally/612492.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-usas-best-ally/612492.md?page=8)