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. The coalition was led by the United States.

• It has also been applied to the Australian-led INTERFET operation in East Timor.