IRAQ -- SOME COALITION MEMBERS NO LONGER WILLING TO OFFER TROOPS

Bulgaria and Ukraine have announced their intentions to withdraw their 1,250 troops by mid-December. Australia, Britain, Italy, Japan, Poland and South Korea are also considering troop reductions. "Their exodus would deal a blow to American efforts to prepare Iraqis to take over the most dangerous peacekeeping tasks and craft an eventual U.S. exit strategy." The number of coalition countries has been steadily shrinking from 37 at its peak to 27 "amid waning public support and rising violence on the ground." "The vibrations of unease from within the United States clearly have an impact on public opinion elsewhere," said Terence Taylor of the International Institute for Strategic Studies.