The problem was that no country dared to stand up to America just like they would with Russia right now. (IMO, Russia was rightfully sanctioned for the invasion of Ukraine.) But when America invaded Iraq, who dared to sanction America? No one. And in the future, should America do it once more, the same thing would happen again.
Uh? The French literally convinced most of the UN members (except the United Kingdom) to NOT support the USA in invading Iraq. The French representative at the time directly confronted Colin Powell about the supposed "proofs" on WoMDs. They also predicted exactly what is happening today: increased terrorist risk, geopolitical instability, economic fallout etc. You can see the famous speech of Villepin at the UN on YouTube. This how the war on Iraq was deemed as illegal by the United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan at the time.
Fun-fact this is also when French bashing started to rise in the US, coming from politicians but also throughout pop-culture.
Oh? Is this one of those symbolic UN votes that amounted to nothing? I was referring to actual sanctions all the western allies are putting on Russia right now. Options that have teeth. But no one dared to do that to America.
It had little to do with fear, look to the makeup of the coalition of the not exactly willing.
Australia had the sycophantic Howard Government at the time, declassified documents [0] reveal the decision to go to war was taken primarily with a view to enhancing its alliance with the United States.
Other Australian Governments (eg: Keating or Whitlam, etc.) would, I hope, have told the US to bugger the hell right off .. or they would have grudgingly gone along on the basis of having mutual treaties (that didn't strictly apply to Rambo Missions).
The UK had Blair who apparently really really believed that the UK's "special relationship" with the US could temper their excesses in a rash post 9/11 PTSD induced revenge mission [1].
The handfull of lessor players were in it for the promised carrots (with a few having a minor twist of fear of the alternatives should they not go along - but the US at the time was over promising to gain paid allies).
