European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 22, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Trying to keep the lid on Washington Post t he Bush administration after building a vast and often improbable network of allies. Through two weeks of adroit diplomacy now faces the More daunting task of sustaining the coalition against Iraq a perhaps for. Months a in the face of forces that could  apart through persuasion pleas and pressure the administration has welded dozens of disparate rational interests into a common crusade aimed at forcing Iraq out of Kuwait this Loose confederation unites East and West Rich and poor traditional . Allies and erstwhile . Foes a notably Syria and the soviet Union. Yet putting the coalition together May have been the easy part administration and congressional officials agree. Quot what a drawn the disparate parties together a the soviets the arabs the americans the europeans and the rest of the world Community a is the shared assessment that Iraq s invasion represents a threat to common Security Quot said rep. Lee h. Hamilton a in chairman of the House foreign affairs subcommittee on Europe and fhe Middle East. A a lot of things could happen that would threaten that consensus. You have to keep a lid on the outbreak of War. You be got to try to maintain the embargo without using a Tot of firepower. Time does not work for us Here. Any Sanction Effort is subject to  in simplest terms most of the world has embraced a version of the . Governments argument that iraqi president Saddam Hussein is a menacing outlaw who threatens to plunge civilization into Quot a new dark Ages Quot with his armed aggression and control of a Large part of the world s Oil Supply. This reasoning has persuaded even Petroleum exporters a such As China the soviet Union and Egypt a who for now believe their Long term interests would be damaged if soaring Oil prices ruin the industrialized democracies and third world  but . Officials fear this Unity is fragile. Will Moscow remain staunch for example if the 8,000 soviet citizens now trapped in Iraq and Kuwait Are permitted to leave How Stalwart would Egypt remain if Saddam launched a wave of terrorist attacks and intensified his Appeal for fundamentalist islamic Unity what Impact would televised pictures of starving hostages have on european resolve a a senior administration official said that his greatest concern is Western european or japanese wavering if rising Oil prices and Uncertain supplies Lead to lines at the Gas pumps or political turmoil. Quot Bush has to keep two sets of things going at once International support and Domestic  support Quot the official added Quot we will do everything in our Power to hang  perhaps the greatest unknown is How the current political Alliance Wilt hold up if War erupts. . Officials worry that Many it not most nations might Scurry to Neutral Corners leaving the United states with few allies to fight for the industrialized West s Way of life Quot once one Bulic to is  an egyptian Diplomat said Quot we will face the seventy of the task before us Quot Bush has worked hard to Force dozens of nations to choose sides in the confrontation with Iraq arid has been openly scornful of Fence straddles. Any defection Horn the Alliance against Iraq  officials acknowledge could make it easier for others to Peel away from the sanctions Effort. Yet in Many countries the National interests that argue for aggressively thwarting Saddam coexist with a countervailing interests that suggest neutrality if not overt sympathy for Iraq the most conspicuous Case is Jordan King  embrace a kind of Arab populism that resents saudi Arabia and Kuwait for suppressing Oil prices thus reducing the potential flow of remittances to their loss fortunate Arab cousins. Although the jordanian quandary is  debates of pro and con Are being waged in capitals around the world. Quot what it basically boils Down to is the great Powers defending their National interests a former assistant defense Secretary Lawrence Korb said Quot ii Kuwait grew carrots we would t give a  but the Powers great and otherwise have Many National interests. Some converge with those of the United states others do not. Here is a took at some of the issues at play in several nations. The soviet Union Bush s first and perhaps most important diplomatic Triumph was in eliciting a prompt soviet denunciation of the invasion Moscow has adopted a Stern line against aggression and in favor of collective Security through the United nations but it has other interests. The Kremlin desperately needs Western investment in the moribund soviet Economy common Alors in Moscow have distinguished Between such Quot tactical Quot advantages As an increase in Oil prices and the strategic goal of integration into the world marketplace yet As the world s largest Oil producer Tho soviet Union stands to profit handsomely from the Curry no turmoil. Though production has declined somewhat in recent years Moscow pumps 11.6 million barrels a Day and exports 3.3 million barrels of that according to Robert Ebel vice president of in scorch corp by contrast Iraq and Kuwait combined pump about 4 5 million barrels or 9 percent of world production. Tho $1q-per-barrel increase in world prices since fhe invasion of Kuwait translates into More than a $30 million daily soviet Windfall. Moreover the soviets have a Long relationship with Iraq including a three decade history of Selling arms 1o continued on pages 14 and 15 a president Bush greets King Hussein last week in Maine. Jordan which has Long had ties with the United states is militarily vulnerable to Iraq and at the same times dependent on saudi arabian financial support. Crisis could Hurt the $2 billion egyptian tourism Industry a is amp  has a Long relationship with Bush to needs saudi help in paying a $9 billion foreign debt and he counted on $135 million in kuwaiti Aid this year. On the other hand Jordan gets 95 percent of its Oil from Iraq which also is the chief Market for jordanian exports. Quot we Are asking them to flush their Economy Down the Drain Quot a . Official said. Jordan is militarily. Vulnerable to Saddam s legions and Many jordanians