France had all the support it needed to stop the bully. The fact is that the attempt to cajole the UNSC into lending legitimacy to the adventure failed, and the failure was acknowledged at the Acores summit in early March 2003. What France (or Russia, or China) did not have was the intention of getting physically [or financially] in the way of the bully if the bully insisted in undertaking an illegal action. And that proves the US is a superpower.

"It's the statue, man, The Statue."

In the media it was less clear cut editorially. But as I recall, rigid sampled polling and the kind of newspaper 'What do you think?' type of loose polling, all had regular majorities against invasion.

Finland is very much a serious EU team player, though sometimes taking minority positions against France, Germany, Britain. Finland is not a member of NATO, though it has observer status. Finland has limited its military role abroad to UN peacekeeping and is a frequent and early contributor to UN efforts in this regard.

Finland, for historical, pragmatic and commercial reasons, sees itself as an important moderator between Russia, the EU, the UN and to a much lesser extent the US. Add into this mix, that Finland is a so-called Welfare State in the classic Nordic model, while still being very active with the emergent Baltic states, even though they are taking a different line. Finland sees Estonians as genetic brothers and sisters, tied by an almost common language. Latvia and Lithuania are also developing strong relations with Finland - taking up again the old trading ideas of the Hanseatic League.

The Baltic Sea is the unifying factor.

You can't be me, I'm taken