By Peter Graff
London - Fear that ruthless United States tactics could lead to disaster in Iraq has caused Washington's most loyal ally Britain to waver in its support as never before.
In public, Prime Minister Tony Blair remains as staunch a supporter as ever, defending the performance of US troops on the ground at the flashpoints of Fallujah and Najaf.
But the country's military and diplomatic establishment, which overcame reservations last year to back the decision to go to war, has begun openly distancing itself from harsh US military tactics it increasingly fears could backfire.
'The matter is kept under constant review' More than a month after it became clear that Spanish soldiers were withdrawing from Iraq, Britain has yet to commit to sending more troops to take the Spaniards' place.
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"The core of the establishment around Tony Blair wants to stand with (US President) George Bush, having committed themselves. But they are having real problems," said Charles Heyman, editor of Jane's World Armies.
Washington has not hidden the fact that it wants British troops to patrol the Shi'a flashpoint of Najaf, which the Spaniards evacuated. But Britain has been more opaque than usual, saying only that it is "in talks with its coalition partners".
Asked about it again on Thursday, Blair's spokesperson said: "The only thing I am going to say is that the matter is kept under constant review".
Said Heyman: "If it was just a simple matter of supporting your ally, those 2 000 troops would have been on the planes by now."
'You have to lose an empire to understand how to do peacekeeping' Britain's military prides itself on its peacekeeping and counter-insurgency skills, learned over years of colonial conflicts.
"You have to lose an empire to understand how to do peacekeeping," said British defence analyst Paul Beaver. "I think there's despair at the way the Americans go about peacekeeping.
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