Jon Stewart made fun of Iceland on an episode of the US satirical program The Daily Show this week when he said the nation had belonged to the “Coalition of the Willing” in regards to the war in Iraq.
The five-minute sketch was based on correspondent Jason Jones’ visit to Iceland last fall where he criticized the government for “withdrawing its troops” from Iraq, thereby relieving Herdís Sigurgrímsdóttir, the only Icelander who was based there, from her duties.
Sigurgrímsdóttir is a member of the Icelandic Crisis Response Unit and was working on behalf of NATO, Morgunbladid reports.
According to The Daily Show, everything has been going downhill in Iraq since Sigurgrímsdóttir was called home and Iceland’s participation is vital for stabilizing the situation there. In the show, Jones runs up and down Laugavegur, Reykjavík’s main shopping street, in desperate search for Sigurgrímsdóttir.
While in Iceland, Jonas interviewed local pacifist Stefán Pálsson and four-time World’s Strongest Man Magnús Ver Magnússon, who in response to Jones’ request, said he was not prepared to become the “hero” Iraq needs for peace.
