Sensitivity to the dangers of provoking destabilising internal dissent in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia has led the US to consider alternative launching points for major ground or air operations against Afghanistan.
While the Secretary of State, Mr Colin Powell, yesterday again insisted that "the requests we have put to the Saudis have all been honoured", the Secretary of Defence, Mr Donald Rumsfeld, on his way to Riyadh, made clear the US would only ask for what it knew it could get.
There was no such reserve with NATO in Brussels yesterday where the US presented allies with a wish list of operational requirements.
And, also in Brussels, the remarkable warming of relations between the West and Russia since the September 11th attacks was emphasised in comments by President Putin.
He urged European nations to reform security structures to let Russia and the West work more closely, suggesting Russia could drop its opposition to NATO enlargement, but only if it changed into more of a political organisation than a military one.
"After the tragic events of September 11th, the European community has a need to look again at regional security," Mr Putin said at a news conference during a day of talks with European Union and NATO leaders.
"It's high time to come up with practical solutions," he said.
"These discussions mark a major milestone in the NATO-Russia relationship," the NATO Secretary-General, Lord Robertson, said.
But the coalition building is delicate work. Speaking to reporters in Shannon on his way to the Middle East, Mr Rumsfeld said "We are not going to be making requests of the Saudi Arabian government. We have a long-standing relationship with them ... We are respectful of the circumstance of the countries in the region, we understand that."
Yesterday the Washington Post also reported that defence planners are trying to minimise their use of Pakistan bases in any attack. In both cases the emphasis is on avoiding large-scale troop deployment in the respective countries while the US may still hope that their governments may "offer" the use of some command facilities.
The reluctance of both allies to help in the attacks is understood to be central to Mr Rumsfeld's delicate trip which will also include crucial stop-overs in Uzbekistan, Egypt, and Oman.
Media reports suggested yesterday that the US is ready to deploy 1,000 light infantry troops to the former Soviet republics of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.
