What flags to fly?

The International Herald Tribune reports:

As U.S. troops roll toward the Iraqi border this week, they have been given orders on two matters of decorum: no throwing candy to Iraqi children, and no displaying flags regimental, state or even the American flag.

The candy orders make good sense (not for fear of cavities -- you don't want to lure children into the middle of traffic), but I'm not sure about the directive about flags. The desire to appear as an army of liberation, not conquest, is admirable, but the absence of flags could still be misread. Wouldn't it have made more sense instead to fly the pre-Baathist Iraqi flag alongside American or regimental flags? That would much better express who the fight is for.

Here is more on the flag used from 1959 to 1963; the flag used before the overthrow of the monarchy in 1958 is described here.

Posted by David on March 20, 2003 9:26 AM