September 24, 2009
Notes

Iraq’s UN-doing

NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 23:  U.S. President Barack Obama (L) stands with Ahmad Fawzi (2nd R), who was the UN spokesman in Baghdad and now director of news and media at the UN, and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in front of a flag from the bombed Canal Hotel in Baghdad,  during a wreath laying ceremony for fallen United Nations staff members at U.N. headquarters September 23, 2009 in New York City.Obama is in New York to attend the 64th United Nations General Assembly.    (Photo by Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images)

I don’t know why the 2003 bombing that killed Sergio Vieira de Mello and 22 other U.N. personnel, and instantly spelled the end of the U.N. mission in Iraq, is so personal to me. Reminded of it, it seems I can almost taste dust in my mouth.

The holes in that flag — literally standing for the world’s body — feel like rips in the skin. Associations to BushCo. are unending, including the shredding of the U.N. weapons inspection process, the meager and token participation of countries under our flag in the so-called Gulf War “coalition,” and more than anything, the way Bush/Rove defended and justified the occupation and the so-called “War on Terror” (1, 2, 3 etc.) by endlessly wrapping themselves in the Stars and Stripes.

(image: Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images. caption: U.S. President Barack Obama (L) stands with Ahmad Fawzi (2nd R), who was the UN spokesman in Baghdad and now director of news and media at the UN, and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in front of a flag from the bombed Canal Hotel in Baghdad, during a wreath laying ceremony for fallen United Nations staff members at U.N. headquarters September 23, 2009 in New York City.Obama is in New York to attend the 64th United Nations General Assembly.)

Post By

Michael Shaw
See other posts by Michael here.

The Big Picture

Follow us on Instagram (@readingthepictures) and Twitter (@readingthepix), and

Topic

A curated collection of pieces related to our most-popular subject matter.

Reactions

Comments Powered by Disqus