Linda S. Heard: Iraq's new flag should serve as a red one

Designed in London, the new fluttering symbol of Iraq "represents democracy and freedom… whereas the old one represented killing, oppression and dictatorship," said spokesman for the Iraqi National Council, INC, Hamid Kafaei.

Unfortunately, it does not represent the wishes of the Iraqi people, many of whom resent its uncanny resemblance to the Israeli standard and associate it with the America's plan for a "Greater Middle East".

While the Israeli flag depicts the Star of David between two blue lines representing the Zionist belief in a Greater Israel "from the Nile to the Euphrates" on a white background, Iraq's imposed flag features a blue crescent between two blue strips, signifying the Euphrates and the Tigris, also on a white field. An additional yellow strip is apparently indicative of the Kurds.

The occupiers and their flunkies in the INC rejected colours used by most other Arab countries for their ensigns – green, black and red, although those are the ones, which signify Islam, Arab history and sacrifice.

The Americans would naturally wish the Iraqis to turn away from their traditional belief systems in favour of those western values they are intent upon exporting, although one can't blame the Iraqi people for wondering just what those values are. If the American and British leaderships have been trying to show an example, they have failed miserably.

Using the pretext that Saddam Hussain was a danger to the world and had WMDs, they launched an unprovoked and long-planned invasion. When that lie was exposed, they said they had come to deliver the Iraqi people from oppression by offering freedom of speech and democracy – another tall tale. What they have brought to Iraq is death, hardship, chaos, censorship, along with gangs of western mercenaries and Bush administration crony companies out to make a quick buck.

Theirs is no longer the moral high ground over Saddam. Were his rape rooms any different from theirs? Was the slaughter of over 600 in Fallujah, including women and children, any different to his fierce quelling of insurgencies? Certainly, there is a numbers differential. Then again, Saddam had a lot more time to ratchet up the score.

The game was up for the United States and Britain when vile photographs showing the torture and humiliation of Iraqi prisoners whipped around the world's screens. If the modern day crusader George is out to fight his "evil" dragon, he should begin in his own backyard. The face of that female soldier from the 372nd Military Police Company Private Lynndie England was evil personified, as she gleefully pointed to a naked, hooded Iraqi between puffs on a cigarette.

And what kind of creatures in human form were those whose idea of a holiday snap is to pose with unclothed prisoners, forced into a degrading pyramid? Then there are others. This time Britain's "finest", after beating up a detainee, urinated on their bruised and bloodied handiwork, should the photographs appearing in the Daily Mirror turn out to be genuine. Naturally, these incidents are being written off as the aberrations of a few, but are they?

Rumours have been flying in Iraq of widespread torture for months and Amnesty International has said it has uncovered evidence of a pattern of torture. A leaked confidential US Army report states that detainees were subjected to "sadistic blatant and wanton criminal abuses".

Those photographs may, indeed, represent the tip of the iceberg according to press reports which talk of attack dogs, sexual humiliation, rape threats and acid being used to humiliate prisoners with the blessings of Military Intelligence.

Whatever the truth, the Americans and the British have separately and jointly failed to keep their promises. This was spectacularly illustrated when the retreating Marines handed an ex-Republican Guard, proudly wearing his old uniform, the keys to Fallujah – apparently so that he could lead a phantom army to pacify the town.

When someone, who would formerly have been hated, receives a rapturous welcome by the townsfolk, as he did, the story is clear. The devils they once knew are preferable to the new ones. If Saddam Hussain had a television set, his face would no doubt be set in a bitter smirk.

Naturally, the American people are outraged. Or are they? Indeed they are but not concerning the obscene photographs depicting man's inhumanity to man, which their gagged and compliant press have been reluctant to show. No, their indignation is reserved for their own fallen, whose flag-draped caskets were shown, much to be irritation of the US administration.

Said historian of war and media David D. Perlmutter: "The torture pictures are absolutely irrelevant. Americans care about American soldiers, and only journalistic and political and academic elites fret about pictures of collateral damage....If you start talking to the public, you'll find people sympathising with the soldiers."

Failed experiment

Enough is enough. The US and Britain must give it up. Theirs is a failed experiment and it's about time they came clean and admitted it. The people of the Middle East and the world are appalled and disgusted, the vast majority of whom were against the war in the first place.

The only people it has benefited is Osama bin Laden and his secret armies of cohorts. His anti-western philosophy will be music to the ears of many in the region sickened by the coalition's antics, along with Bush's unfailing pro-Sharon bias.

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan urged more countries to get involved with stabilising Iraq on Saturday and said the Coalition should hand over complete sovereignty to the Iraqis instead of just the limited powers slated for the new interim coalition.

And while they are about it, they should ship out their greedy soldiers of fortune, sadistic gaolers and exploitive reconstruction companies. Instead of a fortress embassy cum ruling palace, they should build a school or a hospital.

The Iraqi civilisation was one of the first on earth. Those dignified and educated people are more than equipped to design their own form of government, bring security to their nation and certainly come up with their own new flag.

Let western neo-imperialists butt out and give them the chance to do just that, while their own reputations, albeit irreparably tarnished, can still perhaps be salvaged.

Linda S. Heard is a specialist writer on Middle East affairs. She can be contacted at lheard@gulfnews.com