ABSTRACT
Baghdad, April 9, 2003. With the cameras of the global media ex-
citedly in place, the toppling of the statue of Saddam Hussein be-
gins. Several dozen jubilant Iraqi men throng around the base
while a US marine scales the statue and drapes Saddam’s head
with a large Stars and Stripes. It remains there for a few minutes
while a jib and chain from a US half-track tank are attached to
Hussein’s neck. Another climber replaces the red, white, and blue
with an Iraqi flag. The statue is soon pulled over, bending to the
plaza floor amid cheers all around. Beamed across the world, this
image quickly became iconic of the end of Iraq’s dictatorship and
the imminent victory of the massive US-led invasion force.
