American Nationalism, The Flag, And The Invasion Of Iraq

Bibliographic Data

ID4841272
AuthorsGerald R Webster ([Professor of geography at the University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming 82071–3371; ]., corresponding author)
Year2011
Volume101
Issue1
Pages1-18
Publication date2011-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueGeographical Review (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0016-7428 • E-ISSN: 1931-0846
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/j.1931-0846.2011.00069.x
OpenAlexW2024456165
LanguageEN
Citations received11
References cited18

U.S. armed forces invaded Iraq in March 2003, claiming that the country had weapons of mass destruction (wmd) which it intended to use against the United States Although evidence of the existence of these wmd was limited, President George W. Bush's administration faced little opposition in taking the United States to war. Using the concepts of “iconography” and “banal nationalism,” I argue that the events of 9/11 and the subsequent outpouring of nationalism dampened opposition to the invasion of Iraq. The increased display of the American flag in the aftermath of 9/11 was emblematic of this increase in nationalism and generated additional support for the Bush administration's decision to go to war. This nationalism further created a form of “collective amnesia” that limited the citizenry's receptivity to information contradicting the administration's narrative, which continues to linger

Administration (probate law · Economic history · Nationalism · Opposition (politics · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Spanish Civil War · History · Law · National Identity and Symbolism · Visual Culture and Art Theory

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