Goodbye Crossed Sabres!

And good riddance.

Iraq to Replace Martial Monuments With Peace Art

I can't imagine a monument more ugly both in form and expression. It is so good to hear that this blight on the Baghdad cityscape it will be removed and with it, the grotesque symbolism of Saddam Hussein's megalomania.

"Before the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, all statues and monuments in public squares made reference to Saddam's Baath party or told a story about its military victories against Iraq's numerous enemies.

Along with the giant Saddam statue that U.S. troops pulled down from Baghdad's al-Firdous square before television cameras in April 2003, many other images of the former president, often in military uniform, dotted the city.

Outside an Agriculture Ministry office, a mural depicted Saddam tilling the fields with a spade. At the Justice Ministry, he appeared in a gown, holding scales of justice.

Most of the murals have since been painted over and the statues destroyed by Iraqis in the chaos that followed the invasion."

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"In the heavily fortified Green Zone diplomatic compound, two pairs of giant arms emerge from the ground, hundreds of metres away from each other, holding crossed swords to form an arch across a parades ground. They were modeled on Saddam's hands and cast using 160 tonnes of bronze.

Iraq wants to replace such monuments with symbols of peace."

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"We did not determine the subject matter of the art at all in order not to be accused of political influence," Timimi said. "We want beautiful statues that instil pleasure and calm."

Artists hailed the plan as symbolising their hopes."

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"Iraq is ... in transition from a dictatorial system to a democracy," Timimi said. "A supporting pillar is to shift art away from a single person to depict all aspects of Iraq."