Weeks later, the firepower lingers. Out of the barrage of coverage from the war in Iraq, one graphic image stands out: that of the young soldier triumphantly draping the head of the statue of Saddam Hussein with the American flag. His actions, those of an exuberant young warrior reaching the capital, have provoked conflicting reactions in viewers, depending on where you stand in the world. While to some in the United States, the message is of liberation from a repressive regime, to many in the Arab world and beyond, the semiotic message is mixed, including humiliation in defeat and occupation by a superior force. How America and its allies act in the following months will determine the true meaning of our arrival in Baghdad.

What this war has proved, once again, is America’s dominance of the world scene. While we have no specific territorial ambitions, since the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt and the subsequent opening of the Panama Canal in 1914 (featured in this issue of architectural record), the United States finds itself in a position of inarguable military hegemony, economic prowess, and cultural ubiquity. Witness our virtual empire in which the English language is widespread, almost universal; our media blanket the farthest islands of the South Pacific, a situation only broadened by the Web; Eminem and Big Macs rule in Philippine villages.