A friend sent along the photograph above from last week’s Cedar Revolution that ousted the Syrian-dominated government in Lebanon. It makes the point that amid the Lebanese flags that were being waved by the crowds of protesters in the streets of Beirut, there was at least one full-sized American flag flapping jubilantly alongside them.

When President Bush went ahead with the decision to oust Saddam Hussein, and as he has supported Prime Minister Sharon in Israel’s fight against Islamic extremist terrorism, his critics in America and Europe and even in some Arab capitals warned that it would have the effect of inflaming anti-American sentiments in the Arab world. But it looks to us as if Mr. Bush’s policies have instead made new friends for America, friends who appreciate the role that America has played in fighting for freedom and democracy in the Middle East.

Americans traveling in Europe or parts of East Asia sometimes pass themselves off as Canadians to avoid anti-American violence or diatribes. Press reports said that American athletes at the 2004 Olympics in Athens were warned against excessive displays of the American flag. The fact that Beirut is one place where the flag is welcome and its wavers are safe at the moment tells the story. It’s the places where citizens are struggling to shake the yoke of oppression and where America has sided with freedom that the Stars and Stripes can be displayed proudly and without fear.