Though it has been repaired, baghdad’s national Museum has not reopened. “Even with thousands of pieces still missing, the museum houses an extraordinary collection by any standard. What is lacking is the peace it needs to admit the public. ‘When a museum is reopened, it means that peace has come.’ For now, it is a hollow place, devoid of life, empty of discourse. This echoing museum at the heart of Baghdad – that is to say, at the heart of the American project in Iraq – is an image of hope frustrated.”