Thesis: The rejection of Rifat Chadirji’s revamped Iraqi flag in 2004 was caused by issues common in other national redesign efforts, not factors related to transitional governance. Methodology: Comparative vexillology. Vexillology is the auxiliary historical science concerned with flags. Abstract: Following the American-led conquest of Iraq and overthrow of Saddam Hussein in 2003, the ruling Coalition Provisional Authority undertook a multitude of reform-minded projects in Baghdad. Well-known schemes, including de-Ba’athification and the empowerment of Shi’i politicos, had far-reaching consequences throughout the Iraq War. One overlooked episode involved a concerted effort to resign the national flag in 2004. Under the interim Iraqi Governing Council (IGC) auspices, several flag proposals were considered, including moderate redesigns and amalgamations of previous flags. Rifat Chadirji, the father of Iraqi architecture, produced the winning submission. Based in part on Canada’s flag, it was a radical redesign. It eschewed the familiar Pan-Arab color scheme, Ba’thi stars, and takbir of Islam. Instead, Chadirji’s flag featured a white field and a centralized crescent blue moon. Additionally, three stipes symbolized its waterways (blue) and Iraqi Kurds (yellow). The proposed flag was lambasted and summarily rejected by Iraqis throughout the country. Without a viable alternative, the IGC approved a modest reboot, swapping the handwritten takbir for a block-letter version in kufi script. Why did Iraqis reject Rifat Chadirji’s project in 2004? What might the redesign efforts of other national flags say about Iraqi identity in the immediate aftermath of the occupation? Rather than examine previous Iraqi flags, this paper uses comparative vexillology to look globally for answers. Flags are not created in a political vacuum. When designing national symbols, governments are often constrained by history, identity, and culture. While concurrent to upheavals in Iraqi governance, the redesign's resistance is not surprising when considered alongside the examples of Jamaica, Canada, South Africa, and New Zealand.