In an atrocious act of cultural terrorism, Afghanistan’s “Buddhas of Bamiyan” were obliterated in 2001 under orders of then-Taliban leader Mullah Omar. But in other instances throughout history and across the globe, statue removal — for the righteous or for those who are misguided — is a sign of power and ascension.
After the Berlin Wall fell and the Soviet Union disintegrated, thousands of Lenin monuments were torn down by long-frustrated victims of Soviet totalitarianism. It would not be wrong to think that most citizens in China and both Koreas would love to burn down (if they could) Japan’s Yasukuni Shrine, which memorializes the souls of many of Japan’s military dead, including convicted Class A war criminals. But Japan is a powerful sovereign country that still tolerates this memorial that whitewashes its crimes against millions in Asia during World War II.
