Flags of 2 Nations During War

[EmailPoster]

Your website states:...

Your website states:
With Other National Flags
When flags of two or more nations are displayed, they are to be flown
from separate staffs of the same height. The flags should be of
approximately equal size. International usage forbids the display of the
flag of one nation above that of another nation in time of peace.

My question is:
Is it war in general or war with the particular nations that are
represented? For example, If we were displaying the US Flag along with
the Canadian and Swiss Flags, would they be flown at the same height
since we are not at war with those countries or would we fly the US Flag
higher because we are at war somewhere else in the world?

Thank you for your assistance in clarifying this for me.
Chris

[sarahw]

Chris,

Good question, and I don't actually have a reference for the answer. I would guess, however, that in time of war you would only be permitted to display the flag or flags of the nation or nation the United States (or any other nation, for that matter) was fighting against on a lower flag pole.

It's always appropriate to have all the flags on the same sized poles, and I can't imagine it happens regularly that one nation is slighted because they are at war with another. I'm thinking for example of the flags at the United Nations; they certainly aren't going to make one flag pole shorter or keep from raising one flag all the way to the top just because some nations are at war.

Even if you don't get into the argument about what defines a war--any armed conflict? a formal declaration? does the "war on terror" count?--it seems to me like it's just good manners and won't get you in trouble if you keep all the national flags flying on the same sized poles, no matter who is fighting whom.

Sarah