It’s bigger than Saddam’s palace and, with a cinema, gym and pool, is the safest and smartest place to live in Iraq.
Baghdad is a city of ruins - of burnt-out homes, of shops wrecked by suicide bombs, of the crumbling shells of Saddam-era palaces and ministries destroyed by smart bombs in the US invasion of 2003. There is one notable exception. It is probably the only big new building project in the capital in the past four years. It is the new US Embassy on the west bank of the Tigris which the contractors will transfer to the US Government officially today. For security reasons the State Department has refused all requests for media tours.
This is the largest US Embassy built – roughly the size of Vatican City – and at $600 million (£300 million) the most expensive. At a time when millions of Baghdadis outside the green zone receive only a couple of hours of water and electricity daily, Iraqis observe that this project has been completed on time, on budget, and is entirely self-sufficient with its own fresh water supply, electricity plant, sewage treatment facility, maintenance shops and warehouses.
“People are very angry,” said one young Iraqi. “It’s for the Americans, not for the Iraqis.”
The infrastructure of Iraq is now mainly in the hands of the Iraqi government. They have not made any significant progress in building projects, for obvious reasons. It is difficult to start expensive construction projects when there are lunatics running around with RPGs and suicide vests. The U.S. embassy houses the hundreds of U.S. diplomats and VIP guests, so it shouldn't be surprising that this project was completed quickly.
"Imagination was given to man to compensate him for what he is not, and a sense of humor was provided to console him for what he is."
Oh thats' a cheap shot. "It's in their own hands now" Well they haven't been given much to start with now have they? That's like you wreck your pc, then give it to the dealer to repair, and when he's incapable of doing so saying: "well it's the technical support care their fault my pc is still a wreck, it's in their hands now"
We destroyed their infrastructure, therefore, We are the only ones responsible for rebuilding their country.
We are responsible for retrieving their stolen national treasures from their historic sites and museums.
Our actions spawned the insurgency.
We are responsible for the so-called civil war & death squads.
We are accountable for all their misery and despair.
We must pay them reparations over our misguided actions.
Those who are responsible for this illegal * immoral invasion Must be brought before and international tribunal and held accountable for their barbarity.
This global cop cannot be trusted to investigate itself.
We are already sweeping Abu Ghraib, Haditha, Fallujah, and on, under the rug...
the iraqis should blame themselves, i remember when usa entered baghdad the iraqis were all acting like they were in a rave party jumping and going crazy and kissing the american flag and saying we love you bush we love you!
they welcomed the devil with open arms, and they turned their backs on the religion, so its not really a coincidence that Iraq is in a mess now, and this embassy is only a good humiliation for the Iraqis, which again is their own fault........you turn your back on God, he will turn his back on you and humiliate you......and thats all we see in Iraq, they brought this on themselves and thats a FACT.
a Q to those Iraqis in Iraq who were kissing the american flag and praising bush in 2003, do you still love bush and the american flag?
[i] We destroyed their infrastructure, therefore, We are the only ones responsible for rebuilding their country.
Iraq had insufficient power production and sanitation before the invasion. They imported gasoline. It wasn't Switzerland, dood. Of course there is a long way to go. AQI isn't helping by blowing up bridges and pipelines and assassinating engineers and managers.
We are responsible for retrieving their stolen national treasures from their historic sites and museums..
You do realize that is largely mythical. Most of the thsoe items initially believed stolen were, in fact, preserved. BTW...guess who parked Mirage jet fighters right by the archeological sites at Ur? Hint: he has since achieved room temperature.
Our actions spawned the insurgency..
The problem was that Hussein's army lost too fast. It could have been planned better, of course.
.
We are responsible for the so-called civil war & death squads..
Ummm...no. The Shia had a grudge against the Baathists as did the Kurds. Hatred of the idol-worshiping Shia is so deep, AQI is able to recruit sucidie bombers from Jordan and Saudi to kill Shia alone.
.
We are accountable for all their misery and despair..
Nope. Plenty of misery and despair before. Ask the Kurds and the Shia. The security situation does need to improve. That coudl be helped by political accomodation, but they seem incapable.
.
We must pay them reparations over our misguided actions..
Feel free to contribute yourself.
.
Those who are responsible for this illegal * immoral invasion Must be brought before and international tribunal and held accountable for their barbarity..
Not illegal as it had several UN resolutions behind it. You may argue it was unwise but not illegal.
I also find it odd that the same people stating that the U.S. should leave Iraq to the Iraqis are the same people criticizing the U.S. for leaving Iraq to the Iraqis. It isn't like the new Iraqi government doesn't have the money for construction, it is that they don't have the security they need to commit to multi-million dollar projects.
"Imagination was given to man to compensate him for what he is not, and a sense of humor was provided to console him for what he is."
I also find it odd that the same people stating that the U.S. should leave Iraq to the Iraqis are the same people criticizing the U.S. for leaving Iraq to the Iraqis.
oh didnt you know, it is really just whatever suits their idea at the time. Right now the US is the reason for all the blood and the US needs to leave, but then when AQI kills and kills and destroys all infrastructure and whatever stability is left when the US is gone, we will be criticized for leaving the fragile nation to the wolves, feel free to bookmark this post and cite it in a year or two or three when all the troops are pulled
"War does not determine who is right - only who is left."
- Bertrand Russell
"He who fears being conquered is sure of defeat." - Napoleon Bonaparte
"There is nothing so likely to produce peace as to be well prepared to meet the
enemy." - George Washington
another reason for me to be sick and sad at the same time...may Allah(SWT) fortify our brothers and sisters whose under siege by the occupiers all over this world aameen
but then when AQI...and destroys all infrastructure...
What infrastructure? We took care of destroying it.
And AQI doesn't have the capability to destroy infrastructure.
and whatever stability is left
Stability that is left?
There is no stability.
all the troops are pulled
All the troops will most definitely not be pulled out.
The size may decrease, but there will still be a substantial occupation garrison left behind. Not to mention those massive super-bases that we're building and consolidating smaller ones...
This huge embassy is like a chill out zone for the invaders. Also spending this much on an embassy, well nobody cares that that money could be used for good rather than more evil. You really think the invaders will leave after a mere 3000 soldiers dead in all these years. More people have died in the US in all those years for trivial reasons. The invaders are most likely to stay according to their evils plans. This will be the downfall of the evil US empire, trying to conquer the world and call to this devilish democracy that seperates a person from their faith.
Now what is arguing about why and how the US decided to attack and invade Iraq, gonna change anything. Most people are still asleep to realise these signs, I think this is only a calm before the real storm.
"By time, Indeed, mankind is in loss, Except for those who have believed and done righteous deeds and advised each other to truth and advised each other to patience."Quran 103
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and sad at the same time...may Allah(SWT) fortify our brothers and sisters whose under siege by the occupiers all over this world aameen
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