BAGHDAD’S WHITE ELEPHANT

Malcom Lagauche

...Shortly after the illegal March 2003 invasion of Iraq by the U.S., plans were made to construct buildings in Baghdad that would put the Iraqi palaces to shame: the largest embassy in the world. The U.S., at first in secret, designed a series of buildings in the Green Zone that would house thousands of employees. Grandiose plans were forecast. The planned embassy will take up 104 acres, making its grounds larger than the country of the Vatican. Projected costs were $592 million. There will be more spies housed in the area than in all the James Bond movies combined. There is a more psychological message in the enormity of the new embassy that transcends utilitarian design. Much like a dog urinates on a spot to mark its territory, the U.S. is pissing on Iraq by creating such a monstrosity. And, the cost does not include the price of the real estate because the U.S. stole the land from Iraq.But, things are not going as planned. According to an article, "Construction Woes Add to Fears at Embassy in Iraq," published by the Washington Post on July 5, 2007: U.S. diplomats in Iraq, increasingly fearful over their personal safety after recent mortar attacks inside the Green Zone, are pointing to new delays and mistakes in the U.S. Embassy construction project in Baghdad as signs that their vulnerability could grow in the months ahead...

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