25 April 2008
How in the world did funding of $750 million plus pass for a 104 acre, 21 building embassy in Baghdad. It is scheduled to open next month and my opinion it’s a white elephant. The Iraqis are not at all happy with this “castle” as they call it. It is over budget and overdue and has rumors of corruption. It is seen as a symbol of occupation by the Iraqi people, people who want us out of their country. Saddam had big castles which symbolized his power and our new embassy is a symbol of our power to the Iraqis. Sort of an out of the fire into the frying pan with Saddam gone and the U.S. settling in. I think that we have created a very negative impression around the Middle East.
We are building more and more embassies around the world that are more like fortresses than embassies. That sure gives me pause for thought that we are hated enough to have our diplomats protected by high walls and blast-resistant apartments in almost self-contained compounds. The Baghdad’s embassy’s 700 employees and up to 250 military personnel are expected to move in during the month of May. It’s going to cost more than $1 billion a year to operate. Not where I want my tax dollars to be spent thank you. On top of all the costs so far, we are dealing with shoddy construction and electrical malfunctions. More and more mortar fire and rockets have targeted the Green zone in recent months, killing an American civilian contractor and several soldiers. Why are we staying where we are not wanted by the Iraqi people and the insurgents? It more than time for Iraq to fight it’s own civil war battles.
The State Department warned that it may be necessary to start ordering employees to serve at the embassy next year as there are 300 posts expected to open and not enough volunteers to fill them. The prospect of ordered assignments to a war zone is causing tensions at the department. Just what does this embassy say about the long-term interests the US has in both Iraq and the region? We have to protect our delegation in Baghdad but why build something so large? It seems that there are a lot of plans in the Pentagon and State Department that the American public is not privy to and it darn well better change with the next administration or I will be contemplating anarchy.
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