US building embassy larger then many towns in Iraq

Post #252,248

4/14/06 5:14:11 PM

[link|http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2006/04/14/international/i105942D92.DTL|SF Gate]

The fortress-like compound rising beside the Tigris River here will be the largest of its kind in the world, the size of Vatican City, with the population of a small town, its own defense force, self-contained power and water, and a precarious perch at the heart of Iraq's turbulent future.

The embassy complex \ufffd 21 buildings on 104 acres, according to a U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee report \ufffd is taking shape on riverside parkland in the fortified "Green Zone," just east of al-Samoud, a former palace of Saddam Hussein's, and across the road from the building where the ex-dictator is now on trial.

The embassy complex is by far the biggest in the world, and is litterally the size of a small city. The US is planning to have a huge presence in Iraq over the long term, and is expecting the local population to not be that happy about it.

Jay

Post #252,273

by warmachine

4/14/06 8:17:19 PM

Don't the US State Department study history?

Ostentatious palaces are the hallmark of old-style colonialism and dictators like Saddam Hussein. Doesn't the US State Department realise they're practicing neo-colonialism, where key companies are controlled but no direct, political control? Blatant presence creates opposing sentiment, which undermines political influence. When the new constitution forbade nationalisation except for the high profile oil, I thought they knew this.

I thought Dr Condeleeza Rice was smarter than this.

Matthew Greet

Choose Life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family. Choose a fucking big television, choose washing machines, cars, compact disc players and electrical tin openers. Choose good health, low cholesterol, and dental insurance. Choose fixed interest mortgage repayments. Choose a starter home. Choose your friends. Choose leisurewear and matching luggage. Choose DIY and wondering who the fuck you are on a Sunday morning. Choose sitting on that couch watching mind-numbing, spirit-crushing game shows, stuffing fucking junk food into your mouth. Choose rotting away at the end of it all, pishing your last in a miserable home, nothing more than an embarrassment to the selfish, fucked up brats you spawned to replace yourself. Choose your future. Choose life... But why would I want to do a thing like that? I chose not to choose life. I chose somethin' else. And the reasons? There are no reasons. Who needs reasons when you've got heroin?
- Mark Renton, Trainspotting.

Post #252,275

by imric

4/14/06 8:35:19 PM

Did you really?

These clowns are bound and determined to repeat history. And they are dooming the rest of us.

I think they honestly think they are better than everybody else, and that the lessons of history, the learning of scientists simply does not apply to them.

The seek and love power for it's own sake; and those that seek power oare those least suited to wield it. The current government is the least suited for power we've had in these United States in a looooooooong time.

Imric's Tips for Living

Paranoia Is a Survival Trait
Pessimists are never disappointed - but sometimes, if they are very lucky, they can be pleasantly surprised...
Even though everyone is out to get you, it doesn't matter unless you let them win.

Nothing is as simple as it seems in the beginning,
As hopeless as it seems in the middle,
Or as finished as it seems in the end.

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