Location, Location, Location: US Embassy vs. Iraqi Embassy

February 8, 2012 // 2 Comments »

As the New York Times reported, the US Department of State is considering slashing its staff in Iraq by about half, acknowledging that the war is over and well, America lost and no one likes us anymore. But no matter how many people the US leaves in Iraq, the World’s Largest Embassy will remain in place, perhaps devoid of people someday like an ancient ziggurat, but a massive structure nonetheless.


Not everyone in Iraq however is in such a contemplative mood.

Moktada al-Sadr, the Shiite cleric who has steadfastly railed against American influence and whose militia fought the American military to at best a draw, posted a statement on his Web site that read, “I ask the competent authorities in Iraq to open an embassy in Washington, equivalent to the size of the U.S. embassy in Iraq, in order to maintain the prestige of Iraq.”

To get the discussion rolling with al-Sadr, here is the present Iraqi Embassy in Washington DC, located on a quiet side street in the trendy Dupont Circle area.

And by comparison, a partial view of the US Embassy in Baghdad, located on a noisy, rubble-strewn major artery inside the Green Zone.

Unlike the US Embassy in Iraq (you can see some of the first public photos of the interior online now), the Iraqi Embassy in the US currently lacks its own air force, 5,500 person mercenary staff, indoor pool, outdoor water misters, driving range, tennis courts, bar, convenience store, gym, salsa lessons, dry cleaner, cafeteria, dormitories, radar, anti-missile defenses, air raid sirens, machine guns and bomb sniffing dogs.

Of course, the one thing the Iraqis do have over the US as far as embassies are concerned is location: relatively safe Washington DC vice the urban hell of Baghdad. And as the real estate agents always say, what matters most is location, location, location…

Copyright © 2012. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. The views expressed here are solely those of the author(s) in their private capacity and do not in any way represent the views of the Department of State, the Department of Defense or any other entity of the US Government. The Department of State does not approve, endorse or authorize this blog or book. Follow us on Twitter!

Posted in * Most Popular, Embassy/State, Iraq

We Agree! Iraq Sucks as Spring Break Destination

// 1 Comment »

The State Department and I don’t seem to agree on too many things about Iraq, but with the release of the newest Travel Warning for that happy land, I think we have found common ground. State warns Americans:

The Department of State warns U.S. citizens against all but essential travel to Iraq given the dangerous security situation. Civilian air and road travel within Iraq remains dangerous… to remind U.S. citizens of ongoing security concerns for U.S. citizens in Iraq, including kidnapping and terrorist violence… The ability of the Embassy to respond to situations in which U.S. citizens face difficulty, including arrests, is extremely limited.

Some regions within Iraq have experienced fewer violent incidents than others in recent years, in particular the Iraqi Kurdistan Region. However,violence and threats against U.S. citizens persist and no region should be considered safe from dangerous conditions. Threats of attack against U.S. citizen targets throughout Iraq continue, including in the International (or “Green”) Zone (IZ) of Baghdad.

(Insert your own ironic statement here about how this is the situation after nine years of war, $63 billion in reconstruction costs and 4479 American deaths, I’m tapped out)

Planning Spring Break in Baghdad? Note there is no Senor Frog’s there. Prices are however cheap, but better read the whole Travel Warning first before paying for those non-refundable tickets.

Copyright © 2012. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. The views expressed here are solely those of the author(s) in their private capacity and do not in any way represent the views of the Department of State, the Department of Defense or any other entity of the US Government. The Department of State does not approve, endorse or authorize this blog or book. Follow us on Twitter!

Posted in * Most Popular, Embassy/State, Iraq