Architectural Designs - Why is the U.S. building its largest (104 acres) and most expensive ($592 million) Embassy in Baghdad?

Why is the U.S. building its largest (104 acres) and most expensive ($592 million) Embassy in Baghdad?

The massive new embassy, being built on the banks of the Tigris River, is designed to be entirely self-sufficient and won't be dependent on Iraq's unreliable public utilities. The 104-acre complex — the size of about 80 football fields — will have 21 structures, including two office buildings, one of them designed for future use as a school, six apartment buildings, a gym, a pool, a food court and its own power generation and water-treatment plants. (The average Baghdad home has electricity only four hours a day.) - IBarbara Slavin, USA TODAY. Additionally, Llewellyn Werner, chairman of C3, a Los Angeles-based holding company for private equity firms, is pouring millions of dollars into developing the Baghdad Zoo and Entertainment Experience, a massive American-style amusement park that will feature a skateboard park, rides, a concert theatre and a museum. It is being designed by the firm that developed Disneyland. - Pamela Leavey, The Democratic Daily What's up with that?

Public Comments

I guess to enforce the independent Iraqi government????I read about it in a vanity fair magazine issue. And now they are forcing diplomats whose primary profession is diplomacy, not bomb dropping, to go there .
We want to show them that we are going to see it through that Iraq gets on its feet, develops a fair democracy, and fights terrorism. I don't think the size is really much of an issue. Who cares if it's big?
America knows that although the rest of the US wants them to pull out, it would be unfeasible to do so. So they compromise by pulling out troops, but want to maintain close ties with the government as well as be able to maintain a permanent presence there. This facility will allow US contractors to be able to set up shop there with protection of the US gov. It also allows the US to keep a "military base" (which is what the embassy is in a sense) in Iraq long after we have "left." This keeps the US populace happy while still being able to manipulate the government and keep troops in Iraq.
Entirely self sufficient? What? Its sitting on its own private oil well!? Or - in spite of being in the Middle East our embassy is going nuclear. Who's supplying water - ? Who's taking the poo? Is the area getting a major cleanup of Depleted Uranium dust? A new Vatican, perhaps,- glory to the god USA! 21 buildings. Biggest swimming pool in Iraq. While Iraqis get little electricity now the Grande Old USA has all it needs. Will the bloody insanity never end?!
Of course Iraqs utilities are unreliable...we destroyed them, remember? Shouldn't we be spending this money on rebuilding it's infrastructure...I thought that we were gonna give them a better life not build palaces for ourselves...
This is very simple proof that the leadership of the United States has absolutely no intention of leaving that country for at least another decade. Remember the good ol days when we spent half a billion dollars on infrastructure and education within our own borders.....good to know [NOT] our tax money is being spent on something. The green zone is turning into the Middle Eastern Disney world, what a cruel joke this entire war has been.
I'm speechless......Every word you have typed has just shown all of us how senseless every person's death has been in Iraq.......including all the civilians, women & children. Ancient Rome acted like this, invaded countries, built huge edifices......then it fell! God help America & our whole world.
because when we invaded, we make sure we plan on sure we were staying for good, in one way or another