Embassy of the United States, Baghdad

Embassy of the United States, Baghdad
Native name
Arabic: سفارة الولايات المتحدة الامريكية بغداد‎


Chancery Building
Location Iraq Baghdad, Iraq
Coordinates 33°17′56″N 44°23′46″E / 33.299°N 44.396°E / 33.299; 44.396Coordinates: 33°17′56″N 44°23′46″E / 33.299°N 44.396°E / 33.299; 44.396
Opened May 2008 (2008-05)
Ambassador Stuart E. Jones (since 2014)
Location of Embassy of the United States, Baghdad in Iraq
Former Ambassador to Iraq John D. Negroponte, right, shows honors to the colors as U.S. Marine Security Guards raise the U.S. flag on the grounds of the old U.S. Embassy in Iraq on July 1, 2004.

The Embassy of the United States of America in Baghdad is the diplomatic mission of United States of America in the Republic of Iraq. At 104 acres (42 ha), it is the largest and most expensive embassy in the world, and is nearly as large as Vatican City.[1] Ambassador Stuart E. Jones is currently the Chief of Mission.

The embassy complex employs 15,000 people and cost $750 million to build. The Embassy opened in January 2009 following a series of construction delays. It replaced the previous embassy, which opened July 1, 2004 in Baghdad's Green Zone in a former Palace of Saddam Hussein.[2]

Old embassy

The United States' Legation Baghdad was changed to embassy status in 1946. The building was designed by Josep Lluís Sert in 1955 and completed about 1961,[3] with its main priority on keeping the building cool[4] rather than security.[5] This building remained the embassy until 1967, after the Six-Day War. The U.S. Interests Section was moved to the Belgian embassy in 1972; in 1984 this was upgraded to embassy status following the resumption of U.S.-Iraqi ties. Just days before the Gulf War, the embassy closed.[6] The U.S. Interests Section was opened at the Polish embassy in 1991. The old embassy is now apparently deserted and for rent.[7]

New embassy

It is located along the Tigris River, west of the Arbataash Tamuz Bridge, and facing Al Kindi street to the north. The embassy is a permanent structure which has provided a new base for the 5,500 Americans currently living and working in Baghdad. During construction, the US government kept many aspects of the project under wraps, with many details released only in a U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee report.[8] Apart from the 1,000 regular employees, up to 3,000 additional staff members have been hired, including security personnel.

With construction beginning in mid-2005, the original target completion date was September 2007. "A week after submitting his FY2006 budget to Congress, the President sent Congress an FY2005 emergency supplemental funding request. Included in the supplemental is more than $1.3 billion for the embassy in Iraq ..." An emergency supplemental appropriation (H.R. 1268/P.L. 109-13), which included $592 million for embassy construction, was signed into law on May 11, 2005. According to the Department of State, this funding was all that was needed for construction of the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.[9] However, Walter Pincus of the Washington Post found that the new embassy had cost more than $700 million by 2012,[10] and Business Insider reported in 2013 that the cost of the embassy had surpassed $750 million.[11] The Obama administration requested more than $100 million for a "massive" upgrade to the embassy compound in 2012.[12] As of 2006, construction was being led by the Kuwaiti firm First Kuwaiti Trading & Contracting,[13][14][15]

The embassy has extensive housing and infrastructure facilities in addition to the usual diplomatic buildings. The buildings include:[8]

The complex is heavily fortified, even by the standards of the Green Zone. The details are largely secret, but it is likely to include a significant US Marine Security Guard detachment. Fortifications include deep security perimeters, buildings reinforced beyond the usual standard, and five highly guarded entrances.

On October 5, 2007, the Associated Press reported the initial target completion date of September would not be met, and that it was unlikely any buildings would be occupied until 2008.[16] In May 2008, US diplomats began moving into the embassy.[17]

Staff drawdown

The embassy formally opened over a year behind schedule in January 2009 with a staff of over 16,000 people, mostly contractors, but including 2,000 diplomats. In February 2012, weeks after the final departure of US Military forces from Iraq, the State Department announced that the staff would be greatly reduced because of budget concerns and a re-evaluation of diplomatic strategy in Iraq, in light of the military withdrawal.[18]

Controversy

There have been allegations of unethical practices and human trafficking by First Kuwaiti General Trading and Contracting Company, a contractor engaged during the construction of the new embassy.[19]

See also

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Embassy of the United States in Baghdad.
  1. ↑ "New embassy in Iraq a mystery". MSNBC. April 14, 2006. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
  2. ↑ "New US embassy opens in Baghdad The compound" BBC News (January 5, 2009)
  3. ↑ Isenstadt, Samuel (February 1997). "Faith in a Better Future": Josep Luis Sert's American Embassy in Baghdad". Journal of Architectural Education 50 (3): 172–88. Retrieved 2012-10-16.
  4. ↑ Kemp, Martin (May 23, 2007). "UK Guardian - "Diplomacy has no place in this monstrous bunker"". Guardian. UK. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
  5. ↑ Wall Street Journal, "Embassy in a Box: U.S. diplomatic architecture is increasingly dull"
  6. ↑ "Iraq". State.gov. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
  7. ↑ H.D.S. Greenway (November 8, 2005). "The atypical ambassador". Boston Globe. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
  8. 1 2 New U.S. Embassy in Iraq cloaked in mystery, MSNBC, April 14, 2006
  9. ↑ CRS Report to Congress, U.S. Embassy in Iraq, CRS2, June 29, 2006
  10. ↑ Troops have withdrawn from Iraq, but U.S. money hasn't July 27, 2012
  11. ↑ The US Embassy In Baghdad Cost A Staggering $750 Million March 20, 2013, Business Insider
  12. ↑ The Biggest And Most Expensive Embassy In The World Is About To Get A Massive Upgrade June 29, 2012, Business Insider
  13. ↑ Giant U.S. embassy rising in Baghdad, USA TODAY, April 19, 2006.
  14. ↑ Oliver Poole US super-embassy emerges in the heart of Baghdad, The Daily Telegraph June 7, 2006
  15. ↑ Baghdad Embassy Bonanza, Kuwait Company's Secret Contract & Low-Wage Labor, CorpWatch, February 12, 2006
  16. ↑ Huge US Embassy compound delayed - CNN.com Archived October 10, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
  17. ↑ "U.S. Ambassador to Iraq says embassy ready". USA Today. April 11, 2008. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
  18. ↑ "U.S. Planning to Slash Iraq Embassy Staff by Half - New York Times - February 7 2012
  19. ↑ CRS Report for Congress, U.S. Embassy in Iraq, MSNBC, April 14, 2006

External links

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