‘Fortress’ America
The new U.S. embassy in Baghdad resembles nothing so much as an armed fortress, embassy historian Jane Loeffler writes in the September/October issue of Foreign Policy magazine.
Encased by 15-foot-thick blast walls, the new structure, which was scheduled for completion Saturday, features its own shopping market, dry cleaners, movie theater and gym, and independent electrical, sewer and water systems.
The isolation from the surrounding city “conveys no confidence in Iraqis and little hope for their future,” Loeffler writes.
“Diplomacy is not the sort of work that can be done by remote control,” she adds. “It takes direct contact to build good will for the United States and promote democratic values.”
