Having been sworn in Wednesday, Iraq’s Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi has announced his intentions on Thursday to move his office, and other substantial government offices, out of the Green Zone of Baghdad, and into other parts of the city.
The isolated Green Zone was established during the US occupation of Iraq as a way to keep government offices safe from terror attacks. It had limited success, with multiple strikes taking place over the years.
Abdul-Mahdi wants to take the process in a different direction, at a time when complaints of corruption and government ambivalence are mounting. He says he wants his offices to be closer to the people.
His new office is in a government building that was the Iraqi parliament before the US invasion in 2003. That building has substantial security, though being outside the green zone means fewer checkpoints to circumvent in getting there.
The wrong people are moving out.
I’m thinking they want to get the hell out of “ground zero” when the war with Iran happens. It won’t be a pretty sight for US bases and aircraft carriers.
The new Iran-allied government wants to get away from US influence. The US embassy in the Green Zone covers more than 100 acres of prime real estate in downtown Baghdad. That’s almost the same size as Vatican City (108 acres). There are fewer Americans now in the embassy complex, gone from 16,000 down to 6,000 to enjoy the shopping mall, an Olympic-sized swimming pool, a gym and tennis courts.