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Pentagon Plans to Develop Green Zone With Condos & Malls

armytimes.com — Forget the rocket attacks, concrete blast walls and lack of a sewer system. Now try to imagine luxury hotels, a shopping center and even condos in the heart of Baghdad. That ’s all part of a 5yr. development “dream list” or what some dub an improbable fantasy to transform the U.S.-protected Green Zone from a walled fortress into a centerpiece.

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  • LeeSoong, on 05/05/2008, -5/+11Brings new meaning to the old song:

    " FALL IN TO THE GAP !"
  • jdames1980, on 05/05/2008, -7/+20WTF!! It's the only think I can think to say.
    • Stroggoth, on 05/05/2008, -1/+7How about we spend that money building domestic oil supplies and refineries, and then head toward renewable energy?

      NAH, on second thought, let's spend $300 per barrel on oil and keep Dubai looking like a megacity while we all ride mopeds to work.
      • CosmicJustice, on 05/05/2008, -2/+2OK great. Let's open up ANWAR to drilling, force Florida to allow oil platforms off it's coasts, build nuclear power plants, tell Teddy Kennedy we're building a wind farm on Martha's Vineyard whether he likes it or not. I'm for it. Why do we keep buying oil oversees while we leave ours in the ground?
        • mooninite, on 05/05/2008, -4/+2It's OK to drill in the desert, but it's not OK to drill around the "endangered" carabou population that is actually in the millions *THANKS* to the oil pipeline. *facepalm*

          Congressmen are too scared of a few lobbying environmentalists to drill in ANWAR.
        • MWeather, on 05/05/2008, -0/+8ANWR? Let's see that's 4.3 to 11.8 billion barrels of oil. The world uses 84 million barrels a day. So that would last from 50-140 days.

          Got any other brilliant ideas?
    • kgreen69er, on 05/05/2008, -0/+1This is simply absurd. The core structure of those buildings will be blown to bits faster than you can say Iraqi Gap.
    • Jemulov, on 05/06/2008, -0/+1I thought about CnC 3 and blue zones.
      Peace through superior firepower.
  • objectcode, on 05/05/2008, -6/+16***** them
  • DreKor, on 05/05/2008, -3/+13Why? Because we can't own Dubai.
    • Ryosen, on 05/06/2008, -0/+2The US could own Dubai and every other oil-producing-related region in a heartbeat. It would be extremely simple and no one of any real consequence would stop it. All we would need to do is strike a deal with China and Russia to split the spoils.
      Who's left?
  • Goodanswer, on 05/05/2008, -5/+71How 'bout we just give them back their country...
    • roosterjm2k2, on 05/05/2008, -10/+3well, honestly...i was always told if I broke something of someone's, then I should give them back something of equal or greater value...

      while im sure its really just a cover to give some american development company money on the iraqi's dimes....its good on the face of it..
      • stargatesteve, on 05/05/2008, -2/+5But see, they want us out. The last thing they want is us doing any more damage.
      • SpeedSteamBoat, on 05/05/2008, -1/+3But if they never let go of the thing and keep finding new, creative ways to continually break it for over five years, all the while telling you to go away... well then what choice do you have?
      • sarixe, on 05/05/2008, -1/+2if something's good on the face, but bad behind it, then it's even worse!
    • ZenMojo, on 05/06/2008, -0/+1This is clearly the best way to handle terrorism. Buy more ***** and then invade another country, just like Bush said after 9/11.
  • nightstar, on 05/05/2008, -4/+5Assume they want this to be a bigger target...

    Or

    If you build it.. Will they blow it up....
  • rusty123jimi, on 05/05/2008, -7/+6...
  • fsjenkins2000, on 05/05/2008, -4/+39How can we be expected to teach children to learn how to read if they can't even fit inside the building?
    • skierkegaard, on 05/05/2008, -1/+11It'll have to be at least... three times as big
    • FukUrCouch, on 05/05/2008, -1/+11It shall be called ....The Iraq Center For Children Who Can't Read Good And Wanna Learn To Do Other Stuff Good Too...
  • Shots, on 05/05/2008, -3/+3I dream of winning the lottery. I wonder if i win the lottery first, or the condo will be built first?
    I'll even give them a sporting chance.. by not buying any lottery tickets.
    • Digger1218, on 05/05/2008, -1/+3Don't be so sure, I just got an email saying that I've won the Nigerian Lottery, three times!
      • Shots, on 05/05/2008, -0/+3How am I going to finance my other dream of selling Pork Chops at the Baghdad Mall?
    • Shots, on 05/05/2008, -0/+2You mean those aren't real?
  • INDOAZZ, on 05/05/2008, -3/+3Using Dubai as a model.
  • cvelusc, on 05/05/2008, -4/+40What a waste of money. This whole area will eventually become a ghost town. How about revitalizing some of our ghost towns here in the US instead?
    • Bilabrin, on 05/05/2008, -1/+6The caption said It's a five Billion dollar project. We could have rebuild New Orleans over 100 times over!
      • itsthebrod, on 05/05/2008, -1/+6And both this Baghdad and New Orleans will be back in the same boat years down the road... You don't build cities in warzones or in soupbowls surrounded by water, I say.
        • Bilabrin, on 05/06/2008, -0/+1You'll never work in government with that attitude!
    • UnWeave, on 05/05/2008, -0/+2Because it's your fault it's more ***** up now than it was before, which (believe it or not) actually puts some of the responsibility with you.
      • cvelusc, on 05/07/2008, -0/+1I concur that my lack of voicing concern in the past has enabled further squandering of our tax dollars. However, I am now contacting my representatives/senators and telling them my opinion. If they want my continued support then they better listen.
  • wendelgee2, on 05/05/2008, -2/+43So this was their grand plan worth thousands of lives? To turn Iraq into New Jersey?
    • alpha19, on 05/05/2008, -6/+1Do you have a better one? It's only part of the process...

      Not that I'm advocating anything and wouldn't like to see our troops home as well... but narrow-minded comments, as the one above, make puppies cry.
    • solid12345, on 05/06/2008, -0/+1Iraq is nicer than New Jersey, and safer too!
  • austin006, on 05/05/2008, -3/+26alright we could give 5000 schools $1,000,000 each

    nah lets build ourselves an amusement park
  • apathysucks, on 05/05/2008, -2/+25Sigh.

    We can't protect the Green Zone, but maybe an Apple store can?
  • Homerr, on 05/05/2008, -2/+27The insurgents are running out of things to fire mortars and rockets at?
  • Karna101, on 05/05/2008, -7/+16BUCK FUSH.
    • KMartSheriff, on 05/05/2008, -3/+9You spelled ***** Bush wrong.
    • floatingorb, on 05/05/2008, -2/+2at KMartSheriff: Yea, it's called a 'Spoonerism' (reversed initial consonants) and most inappropriate with this dictator {gotta say it loud} so ***** BUSH (***** CLINTON ***** OBAMA ***** McINSANE-- run Ron run)

      Ahh, Muck Fe...what the hell,
      @ Karna101 : http://buckfush.com
    • afterlife23, on 05/05/2008, -3/+3YUCK FOU.
      • TheGuruStud, on 05/05/2008, -1/+3isn't that japanese food?
        • floatingorb, on 05/06/2008, -0/+1No, that would be foo yuc..or is it yoo fuc? -- One of those; I don't fnow koods.
  • WCL23, on 05/05/2008, -0/+4The OGC should be in charge of this project. A serious organisation for a serious project!
  • bincoder, on 05/05/2008, -4/+1First the mall, then the jewish shop keepers, who will spread shopping throughout the arab world. Well, at least they have plenty of oil to run the coming traffic jams of SUVs full of screaming children headed to the fast food restaurant.
  • isaactwito, on 05/05/2008, -1/+11Oh sweet! The newest exclusive getaway. A private resort securely entrenched in the middle of an active combat zone!
  • crushtheenemy, on 05/05/2008, -0/+3great idea...
  • CloseYetFar, on 05/05/2008, -8/+3Well we are gonna be there a while, we mite as well make are selves at home....
  • rmxz, on 05/05/2008, -1/+20Sometimes I wonder if the entire goal of this operation is just an experiment to see how much money they can spend and how many people they can piss off (on all sides) and still get away with it.
    • URnotheonly1, on 05/05/2008, -3/+1you fault you went the other way, I have supported the Iraq war from the get go
    • locojones, on 05/06/2008, -0/+1Close, but if you notice, the apparent goal is to destroy the infrastructure, and then give the land to big corporate interests so they can profit off of the backs of American taxpayers. Thanks Republicans!
  • FukUrCouch, on 05/05/2008, -3/+13While our country is falling apart let's spend money on luxury condos in Baghdad...Great Idea!! Better idea is to GET THE ***** OUT OF IRAQ!
  • Ruger11mcrdpi, on 05/05/2008, -1/+20I don't even know what to say I'm so mad....

    SPEND MONEY ON OUR OWN COUNTRY THATS FALLING APART AS WE SPEAK!!!

    Chicago O hare airport is one of the busiest in the world, yet it has more delays and less on time arrivals and departures than any other US Airport. Atlanta, GA has only a couple months of reserve water before they run dry and almost 20 % of their water never gets to its destination, due to leaky pipes. There's a giant lake in Florida that's about to break its levee... we are still building Coal powerplants, our education system is in tatters, teachers are underpaid, medicare's going bankrupt... etc etc etc

    Yeah let's build a stripmall and luxury hotel in Iraq. When I was there we always joked about how there'd be a wal-mart soon outside of Al-Asad, and it'd be another duty station just like Germany, or Japan, Guam, Rota Spain.... IDIOTS!
    • fokov, on 05/05/2008, -0/+4The reason Atlanta GA doesn't have water isn't over population, but that is a factor, is the federal government moving many, many gallons of water to make sure some endangered muscles survive in Florida. You know the state that is land locked and can't get its own water, wait you say its a peninsula, damn.
    • Shots, on 05/05/2008, -0/+3Better profit-margins in developing countries... and if you can't find your own developing country, invade an ancient civilization and start developing!
      • ender7074, on 05/05/2008, -0/+1Not one of the things you mentioned are under the federal government's responsibility to handle. Unless you want to grant them even more power... Check your facts first...
        • Ruger11mcrdpi, on 05/06/2008, -0/+0But ALL the things I mentioned are in the UNITED STATES unless that doesn't mean anything anymore either. I guess a palace, a mall and several luxury hotels in Iraq mean more to you than fixing the infrastructure of this country we call home. I guess rebuilding America through state programs like the TVA wasn't under the federal gov's responisbility in the 1930s either, but we did it. And it worked. And I DO NOT agree with the patriot act or the protect america act if that's what you mean either. Domestic spying is way different than investing in our core.
  • TexasShiv, on 05/05/2008, -1/+5BAHAHAHA. This is the most absurd thing I've ever heard

    Just think for one second how this went down when it was proposed

    "Okay... we're going to build a big mall..."

    *grunts of approval from statesmen*
  • armoreddillo, on 05/05/2008, -2/+18This is a perfect example of "spreading democracy". *

    we tear up the country.
    section up the land and raw resources.
    sell it off to international investors.
    profit.

    * see: Rape and Pillage
    • ender7074, on 05/05/2008, -5/+0Well if the spread of democracy is so evil, why dont you go over there and show us all how its done. Yet another gasbag armchair quarterback lib.
      • armoreddillo, on 05/05/2008, -0/+3whatever IS going on over there, it's not democracy.
        i don't know how to fix what we've destroyed but i do have a suggestion.
        it's called diplomacy.
        look it up.
        "Iraqi orphans make great terrorists"
  • URnotheonly1, on 05/05/2008, -9/+3Oh the hippie communist just lost their mind
    • armoreddillo, on 05/05/2008, -0/+2you're out of your element Donnie
    • bicyclethief, on 05/05/2008, -1/+6Why does someone have to be a hippie communist to be pissed off at my tax-payer money going to rebuild some other country?
      • URnotheonly1, on 05/05/2008, -3/+1ya, I stopped caring after Haiti, Kosovo, Bosnia, Croatia and Ireland
  • inajeep, on 05/05/2008, -1/+13The stores are lining up for this... caskets-r-us are jumping over themselves to get the corner store and
    Body Armor by Armani is asking for a double store.

    Bleh, I can't even maintain a joke about this.

  • insanecee, on 05/05/2008, -1/+3how ***** dumb do you have to be... the reason all these mortars and rockets and ***** like that happen is because of the coalition forces that are over there, terrorist are doing this acts as a protest... so then we think..... hmmm what if we build this ***** what would it do? duh more hostages, more death, and more dispair... it makes me sick fix the ***** over here first.... like our ***** economy... damn stupid people that put our men and women in danger for this. god bless our troops for being over there. I am sincerely sorry.
    • Shots, on 05/05/2008, -0/+1At least their hostages can have a Big Mac as their last meal...
    • ender7074, on 05/05/2008, -1/+0Where were these "protesting" terrorists when Saddam was gasing tens of thousands of Kurds? Where was their bravery then? Oh yah, they were afraid of having their entire family wiped out by the regime. Funny how they only become "protesters" when they finally have the right to peacefully guide their government. They are not protesting Americans. They are protesting people they dont like having a say in anything
  • d1a1s1, on 05/05/2008, -2/+8Whats amazing is that people are actually surprised by this. This is par for the course from BushCo
  • KaivenTor, on 05/05/2008, -4/+5Actually, this makes some sense. Consider that our current shortcoming in Iraq are not paying enough attention to the economy as the country changed hands a few times, starting to rebuild the pre-attack municipalities and businesses might just be the kick start. Security first, but trade is just as important.
    If the only real reason the insurgency continues to grow is because it's employing people and paying then better then the current Iraqi government, then it stands to reason that many of the insurgents would gladly leave the resistence in exchange for more money and a better life for them and their families.
    And giving them back their country before it's stable will result in a power vacuum similar to Afghanistan after the Russians left. We'd just be starting the cycle back up for another 20 years.
    • SpeedSteamBoat, on 05/05/2008, -0/+2"If the only real reason the insurgency continues to grow is because it's employing people and paying then better"

      No, not even a little bit right. The situation in Iraq is incredibly complicated. The insurgency is the result of opportunists taking advantage of the present situation and forming personal armies to exact control and power. It isn't limited to sects or poor people.

      The truth is we will never be able to throw enough lives or money at Iraq to fix it until enough of the Iraqi people decide they are tired of the violence.

      It's ***** that we've caused such a mess, but it's not within our power to fix it. Change comes only from within, and for that very reason we should have never gone to Iraq to begin with. This sort of expansionist mission has never worked, and it never will.
  • URnotheonly1, on 05/05/2008, -9/+1DEMS oversold their objection to Iraq war, now they are stuck with it. Its known as throwing the baby out with the bath water.

    Made such a big fuss, OVER EXAGGERATED EVERYTHING for political points. Blocked energy plan, and now you are paying for it
    • bicyclethief, on 05/05/2008, -1/+4Yeah, of course, this is all the Dems fault.
      • URnotheonly1, on 05/05/2008, -3/+1No drilling in Anwar huh! OMG they created an energy plan that uses oil OMFG, BEHIND CLOSED DOORS at that
        • Ryosen, on 05/06/2008, -1/+1OK, you keep bringing up Anwar as the end-all be-all solution to America's energy problems. The fact of the matter is that one, the amount of oil in Alaska is relatively small compared to the long-term needs of this country and, two, the oil companies themselves said that they had no interest in using that oil domestically - that they intended to sell it to China at a much higher rate than they could get by selling it to the US.
  • uptown, on 05/05/2008, -1/+22What the *****? My tax dollars are being used to build a Denny's?
  • Bilabrin, on 05/05/2008, -0/+6I hope they call it "New Isreal" :)
  • destron, on 05/05/2008, -0/+8Why is this even the pentagon's decision?
    Shouldn't the iraqi people decide these things?
  • fishbeef33, on 05/05/2008, -1/+2I first read this headline as "Green HILL Zone." I need to get out more...and play fewer video games from 1991.
  • YodaJones, on 05/05/2008, -0/+14I cannot believe it's not the Onion....
  • mfc5200, on 05/05/2008, -0/+3Didn't they do this during the Vietnam War? They built a luxury 5-star hotel in North Vietnam called the Hanoi Hilton.

    /sarc.

    What is wrong with this world.
    • soupdawg30, on 05/05/2008, -1/+1They didn't and see what happened ,we lost. Now we have to build it!
  • kelt65, on 05/05/2008, -1/+4obviously this is some sort of dress rehearsal to see if the idea of an oasis of the filthy rich can survive in such an environment, since this will be the US in 20 years.
  • guitaristanyc, on 05/05/2008, -1/+9We care more about Baghdad than New Orleans, apparently.
    • solid12345, on 05/06/2008, -0/+1We could never build a shopping mall in New Orleans because nobody in NO will get a job and end their welfare payments to keep the place running.
  • KaivenTor, on 05/05/2008, -4/+5PS.: Please stop confusing domestic and foreign policy like they are one and the same. It's absurd to think that the federal government letting in private investors to rebuild parts of Iraq has anything to do with whatever town you're in, cause that's YOUR STATE'S responsibility. All that aside, we unfortunately made a mess over there, of that I have no disagreement, but we have to fix it. If you want to start really fixing the world around you, start looking at the local and state level instead of crying that the feds aren't doing anything. Ask yourself the question: Who would you rather have in charge of rebuilding your part of the economy? You or someone else from out of the area in a government job? In my experience, it never quite works out handing over those responsibilities to the federal governement.
    • krnldmp, on 05/05/2008, -0/+4If your home city isn't the federal government's responsibility, Baghdad ain't either. In reality it wont be happy until it controls it all.
  • martoq, on 05/05/2008, -0/+8"Kill them all...take their land...and go there for vacation." -Rage Against the Machine
    Ironic.
  • jhails, on 05/05/2008, -3/+4I feel very sorry for you Americans. I use to think that sub saharan Africans were the most screwed citizens of the world but you guys have been getting it from both ends for a long time and it shows no sign of stopping. Good thing you put those dems into congress. That really made a big difference.
  • Garafraxa, on 05/05/2008, -0/+3This was all predicted by John Perkins in Confessions of an Economic Hitman.
    "...And the contract goes to.... BECHTEL!"
  • itsthebrod, on 05/05/2008, -0/+1Word is we're going to call it "Lil' America."
    • RudeTurnip, on 05/05/2008, -0/+2It's the Rhode Island sized version of our fat-ass Texas-sized version of a country, The United States of America.
  • motters, on 05/05/2008, -0/+1This is pure bunker mentality. A few deluded individuals dreaming of shopping centres and amusement parks whilst the world outside is in chaos and people lack basic sanitation, hospitals are looted or closed and the electricity supply is unreliable.
  • placombe, on 05/05/2008, -0/+1For more absurd proposals, read Imperial Life In The Emerald City by Rajiv Chandrasekaran. Great book. Some examples: making the Iraqi stock exchange the most advanced in the world (going from paper and blackboards to state-of-the-art IT systems) and replacing Iraqi food rations with debit cards
    • AriseNow, on 05/05/2008, -0/+0I recommend that book as well, it also tells of how the few well meaning conservatives got disillusioned with the idiotic visions people on Washington had, as well as naively thinking Iraq would become a super capitalist free-market when they still had no government active and 400,000 soldiers just had been laid off without a single word.
  • sny1120, on 05/05/2008, -0/+6there are 2 year old pot holes on my street
    • mediaspree, on 05/05/2008, -0/+3What would you like the Federal Government to do?
    • soupdawg30, on 05/05/2008, -0/+2Get your city to fix their stuff.
  • GregIsLegend, on 05/05/2008, -0/+2So they expect to be there a while...
    • Changa, on 05/05/2008, -0/+1They planed to be there for a long time.
      On top of being near the oil they can play out nation creation and make a free market utopia.
      Big shock it isn't working.
  • fani, on 05/05/2008, -0/+5I wish they would use that money to help the people here.
    Maybe help those Katrina victims or the thousands of other disaster victims. Its not like we're having in easy in America while they're suffering in Iraq.
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