A Palace... as built in a Chinese Sweatshop

This is a palace. Built under Saddam's rule. This Palace is, in many ways, a really good representation of this country. It's big, it's impressive. It has a large open central area when you walk in. This area is covered floor to ceiling in marble, frescos, and hand painted arabic pictographs, symbols, and letters. There is, of course, a large chandelier hanging down in the middle.

At the Al-Faw Palace, on another base, the chandelier is about 25ft across, and huge, hanging from what must be a 65ft ceiling. That Chandelier, like the one in this palace, has one distinct feature you generally will not find in chandeliers in palaces anywhere else in the world.

It's made of plastic.

Yes, plastic. A 25 ft fake-ass plastic chandelier. And the marble you see everywhere is a facade over somewhat crumbly concrete and lower grade iron rebar construction. In fact, the whole building would probably be condemmed if it were in any european or american city. All the non-handpainted detail, all the signs of luxury are sort of.. well.. it's like they're all part of a big Potemkin country. Where the surface looks impressive in scale and materials, but as soon as you lean against a wall it falls over.

Just so, the stairwells are all different sizes, some of them with ceilings you have to crouch down to navigate. I can't think of a better symbol for Iraq, what little I've seen of it.

A thin veneer of oil wealth over some pretty desperate poverty is how I'd describe it. I'm not down on the Iraqis, it's just that under Saddam's regime there was graft at every level, even in building his palaces. That, as much as anything else, is going to take decades.. generations, really, to change. If it ever does.

It goes back to Iraqis, like most people from this area of the world, being tribal in nature. You don't graft off the tribe, but anyone outside the tribe is more or less fair game. You have to keep that in mind. They will be very friendly to you, but will not blink an eye about shafting you in a business deal, or bringing their brothers or cousins in on a deal even if they are more expensive and deliver lower quality work or product.

I finally have pretty reliable internet in my hooch now, so I can upload some pics (blurred areas are for security reasons) and will do so as I go along. One of the things I'll probably talk about is media reporting versus reality. Let's just say that while the soldiers would rather be home, they also feel the mission is important enough to stay, and taht without our presence, the violence you've heard about will turn into a full on regional wise massive war.

I mean, the Iranians will come in to "protect the Shia" (and take over the oil). The Saudis will come in to "protect the Sunnis" (and take over the oil). And the Kurds will break away to form their own country (and take over the oil). Note how taking over the oil seems to be a common thread. And it really points out what is good and bad, a blessing and a curse for Iraq. It is a blessing, in that it's a valuable commodity which they could use to begin to rebuild their country. It's a curse in that all their neighbors voet it enough to fund a civil war to try and deny the "other guy" access to it. And these countries do not care how many women and children they kill to get the control of the oil.

Now you can make an argument that the US is just as bad and blah blah blah. But the fundamental difference is this. The US is the only party that wants the Iraqis to use the oil for their own benefit. That's what sets us apart.

There's a lot of complexity to the situation here, and I cannot possibly cover it all in one post. I will simply say that I am learning more every day.

Regards,
-Bouncer-