While I was going over the local newspapers this morning, I read a shocking headline: "A 23-floor, 5-star hotel to be built inside the Green Zone". I read the whole article and I wished I did not. The article says "The Minister of reconstruction announced the approval of the Prime minister to build a 5-star hotel inside the Green Zone." Also, the article said the government is committed to rebuild the country to stop the deprivation that was done under the former regime.
Isn't that ridiculous? What does it mean to spend millions of dollars in a place where no Iraqis can go? If someone gets married and wants to spend few nights at this 5- star hotel, he should get the permission first from the Americans and maybe they would give him a special badge just like others who work inside the fortified Zone. Why did Jafari approve spending millions of dollars on something that would not be used by Iraqi citizens? Didn't he think of the destruction that happened and still happening to Baghdad and Iraqi cities in general? Didn't he think that there are several 5-star hotels in Baghdad that need to be rehabilitated and make the people enjoy going to them? Didn’t he think of the jobless people who are supposed to build their country outside the Green Zone instead of building a fancy hotel for westerners only inside it? Didn't he think that this will hurt the feeling of the Iraqi people when they see they will be deprived from something built by their own money? I just want to understand, why doesn't he think of all of that?
A friend of mine, who works at the ministry of immigrants and displaced, told me that the Council of Ministers rejected donating the ministry which is supposed to provide the refugees of Tal Afar with food and tents. Consequently, the team sent to Tal Afar will be back soon without providing all of the refugees with their needs.
Now I want to ask him, is it worthy to build a five-star hotel for westerners and prevent people of this country from their RIGHT?!
Now you, Iraqi people, the government whom you voted for forgot about you and started taking care of their allies rather than you. You are left with a dirty city, no place to have fun in, no clubs, no open roads, no services, no electricity, no fuel, no water, no safety, and no CONTROL at all. This government is hiding behind the Jersey Walls surrounding the Green Zone where the 5-star hotel will be built. This government which says it "cares about you and about your safety" is building a new 5-star hotel. What a tragedy?! "Long live the Tyrant." As Twenty Four Steps to Liberty said.
They always say "the change must come from the inside first" i think that is what Jafari meant. he is trying to start the change from inside [the Green Zone]
ReplyDeleteplus, Iraq was always for Non-Iraqis. we hoped it would be for Iraqis after the war, but it seems we were wrong and not for the first time.
OH MY GOD!! This is totally insane!
ReplyDeleteWhat more do we have to expect from this GREAT government?! Don't know what else to say really, these news left me speechless.
Peace!
Every time I think I can't be more outraged by events, a new affront and indignity, finds me reaching another level.... I'm so angry I can barely type!
ReplyDeletei thought your blog was cool and i think you may like this cool Website. now just Click Here
ReplyDelete"we hoped it would be for Iraqis after the war"___It probably will be. The war has at least a couple of years to run yet, maybe more. When there hasn't been a car bomb or a mortar fired for 12 months, you can start thinking the war is over.
ReplyDeleteThe MNF has returned 25+ bases(out of a total of 120) back to the Iraqi government in the last 6 months.
ReplyDeleteWhile the "Green Zone" is almost certainly not on the top of the list of facilities to be returned. It is not on the bottom of the list either.
Of course your outrage is justified, but I can think of a good reason to put it in the Green zone.
ReplyDeleteThat is where the rich foreigners are. A five star hotel inside the green zone would employ hundreds of Iraqis. It would be near 100% occupancy every night. Government, Non-government, and multinational bureaucrats (all on expense accounts) would pay top dollar to stay there and be safe, secure, and pampered on thier "fact-finding trips".
This place would be a gold mine.
It is not about building another hotel for Iraqis. It is about satisfying the demands of cash-paying customers in a marketplace where the choices are limited.
Since when are governments in the business of building hotels anyway? It should be done by private enterprise -- let the Hiltons, etc, to it. If conditions aren't right for a private group yet, so be it.
ReplyDeleteJan
Well, for one thing, how long will it take for the Hotel to be built? And who is to say whether the green zone will still be closed by the time it's done? Also, Hotels last for deades. It will still be there LONG after the US troops are gone. Is it that bad of a decision to build a Hotel in one of the few places where the construction crews will feel fairly safe?
ReplyDeleteI don't know... it does seem the money could be better spent on other things right now, but it doesn't seem like as foolish a decision as you describe, though. That's a long term investment.
It seems we'll keep telling the American readers :"I told you so" for the rest of our lives..
ReplyDeleteAllah yr7am-l3raq..:(
This might be a way to attract business into the country. If potential investors have a nice hotel with all of the amenities that would be a positive for the country. As someone else mentioned the hotel would probably take a couple years to build and hopefully by then Iraq will be in a safer position. The only way for people to find jobs is for corporations to be willing to invest and build in the country.
ReplyDeleteJust a thought.
Who will be employed to build it and who will be employed by the hotel? Without answers to those questions it's a bit hard (impossible) to tell if this is a betrayal of the Iraqi people or a wise step to further prosperity.
ReplyDeleteAunt Najma said:
ReplyDelete#It seems we'll keep telling the American readers :
#"I told you so" for the rest of our lives..
Yes, well, that's the way it goes when bloggers make political statements on their blogs, but don't allow comments :)
You like to tell other people your opinions, without getting theirs, right?
When will this building be finished, and where will Iraq be then? Paul Bremmer is already gone, and the Iraqi constitution comes next month. The Americans will leave. Iraq is for Iraqis. Enjoy your new hotel.
ReplyDeleteYou do know that a 5-star hotels one night rate is equal to the average workers one month salary. So how many days a year do you think the average Iraqi will be staying in the 5-star?
ReplyDeleteProgrammer Graig, I searched for your e-mail and couldn't find it in your profile..
ReplyDeleteI have an e-mail, my way to hear your opinions..
Well, of course, tear down the Green Zone walls, let anyone who wants to come in! Of course, the first to come in will be the suicide bombers and the terrorists! Then no one will be able to use the hotel!
ReplyDeleteHey AC Blue,
ReplyDeletethat's why i meant there it is not the suitable time to build it. the government shouldpay attention to things that are much important. In Iraq we say "The Most important comes first, then the important comes next!"
You all live in a tough time in Iraq. I wish and hope that one day your lives will be normal, but there are so many cross-currents in there, I think it is far off.
ReplyDeleteAs to being a reporter, be careful. I was a reporter in the US for many years, and it is a great profession because you can do so much good. Keep at it. Just be careful, really careful where you live. Keep writing your blog, too. It gives those of us in the US a more balanced view of what is happening in your country, and it makes us realize not everyone in your country is a terrorist or a nut! That gives us hope for you!
Unfortunately, most comments from Americans here and elsewhere confirm that many, many Americans are still military terrorists and nuts themselves who seem unable to understand the rest of the world. The problems in Iraq were and are caused by the US: the so-called "terrorists" were nonexistent there before the 2003 US invasion, the US still murders and tortures more Iraqis than those they call "terrorists" do, the US is proudly destroying towns and communities throughout the country, and US soldiers (the ones we're forbidden to criticize because they're so noble and all) are revelling in sadistic torture and cruelty. Get the US military out of Iraq, by any means.
ReplyDeleteBremer's gone alright, left us with many questions AND Billions of "Disappeared" Dollars..
ReplyDeleteConstitution's coming, with "Iraq is not an Arab country" essentially welded to its a$$ so no one would notice it comin', only when it arrives. too late..
we dont need a new friggin' hotel.
we need STABILITY, SECURITY, AND A FUTURE.
"Who will be employed to build it and who will be employed by the hotel?"
Well, if you believe our esteemed government when it says that the ARMY AND POLICE forces have been infilitrated to a high level by terrorists and insurgents, forces that are supposed to keep us safe FROM insurgents, do you think the insurgents would not infilitrate the people who're gonna help build this hotel?
crayzeeee situation back home.
cheers, everyone.
# Get the US military out of Iraq, by any means.
ReplyDeleteI agree. I want the Bush administration to insist that a simple referendum be put on the Constitutional ballot this December asking "Should US troops leave Iraq immediately? YES or NO" to be passed by a simple 51% of Iraqi voters. If a majority of Iraqis want US troops gone, then we should pull out completely and within a month.
And if the vote goes the other way, people like Deang get to shut the hell up and stop whining.
I'd be OK with it whichever way it goes. But, I want the issue decided by the Iraqi voters. I'm really tired of people (bloggers and commenters) who are full of complaints, but void of solutions. I don't want anymore Americans to die, or any more US money to be spent, if the Iraqis think they are better off on their own. I realize if the US pulls out, the US will still be blamed if things go terribly wrong in Iraq even without US troops there. But at least we won't be participating in the problem anymore.
But who's paying for the hotel? You said the government approved it, that doesn't have to mean it's paying.
ReplyDeleteI mean, if some private enterprise is running it, it sounds like a great idea. OTOH, if it's really built for gov't money it's disgusting.
programmer craig,
ReplyDeleteYour naivete would be cute if it wasn't so annoying and blind. America spent millions building permanent bases, there is no way they intend to leave. There is every indication that they intend to keep Iraq a client-state.
A five star hotel not for Iraqis? I'm amazed! How many Iraqis stayed in Saddam's Palaces? Surely not the 300,000 plus Iraqis he murdered or the thousands of bodies still being dug up all over Iraq. How many Iraqis had blogs before the arrival of the MNF? How many Iraqis will die if Iran wins in southern Iraq? Why are the foreigners killing Iraqis by the hundreds and not attacking US personel? Were Iraqis free to attack, in spoken/written word, the Saddam government when Uday roamed Iraq? Five star hotel, indeed! He who aims high never shoots himself in the foot!
ReplyDeleteDism
c-h, the only territory the US "imperialists" ever "held" after defeating an enemy, are the cemeteries in Europe where our soldiers are buried! By the way, we have deployed only 11% of our forces to Iraq and Afhganistan, if permanent occupation was our plan, be sure, it would happen!
ReplyDeletePapa
...the only territory the US "imperialists" ever "held" after defeating an enemy, are the cemeteries in Europe where our soldiers are buried!...
ReplyDeleteIs the entire so-called "USA" (3.500.000 square miles), which is HELD by the so-called "Americans" NOT ENOUGH for you after defeating, massacring, ethnically cleansing [ it's entire hundreds of native nations ] out of their existance?
The entire "USA" is the story of the most successful occupation, genocide, ethnic cleansing, slavery and much more...
And what about the entire pacific ocean and it's islands every where?
Germany's and Japan's governments are still so loyal to USA, that let USA keep them still occupied with tens of thousands of soldiers!
"Americans never let go of what they "HOLD" !
Ask the South Korean people !
WE KNOW!
"Now you, Iraqi people, the government whom you voted for forgot about you and started taking care of their allies rather than you. "
ReplyDeleteYou are absolutely right. If I as an Iraqi woman killed an innocent Iraqi I will be charged in court. If I was a westerner I would not be charged I would be immune against such charges. The Bremer law that came when he ruled Iraq is still there, Iraqis in government don’t have the guts to order Bremer’s laws illegal under international law.
Peace/Nadia
South Korean - I served as Arty Liason with the ROK Marines in 1969 in the RVN in I Corps. Finest fighting Force in the world at that time. At any point the elected governments of any country you named could send us packing. If the US had not been around in 1950, you my friend would in all probability be eating tree bark. The little fat man in the north would see to it! By the way the DMZ is currently manned by the South Korean military. Semper Fi!
ReplyDeletePapa
Subic Bay in the Phillipines was the largest and most important Naval base the US had in the Pacific. Closed. By the will of the Filipino people. There are NO US troops permanently stationed in the Phillipines right now, and the US has NO bases there. If the Governments of South Korea, Germany and Japan wanted US forces to leave their countries, it would happen. They do not. Oh, but that's because they are puppets, right? The second and the third largest economies in the world are puppets... yeah, OK, right, you got us there!
ReplyDeleteDamned American Imperialists!
I still want my vote of the Iraqi people. I don't want to hear conspiracy theories from people like c-h anymore. I want to know the truth, whatever it may be. If that gets on the ballet and an Iraqi majority vote says the US should leave, the US *will* leave - I guarantee you that. Less than 40% of the American population supports the effort in Iraq. The only reason we are still there is that we don't want to abandon the mission. If we are asked to leave by the Iraqi voters there is NO WAY that citizens of the US will *allow* their sons and daughters to be left in Iraq.
Start signing petitions to put it on the ballot, c-h, and stop calling people names. You may actually get what you wish for, but you are going to have to work for it.
Hi Treasure,
ReplyDeleteI apologize for being a bit late in commenting on this post.
If you do the math, a 5 star hotel in the "Green Zone" is not that bad an idea from a purely business/financial perspective. A few reasons for my thinking:
1. A hotel may cost money to build, but it will recoup that investment through the money it makes from both people staying there, as well as meetings held there (5-star hotels usually have extensive meeting facilities). In the end, the Iraqi government, or whoever owns the hotel, will make a substantial profit, which may be used towards other reconstruction projects or other initiatives. A 5-star hotel typically costs around $200 to $300 US per night to stay there; if the hotel has 300 rooms, that would translate into over $30 million US per year in revenue (which should pay for the cost of building the hotel very quickly).
2. There are a lot of rich foreigners in the "Green Zone" right now. By building a nice hotel to cater to them (and charging more money than where they may be staying now), it entices them to spend a bit more of their money in Iraq rather than saving it and taking it home with them. This cash-flow goes straight into Iraq's economy.
3. The main difference between a 5-star hotel and a 4-star hotel isn't the rooms (they look about the same), it's the service you get. A 5-star hotel has a lot more employees to provide a lot more service to its guests. This hotel will create a lot of jobs.
4. When the Green Zone walls finally come down, this hotel will be open to anyone in Baghdad, or (more usefully) anyone visiting Baghdad.
5. Iraqis (at least those from Baghdad) won't have much use for this hotel anyway - you stay in a hotel when you are away from home on a business trip or vacation, not when you are in your home town. When you build a hotel, you're catering to visitors to your city, not residents. Right now, many of the visitors (at least those with the money to spend on staying in a 5-star hotel) are in the Green Zone, so this is not a bad place to build it.
sounds like a bad idea right. the funds could be better spend in other places such as training Iraqi security forces so Iraq can stop the terrorism and the US troops can go home.
ReplyDeleteHm, the only one I can see whining in the true sense of the word is the proud American here.
ReplyDeleteA little reminder of the facts: The situation in Iraq now is what Bush has been warned about by experts from within America and abroad before starting his war for oil, er, on terror.
Of course the Iraqis look at the instability and blame the Americans. Iraq was under the heel of a dictator, yes, but you didn't have to fear to be blown to pieces by car bombs. They did not have any Islamistic terrorists. Of course they want the Americans gone. But the thing is, right at this moment this will probably make things worse.
So the suggested course is to let them vote on it and really leave the country if a majority wants the Americans to go.
Yes, that sounds good: Destroy all stability in a country, and when the shit really hits the fan, leave the people there to shovel themselves out.
And Bush would even love it; his war on the "Axis of Evil" has been really set back by the long stay in Iraq, and I'm sure he can't wait to continue with Iran and Syria....
Melantrys, what's your point? Do you have one, other than all that whining? :p
ReplyDeleteprogrammer craig wrote:
ReplyDelete"...a simple referendum be put on the Constitutional ballot this December asking "Should US troops leave Iraq immediately? YES or NO" to be passed by a simple 51% of Iraqi voters..."
What a brilliant idea, programmer craig. Absolutely brilliant! You sure are real smart. Too bad you were'nt available before to suggest a simple referendum asking the Iraqi people "Should the USA invade & occupy your country? YES or NO", to be passed by a simple 51% of Iraqi voters.
Yes, my tongue is in cheek. After plans to build a 5-star hotel in Baghdad, your referendum idea ranks as one of the most rediculous, stupid blatherings I've come across in a long, long time. Keep up the good work, boy. You are testimony to the ignorance of Americans.
Two points: Those that flee from Tal Afar or other points within in Iraq but DO NOT cross an international border are considered "displaced" rather than "refugee". Refugee confers a legal status for those who have crossed an international border and as such have specific rights.
ReplyDeleteSecond, it is good to know that the Ministry of Displacement and Migration WAS NOT alloted the items as requested. As unfortunate as this may sound, the Ministry's mandate states that it is to serve as a service enabler (e.g. coordinator) rather than a direct service provider. There exist a number of partner organizations that the Ministry can utilize to conduct such distributions. The Ministry neither has the staff, nor the resources to conduct such high scale emergency relief.
Frisco Fred, I assume you are a Cindy Sheehan fan... what's your problem with US troops leaving Iraq? That's what you want, isn't it? Oh, wait, you want to set back time to 2002 and cancel the war in Iraq. That's your soulution, right? And in the meantime, you just insult Bush, random people on blogs, your own mother, your teachers, your imaginary friends, and everyone you come into contact with during your weekly furtrive trips out of the house, right?
ReplyDeleteYou get punched in the face a lot, Fred?
I think the real issue you and what the german person have with an Iraqi vote is that you aren't sure it would turn out the way you want it to.
Which is exactly why I want the vote. I'm tired of hearing from people like you, speaking on behalf of the Iraqis. I want to hear from the Iraqis themselves. I'm OK with whatever they decide. Are you?
The Last War
ReplyDeleteFreedom, Peace and Security will NEVER be won nor secured by the sword, another war will always need to be fought to end the fear of the sharp blade against the vital thoughts of change.
The last war will be waged without soldiers or freedom fighters, without blood shed or death, no rockets red glare, no bombs bursting anywhere.
The last war will not cause suffering, broken hearts, splintered spirits, or shattered bodies and souls, the creation of nature and man will not be crushed under the rolling thunder of armored machines, chemicals will not rain down from above, maniacal viruses will not attack from within, suicide terror raids, genocide, and nuclear holocaust will have no place in the last war, the casualties will be the end of competition, industry, government and religion which plan for and carry out the destruction, addiction and control of others.
The last war will be waged BY THE PEOPLE FOR THE PEOPLE, a war where all things will be TREATED as equal, a war employing weapons of MASS COOPERATION, battles fought and won with tolerance for all, understanding of difference, awareness of responsibility, a war in which compassion and love conquer and destroy the final evil enemy of humankind, the last war, the mother of all wars, the war to end all wars, must be waged upon fear.
We the People, declare a global war on fear.
How do we the people start this war, how do we wage this war, how do we the people win the last war ?
We start by turning away from those who support fear, by denying our services, our employment, our political, financial, moral and spiritual support to those who build and profit from the economy of competition, addiction and war.
We wage the last war by demanding that our energy and environment be clean and renewable, by demanding that the thousands of billions of dollars spent yearly on making the weapons and means of war be shifted and added to the nearly meaningless hundreds of billions which is reluctantly parted out for social, health, education and domestic infrastructure.
We win the last war by simply entrusting our votes, our support, our children's and grandchildren's lives to those of US whose words and actions - DELIVER - compassion, love and truth.
We the people can, will and must defeat fear.
©Bruce Larson*Moore
Of Poetic*Service
Love*Rulz - {Available on DVD ;}
www.timeless-ink-press.com
For the record, the hotel will never be built. It is nothing more than a front-company in the Bush money laundering scheme in Iraq (and now extending to New Orleans). He gives the cronies running these large corporations billions of dollars and they will construct and "reconstruct"... NOTHING. Anyone in the Iraqi puppet government that approves the project is merely getting a cut of the action. I think that the level of corruption is so profound and blatant, that people are choosing to believe the crap that they are told "5 Star Hotel in the Green Zone." Please. In two years there won't even be a Green Zone. The U.S. will either bail on Iraq or will get kicked out militarily. Meanwhile, the Halliburtons will have already gotten their money.
ReplyDeleteSteve give me a break. You don't even live in the USA.
ReplyDeleteWishing the people of Iraq peace and prosperity. I don't have a crystal ball so I'll just wish well and save the looking into the future to Steve.