The Embassy of the United States in Baghdad is the diplomatic mission of the United States in Iraq. It is located in Baghdad and is home to the Ambassador to Iraq. Ambassador James F. Jeffrey is currently the Chief of Mission.
The Embassy of the United States in Baghdad is the largest and most expensive of any embassy in the world. At 0.44 square kilometers it is nearly as large as Vatican City.[1] It also employs 15,000 people and cost $750 million to build. The Embassy opened in January 2009 following a series of construction delays. It replaced the previous embassy, which opened July 1, 2004 in Baghdad's Green Zone in a former Palace of Saddam Hussein.[2]
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The United States' Legation Baghdad was changed to embassy status in 1946. The building was designed by Josep Lluis Sert and completed in 1957,[3] with its main priority on keeping the building cool[4] rather than security.[5] This building remained the embassy until 1967, after the Six-Day War. The U.S. Interests Section was moved to the Belgian embassy in 1972; in 1984 this was upgraded to embassy status following the resumption of U.S.-Iraqi ties. Just days before the Gulf War, the embassy closed.[6] The U.S. Interests Section was opened at the Polish embassy in 1991. The old embassy is now apparently deserted and for rent.[7]
A new embassy opened in January 2009 in the Green Zone in Baghdad.[2] The embassy complex comprises 21 buildings on a 104 acres (42 ha) site, making it the largest and most expensive U.S. embassy in the world.[8]
It is located along the Tigris river, west of the Arbataash Tamuz bridge, and facing Al Kindi street to the north. The embassy is a permanent structure which has provided a new base for the 5,500 Americans currently living and working in Baghdad. During construction, the US government kept many aspects of the project under wraps, with many details released only in a U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee report.[8] Apart from the 1,000 regular employees, up to 3,000 additional staff members have been hired, including security personnel.
With construction beginning in mid-2005, the original target completion date was September 2007. "A week after submitting his FY2006 budget to Congress, the President sent Congress an FY2005 emergency supplemental funding request. Included in the supplemental is more than $1.3 billion for the embassy in Iraq..." An emergency supplemental appropriation (H.R. 1268/P.L. 109-13), which included $592 million for embassy construction, was signed into law on May 11, 2005. According to the Department of State, this funding was all that was needed for construction of the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.[9] Construction is being led by the Kuwaiti firm First Kuwaiti Trading & Contracting.[10][11][12]
The embassy has extensive housing and infrastructure facilities in addition to the usual diplomatic buildings. The buildings include:[8]
The complex is heavily fortified, even by the standards of the Green Zone. The details are largely secret, but it is likely to include a significant US Marine Security Guard detachment. Fortifications include deep security perimeters, buildings reinforced beyond the usual standard, and five highly guarded entrances.
On October 5, 2007, the Associated Press reported the initial target completion date of September would not be met, and that it was unlikely any buildings would be occupied until 2008.[13] In May 2008, US diplomats began moving into the embassy.[14] The embassy still does not have enough fortified living quarters for hundreds of diplomats and other workers, a problem which has run into 2009.[15]
There have been allegations of unethical practices and human trafficking by First Kuwaiti General Trading and Contracting Company, a contractor engaged during the construction of the new embassy.[16]
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