Rocketing the International zone

As you have likely learned by now, the International Zone (IZ), in which is located the American Embassy compound as well as other diplomatic missions and Iraqi government facilities, has suffered numerous rocket or mortar attacks since Easter Sunday, March 23. On Sunday there were some injuries of u.s. personnel; one of the injured later died in hospital (Requiescat in Pacem). On tuesday and today, there were more injuries. As bad if not worse, many of the rockets or mortars targeted at the IZ have gone off target or overflwon the IZ and impacted residences in other parts of Baghdad, killing more than a dozen innocent civilians. evidently, the terrorists care as little for the lives of fellow Iraqis as they do for foreigners' lives.

There is, of course, increased tnsion in the IZ to include the Embassy, but spirits and morale remain high in the face of the attacks. we are all working diligently to support each other and to get our jobs done even with the interruptions that come. whether this is a spike (temporary) or an uptick (indefinite) in violence is hard to know at this point. hope springs eternal.

Keep all of us here in your prayers, good thoughts, and karmanic wavelengths. seriously, pray for the safety of all those who serve the cause of freedom over here, iraqi, american, brit, or others.

5th anniversary and visitors

We've just had a visit from 4 senators and one vice-president. All of this occurs over a very short period of time - our poor management and logistics people were run ragged. By now the news is out in the press: senators Levin, McCain, Lieberman, and Graham were here followed by the v-p.

At the same time, the bad guys have decided it's a good time to launch more rockets, mortars, and suicide bomb attacks. It is difficult to tell if this is a last, desperate gasp or if it is they are stronger than most of us believed. But after five years, no one is going to say that the terrorists are finished, much as we wish they were.

Check out the recent abc/bbc/ard/nhk poll on security and other issues in Iraq. It's fascinating stuff. Not a rosy picture, but an indication that things are improving. Very useful a few weeks before the Ambassador and General Petraeus testify on progress before Congress in April.

No NEC for Now

It looks like no none here will be movin' into the NEC (New Embassy Compound) any time soon. Why? see the attached. Have fun, and stay safe. Ed S.

http://oversight.house.gov/documents/20080229113039.pdf

Musings on Europe and Islam

First, apologies for all the typos and spelling errors in my previous post. I really do need to use that spell checker.

I thought you might want to see this article (see link below) really a short lecture, delivered by Bernard Lewis, Professor at Princeton (tough for me, a Penn guy, to mention that, but, truth in "advertising"....). I have been reading and admiring Lewis's history of islam since 1977 - in 30 years he has only gotten better. The attached is a bit different, more an estimative analysis. Not really the domain of an historian, but it frames nicely much of what we are now about in the opening of the 21st century, 14th if you favor Islamic calendars.

http://www.aei.org/publications/pubID.25815,filter.all/pub_detail.asp

oh, and here is the link to the Vanity Fair article about our new Mega Embassy.

http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2007/11/langewiesche200711
cheers, Ed

Baghdad crud and the new embassy

Sorry for the absence. I came down with the Baghdad crud. Actually, a bit of bronchitis and the flue at the same time. so much for the flue shot, eh? the downside to the 4 days of aches, pains, sniffles, coughing, etc. (and you don't want the details on the etc.) is that it was followed by 2 weeks of continuing coughing spells. the doc here says that was to be expected - my bronchi became hyper sensitive during the illness and it will be sometime until they get better. the dust,and all sorts of nasty stuff floating in the air (and you really don't want the details on that) also contribute. most everyone here is coughing a fair bit; I'm just doing it way above average (see mom, i am above average). it is very annoying as the coughing fit comes on if a speak at length. yes, loquacious ed brought down by post-bronchitic cough.

if you missed it, just yesterday, Friday, the Muslim day of prayer and rest, the Al-Qaeda bastards detonated two suicide bombers in the pets markets here in Baghdad. if the initial reports are true, these beast (Osama and his ilk) strapped suicide vests onto two mentally handicapped women, sent them into the pet market, then detonated their vests from a safe distance. they chose the pet market and on a friday as it gets the maximum number of women and children, moms take kids to pet markets on the day off. charming evil bastards those AQI types, eh?

did a tour of the new embassy compound. you can read much about it in a vanity fair article of some months ago, but ed's scoop: nice apartments, good office space, lots of creature comforts unheard of at most embassies (indoor pool, gyms, weight/exercise room, concession space for burger king, etc., etc..) but, as we cannot go out and shop on the local economy s we would normally do, well, everything must be provided inside the hardened structures where we'll live and work. sucha shame - most people in the foreign service like to get out with the locals - shopping in the souk, buying brochettes from street vendors in conakry, water from vendors in the djma il fna in marrakesh, etc. but, to keep us safe, we'll here be behind the walls and isolated away fromt he populace - rather self-defeaating of public diplomacy efforts.

still, it is a nice complex, though the line of site babyon hotel and nearby apartment complex will give snipers a great opportunity - though they'd likely get to do that only once, and not live to regret it.

still cold, bracing morning, chilly nights, sunny but nippy middays.

keep those cards and letters coming. and yes, the surge, or the change in tactics that necessitated the surge, is working.

Thanksgiving Day at the Embassy Annex

Well, Thanksgiving Day here was marvelous. It really was almost a day off. I did have to go and take notes at a high-level meeting, but what's two hours out of a holiday for the good of the Republic? Everyone in the office I'm in and a few spouses (also Embassy personnel) got together for Thanksgiving Feast - tablecloths on two wooden picnic table cum benches under a canopy next to the pool - food courtesy of KBR and the U.S. taxpayer. Great stuff, though I missed the cranberries in the stuffing (or filling as we Philly natives call it). And, several bottles of fine Lebanese wine accompanied the feast, so the holiday spirit and giving of thanks was in full swing. See atttached menu (if I figured out how to do that) Fortunately, the shelling, InDirectFire (IDF) did not start until we were at the coffee following the dessert course. Unfortunately, several Iraqis in the International Zone (aka the green zone) and one foreign guard qwere injured - no deaths in that barrage though, thank God for small favors! Only the touch football at the park or on the front/back lawn with family and relatives was missing. But at my age, i'd likely have gotten a cracked rib or two, so better to stop that "rough touch" football.