The double suicide bombing in Baghdad on Sunday that claimed more than 130 lives, and wounded hundreds more, highlights that the situation in Iraq is still far from stable.
Other news from that troubled country indicates that even the construction of the world's largest and "most secure" embassy (the US embassy) has been spectacularly botched.
Despite the US spending $700M on construction, the yet to be completed complex is riddled with serious flaws eg; "safe areas" that were not constructed according to contract specifications, walls and walkways that have begun to crack and a power distribution system that used nonstandard wiring.
There are also plumbing problems in 200 locations in the embassy compound, eg the deputy ambassador has the pleasure of airconditioning that pumps noxious sewage fumes into his residence, and deficiencies in a water treatment plant.
The cost of repairs is estimated at being a "mere" $132M.
However, the cost of running the new complex is expected to be so exorbitant that the US may well be forced to rent out part of the space.
Why on earth was such an unwieldy building commissioned in the first place?
As some local wags point out, if the Americans cannot even build their own embassy without botching it, how can they possibly expect to build a nation?
