Just when you thought you heard it all, you see this. The Green Zone as the hot new attraction with posh hotels, luxury shopping and an amusement park for the entire family. I'm sure the pro-war crowd is just lining up to get in on the action. Forget about jobs and feeding families, get in now and make cash from chaos. Hooray for the shining beacon of freedom and democracy! Oh look, is that the al-Sadr roller coaster over there?
Forget the rocket attacks, concrete blast walls and lack of a sewer system. Now try to imagine luxury hotels, a shopping center and even condos in the heart of Baghdad.
That's all part of a five-year development "dream list" — or what some dub an improbable fantasy — to transform the U.S.-protected Green Zone from a walled fortress into a centerpiece for Baghdad's future.
