New Woes Beset Iraq Embassy

Slated for a September opening, the new $592 million U.S. embassy in Baghdad may not be big enough—though it's the size of the Vatican—or safe enough—though tens of millions are going into security—the LA Times reports. The controversial complex can accommodate 1000 people, but analysts say it will still be a vulnerable target if US troops pull out and the country spirals into civil war.

The embassy, with its own power plant, fast-food joints and beauty salon, was designed assuming Iraq would stabilize by the time it was complete. Now it is being called an anachronism. Locals, meanwhile, seem resentful at the scale of the project. "It's as if it's their country, and we're guests staying here," one astonished Iraqi remarked. (More Iraq stories.)