Five-star hotel planned for Baghdad

As reported here, Iraqi officials say they have approved plans to build a five-star hotel in the Baghdad's heavily guarded Green Zone.

In another forum, a friend of mine stated that Fox News was reporting this, and wondered - because this really does show how much the situation in Iraq has improved, an improvement you don't hear about from the MSM - whether any other news organizations had also reported about this. I had just finished reading the above linked article when I saw my friends question, and this is what I replied to him when he expressed surprise:

"The reason this is getting the attention it is, is not because of the positive outlook for conditions on the ground in Iraq. No, it's because the MSM is shocked, shocked I tell you, that anyone would be so foolish as to build something like that when there's a "civil war" going on. The MSM is so focused on the negative in Iraq (of which there is less and less) that they find it inconceivable that something like this would even be contemplated, let alone discussed seriously as something that is going to happen."

Yes, the hotel is being built in the heavily fortified Green Zone, and no, the article does not specify a ground breaking date for the commencement of construction which could be (and probably will be) construed as potential misgivings on the part of the contractor building such a grand project in the heart of a war zone. But the reality is that, just like anywhere else a construction project is built, there is a process that needs to be gone through before the first shovel hits the dirt - plans must be drawn, permits obtained, subcontractors lined up, the work force hired, materials pirchased, and in this case specifically, security measures must be formulated and adopted

But think about this for a minute, folks. Despite what the MSM and the majority members of Congress would have you believe, things on the ground in Iraq have improved, and have improved to such an extent that the Iraqi's are making positive plans for the future that doesn't involve constant conflict.

Iraq needs to rebuild, and not just infrastructure and schools, necessary as those are, but for the future as well. A future where they expect people to travel to Iraq, not to take up arms, but to enjoy the rich cultural heritage of Iraq, and to engage in investing in, and building businesses. Those people need to stay somewhere, right? I expect more hotels to come, and in the very near future, in spite of the incredulity of the MSM and members of the current majority in Congress.

H/T to conservative67 for the idea for this post.