Imperial Life in the Emerald City – Inside Iraq’s green zone –

“… Baghdad, 2003: in a walled-off compound of swimming pools and luxurious amenities, Paul Bremer and his coalition Provisional Authority set out to fashion a new democratic Iraq. Staffed by idealistic aides chosen primarily for their views on issues such as abortion and capital punishment, the CPA spent the crucial first year of occupation pursuing goals that had little to do with the immediate needs of a postwar nation.

Rajiv Chandrasekaran, former Washington Post Baghdad bureau chief, gives us an intimate portrait of life inside this Oz-like bubble, which continued unaffected by the growing mayhem outside.”