Next Summer, Vacation in Baghdad!

In rebuilding the war-ravaged city of Baghdad, one wonders what items top the list of municipal priorities: clean running water, a reliable power grid, roads free of improvised explosive devices, schools, hospitals...

Or how about ... a giant Ferris wheel?

Yes!

We know that Baghdad is still low on the list of vacation destinations these days, even for those a quick car ride or flight away. It could be the economic hardships currently faced by Iraqis; it could be the unwillingness by foreigners to vacation in a city regularly rocked by suicide bombers and antitank mines. But it also could be the lack of giant carnival attractions.

And by God, one of those things is eminently fixable.

A municipal spokesman tells the Associated Press that the Ferris wheel in question is to be named the Baghdad Eye (after the giant Ferris wheel currently running in London, naturally).

It's intended to be over 650 feet tall (almost half again bigger than the London version) and feature air-conditioned compartments that would each carry up to 30 passengers.

The idea borders on the preposterous for anyone under the impression that Baghdad has been, and still is, in a state of chaos and poverty. But is the city really still in dire straights?

While violence has indeed been slowly subsiding, bombings are still a problem (one yesterday; one last week), and the city's infrastructure is far from functional. On Saturday Reuters reported that electricity "flickers on in Baghdad for just a few hours a day," and rampant water and sewage issues exist in parts of the city.

Iraqi government officials may claim that Baghdad residents are now beginning to stray from their homes, but the New York Times reported last Friday that "out of the more than 151,000 families who had fled their houses in Baghdad, just 7,112 had returned." In short, Baghdad is as bad as you imagine it.

The Associated Press says that "the Ferris wheel and other tourism projects could be built in areas where security is tight and unlikely that suicide attacks would happen" ... which is certainly refreshing to hear.

But the Baghdad Eye is going to have a devil of a time with that electricity bit especially, being that Ferris wheels, along with elevators and life-support machines, top the list of devices on which people are least keen to lose power.

We think Iraq's tourism commission may be putting the cart before the horse -- or better put, the wheel before the power -- with the new proposal, but despite all odds, Iraq really does seem hell-bent on beginning to repair the tourism industry with projects like luxury hotels, golf courses, and spas.

Bids are currently being solicited for the Baghdad Eye. Are you listening, KBR? This could be a fun one.

by Liz Gunnison