American embassies across the world are not just mere symbols of diplomatic relations. They are impenetrable fortresses that even Americans have a hard time accessing.

In Amman, the American embassy is barely visible from the thick concrete walls that surround it. For Jordanians, it is an inaccessible, luxurious center exclusively for a few lucky Americans to get their work done and maybe schmooze at a fancy dinner for diplomats.

All the American embassies across the world, however, pale in comparison to the one going up in Baghdad. It's enormous, extravagant and comes at a totally inappropriate time. Iraqis have watched this thing go up on prime Baghdad real estate with their mouths hanging open for months now, and a recent leak of some design blueprints finally released the story for mainstream America to see.

According to a 2006 Associated Press article, the 104-acre complex is six times larger than the United Nations compound in New York.

The estimated cost will total over $1 billion when it's done, and it will be totally self-sufficient with its own wastewater treatment plant, water wells and electricity. We'd hate to have to depend on Baghdad's utilities; God forbid Americans have to drink contaminated water or risk having their electricity go out like the rest of humanity in Iraq.

In addition to the office buildings for diplomats, it will also have six apartment buildings to house employees and a recreation center complete with a swimming pool, food court and American Club, which is standard for many American embassies across the world. The embassy will employ 5,500 people when it's done, many of them security personnel.

A Senate report released last April indicated that the pace of the American embassy project is far faster and more effective than any other projects in Iraq. It beats out the construction of health facilities, power plants and water treatment plants for Iraqis.

This comes as no surprise, seeing as how any projects outside the heavily fortified Green Zone, the safe haven in which Americans are holed up, are nearly impossible to complete with the current state of chaos plaguing Iraq.

American officials defending the project say the embassy's size and breadth are necessary because Americans are in Iraq for the long haul and the facility reflects the work Americans have ahead of them in the country. It looks more like Americans are sending a message of who's really in charge in Iraq.

As the embassy goes up faster than Iraqis can say "Green Zone," Iraq's mosques and historic landmarks are casually being blown up left and right. What message is this palace of an embassy sending?

America's got a lot of nerve building this monster embassy when the situation in Iraq does not cater to any diplomatic formalities. Besides the embassy going up, Americans can be sure to expect equally large and long-term U.S. military bases in Iraq.

How about military bases and facilities for the Iraqi military, which will ultimately be responsible for keeping the peace? When and if they go up, they certainly won't be built as fast as the American embassy.

Like the embassy, this war and its repercussions have spiraled out of the control of Americans' hands. When will Iraqis take control of their own land and diplomacy? If this embassy is any indication, America's making sure that time is a long way away.