Baghdad: al-Mamoon Exchange and Telecommunications

The al-Mamoon Exchange and Telecommunications center (telephone and Internet) is a major project that will help bring more Baghdad residents the technology of the 21st Century, thus having a major impact on the flow of information and cultural exchange between Iraq and the rest of the world.

It's being built under the supervision of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), and contractors and employees include both Americans and Iraqis. It's exciting to see the level of Iraqi involvement and enthusiasm in this (the interview I'm still waiting on for hosting also touches on the development of the Iraqi construction/industrial professions).

The pictures below are from Bob and Jim's visit a couple of days ago...

Interviewing a senior American contractor at the jobsite (Bob interviewing, Jim filming):


Iraqi construction workers learning on the job:


Talking with an American contractor and Iraqi (Btw, I found this picture to be a fascinating example of the differences in American and Iraqi body language and social psychology):


Again, Bob and Jim will have video of these sites and interviews conducted there when they return.

Addendum: Here is some USACE video of the worksite from May 2007 that includes a computer graphic of the expected final result. The tone is a bit propaganda-ish, but there is b-roll footage also.