# Iraqi embassies after Baghdad's fall

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iraqi-embassies-after-baghdads-fall/187764>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 11, 2003, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iraqi-embassies-after-baghdads-fall/187764 "2003-07-11T17:55:54Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![BrightNShiny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@BrightNShiny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrightNShiny)\
**Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iraqi-embassies-after-baghdads-fall/187764/1 "2003-07-11T17:55:54Z")

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I was just wondering about this today. What exactly happened to the Iraqi embassies up to and after Baghdad’s fall? Did the Iraqis abandon them? Did the US occupy them? Is there some official process for transitioning them to the provisional government? Inquiring minds want to know. Thanks.

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**Author:** ![Mops](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mops/32/16494_2.png) [@Mops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mops)\
**Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iraqi-embassies-after-baghdads-fall/187764/2 "2003-07-11T18:30:04Z")

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The _government_ of Iraq is out to an extended lunch but the _state_ of Iraq continues to exist. The embassy buildings are the property of the latter, not the former.

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**Author:** ![BrightNShiny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@BrightNShiny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrightNShiny)\
**Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iraqi-embassies-after-baghdads-fall/187764/3 "2003-07-11T18:45:55Z")

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**tschild** , that may be true, but that doesn’t answer any of my questions.

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**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\
**Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iraqi-embassies-after-baghdads-fall/187764/4 "2003-07-11T19:42:57Z")

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Mostly the embassy staff is just sitting around, waiting for some sort of government to give them orders. The only difficulty is that they aren’t getting paid. I hope the pantries are pretty well stocked. As far as I know, no Iraqi embassies have been occupied by any troops or law enforcement agents of any country.

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**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\
**Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iraqi-embassies-after-baghdads-fall/187764/5 "2003-07-11T19:48:28Z")

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The US is having many of the embassies closed, or restaffed.  
Sometimes it goes smoothly:  
[Iraq closes embassy in Philippines](http://famulus.msnbc.com/FamulusIntl/reuters07-08-050710.asp?reg=PACRIM)  
Sometimes not:  
[Standoff at Iraq’s Beijing Embassy](http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=46346)