U.S. embassy in Iraq Larger than Vatican city

They call it "Goerge W's Palace". The fortress-like compound rising beside the Tigris River is the largest embassy in the world. In fact, it's larger than Vatican City.
The population matches that of a suburban town, and it boasts its own defense forces. Why would the U.S. build the largest embassy in the world in Iraq unless they plan on staying long term? Larger than Vatican City? Sounds long term to me. There are 5,500 Americans and Iraqis working at the embassy, half are listed as security. State Department spokesman Justin Higgins defended the size of the embassy, old and new, saying it’s indicative of the work facing the United States here. “It’s somewhat self-evident that there’s going to be a fairly sizable commitment to Iraq by the U.S. government in all forms for several years,” he said in Washington.

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