In the end-credits of Green Zone, you see that the plot is loosely based on the book by Rajiv Chandrashekara, Imperial Life in the Emerald City. I thought the reference to Baghdad as “Emerald City” was because of the “Green Zone”. You know. Green, emerald. Same hues etc.
Turns out I’m utterly wrong.
As I was listening to Superforecasting, a book on rational predictions about the future, the author mentions the Emerald City of The Wizard of Oz.
In the story, people entering the city are made to wear green spectacles. The green glasses make everything in the city look green. Kind of like a forced illusion. A deception if you will.
What happened in Iraq (cue: WMD) was nothing different. So even though Rajiv’s book is about post-war reconstruction in Iraq and he says his book is not about being for or against the U.S invasion (that’s what it is, ain’t it? Not war. Just pure invasion. Not unlike Genghis Khan), his nomenclature is casting an interesting light on it. All the WMD stuff was smoke and mirrors to topple the government and install a puppet.
All of U.S and NATO was made to wear the green spectacles.