Know for its more unusual articles, Wired Magazine recently published an article about how a business managed to thrive in Baghdad for about a year illegally. In “Beers in Baghdad: Remembering the World’s Most Dangerous Bar”, journalist Spencer Ackerman takes a look into how two men were able to create a surprisingly successful bar in a country predominantly against alcohol consumption.
For Americans, many are glad that the struggles of Americans in Iraq have for the most part concluded with the final withdrawal of soldiers. During the tumultuous times in this Iraqi war, particularly during the violent years from 2006-2007, it seems only natural that soldiers would need a way to blow off steam: to have a drink. However, General Order #1 forbids US soldiers from alcohol consumption. Despite this, British former paratrooper James and Baghdad local Ajax created an illegal and thus secret bar in the Baghdad “Green Zone”; this “Baghdad Country Club” thus became the place of relaxation for mostly UN members and sometimes mercenaries. This was not only difficult because they were defying the national laws but also doubly challenging because they were in the demilitarized Green Zone, where the US Military held control. Eventually, the duo had to disband because IZ (international zone) police were constantly barging into the bar with full military gear, checking the credentials of each individual who was there.
Ackerman makes a strong play to humor, writing this article out in the form of a humorous interview and writing out several sarcastic comments. This was written in a spatial context, in that he is referencing an event in the past, and is written for readers of Wired. Throughout the interview/article, Ackerman allows specific use of narration to tell the story, as he has the interviewee “Bearman” speak about his experiences with Baghdad Country Club. Rather than perhaps dully reporting the information in an article, Ackerman writes out the words of the interview to make it not only more engaging but also to add a sense of realism to the piece.
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