The Green Zone

The Green Zone (officially, International Zone or IZ) is that part of Baghdad which has the greatest concentration of Iraqi ministry buildings, allied military facilities, foreign embassies, and NGO headquarters. Some Iraqi civilians also live here, but not many. It is heavily protected. Iraqi troops control access through a limited number of checkpoints. There are numerous roadblocks and checkpoints throughout the Green Zone, most designed to protect particularly sensitive sites like the U.S. Embassy.

The map of Baghdad and the Green Zone is a little out of date, but you can easily see our

compound on it. Ive outlined it in red. It's called Park's Edge. The park referred to no longer exists. The space has been filled in with more compounds. The open field directly across the street is now the British Embassy. To the left of that is a new Foreign Ministry building that will be used to house visiting dignitaries. First use will be the upcoming Mideast summit.

Down the road and to the west (left) you can see the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. It looks like a stadium in the photo. To the west (left) of that are the immense and famous crossed swords that marked the two ends of Saddam Hussein's parade grounds. Take the major road that runs southward, between our compound and the Tomb, and you come to the 14th of July Bridge, a major checkpoint. West of the bridge, along the waterfront, is the U.S. Embassy compound.

My first outing here was to a place called The Sugar Shack, about ten minutes towards the U.S. Embassy. I think they used to have cakes, but cakes aren't in high demand among the PSTs (Private Security Teams) and NGO workers who occupy the Green Zone. Alcohol and cigarettes, however, are. Several multinational security companies call the neighborhood home. We parked next to a makeshift football pitch where local Iraqi employees were having a match. We walked through the Sugar Shack and its displays of 5.11 tactical gear and knickknacks, and out the back to a hooch (shipping container) where an Iraqi man sold wine, beer, and spirits. He doesn't sell to strangers. The transport and sale of alcohol are illegal inside the Green Zone. Drier than Amarillo.

My second outing was with a PST who sometimes drops by. This 'dropping by' is not an accident. PSTs tend to gravitate towards compounds with young women residents. This afternoon, for instance, "Razor" is dropping by, will take a few of us to the Sugar Shack, and then come back for dinner. Later tonight, Paul is dropping by to take us to the bar in the AEGIS compound. (Iraqi police don't look too closely at what happens inside the compounds.)

Paul is very patient. At a big party here three nights ago, Paul invited the young ladies and their colleagues (that would be the old people--me and two other ladies of a certain age) for a shopping trip the next day at the embassy commissary and a drink afterwards. The young ladies accepted. But when Paul arrived with two vehicles, the young ladies politely declined, and Paul was stuck with the old people. Bait and switch, we call it. He was gracious about it.

Everyone tends to benefit from this system. And we try not to make the young ladies whore too much for us.

My next blog post will also be about the Green Zone. And my first Saturday night outside of the compound.