Inside Iraq’s American-Themed ABC Restaurant in Erbil, Kurdistan

Every Friday at dinner time, a spry-looking Uncle Sam — stovepipe hat, stars-and-stripes suit, surprisingly brown beard — dances his way around the 11 sprawling buffet stations of ABC Restaurant. He twirls past a steakhouse featuring mounted longhorns, wagon wheels, and wood-paneled walls lined with U.S. license plates; a neon-accented diner serving fast food; and a McDonald’s-style playground. Children mob the costumed figure, squealing with delight. Parents laugh, whipping out phones to capture the moment. It’s all-American,…