BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Hardened by years of conflict and deprivation,Baghdad has only strengthened its reputation for resilience in theyear since the war in Iraq began.
At times, the city looked perilously close to the brink ofstrife or chaos, only to step back and resume its search for anormal existence.
But the pain is evident.
A banner outside the Kazimiya religious shrine decries theterror that has repeatedly struck with lethal impact. ''Why areIraqi lives so worthless? Why is Iraqi blood without value?'' asksthe sign hanging near the spot where some of the 71 dead fell in atriple bombing March 2.
A new fence surrounds the grounds of the gold-domed ShiiteMuslim shrine, and an additional barrier of coiled barbed wire issnagging litter.
People speak of a city hurting. Some complain bitterly of thelack of security. A few talk with near nostalgia about the days ofSaddam Hussein when they walked the streets without fear. Problemsare blamed on the American occupiers, or foreigners in general, orthe new political order that followed Saddam's ouster.
Sometimes, such as after the Kazimiya attack, the tough timesthreaten to rend the city of 5 million people along ethnic lines. Afew residents are Arab Christians or Muslim Kurds, but the vastmajority are about evenly divided between the antagonistic Sunniand Shiite branches of Islam.
''Baghdad is wounded, and its wound is deep,'' said SamarQahtan, a 30-year-old actor. ''When Saddam was overthrown, we felta great joy. Occupation is the price we had to pay, but it must endsoon.''
Signs of recovery are spreading. Festering heaps of uncollectedgarbage can still be found in most parts of the city, but somestreets have never been cleaner, people say. Stores stay open until10 p.m. or later. Schools and universities are open and so arepolice stations, prisons and hospitals.
Unemployment is down from 60 percent to 30 percent or less,thanks to reconstruction work, the return of trade and the gradualrise of civil service ranks to prewar levels. Crime remains aproblem, but violence and other serious offenses have dropped by 33percent, occupation officials say.
Electricity is back to prewar levels, meaning there are periodicdaily outages that can last eight to 10 hours. An uninterruptedpower supply is predicted for June.
Baghdad's streets are clogged with jams of cars, trucks andbuses, and motorists still run red lights with impunity to add tothe chaos. But order is slowly being restored as more traffic copstake to the beat.
Yet, this remains a city under siege. Barbed wire, concreteblast barriers and sandbags are nearly everywhere -- outsidehospitals, banks, embassies, some homes and the headquarters of thecoalition on the west bank of the Tigris River. Explosions, manyunexplained, routinely rock the city. Bursts of gunfire arefrequent, but don't attract much attention.
Terrorism is expected to remain a problem. L. Paul Bremer,Iraq's chief U.S. administrator, says attacks are likely tointensify over the remaining months before the planned transfer ofpower back to Iraqis on June 30.
A recent poll conducted for ABC News and several other newsorganizations said about 70 percent of Iraqis surveyed have highhopes for the future and say their lives are going well. About halfwere upset by the occupation, although few people wanted coalitiontroops to leave soon. The poll found the biggest worries were jobs,security and basic services.
Baghdadis' concerns are reflected in banners, posters andgraffiti being put up everywhere. They point to the struggle tocope, to reinvent Iraq, to come to terms with the changes.
A poster depicting some of the bloodied bodies of the Kazimiyabombing offers a bitter lament: ''My God, if this makes you happy,then take more until you are fully satisfied.''
Across the Tigris, in the Sunni neighborhood of al-A'azamia, abanner outside a Sunni mosque ''regrets and condemns'' the March 2attack, seeking to reassure rival Shiites of Sunnis' good will.''Saddam + U.S. thieves,'' charges graffiti scrawled onal-Jumhuriya bridge across the Tigris, a short distance from themain gate of the coalition headquarters.
A huge billboard erected by the occupation authority shows apoliceman pointing a finger Uncle Sam-wants-you style: ''I fightthieves, highway robbers and terrorists. I don't do it to be rich,but because I am a member of the Iraqi police. What have YOU donefor Iraq?''
Some people complain that the U.S. military hasn't done enoughfor them.
Mohammed Ahmed, a former government worker whose family is oneof several hundred with homes inside the ''Green Zone'' that housesthe coalition headquarters, is angry about stringent securitychecks. The father of five says he spends 2 to 2 1/2 hours waitingevery time he drives home.
''We are humiliated and insulted,'' he said, sitting in hisbattered, Brazilian-made red Volkswagen in a line of carsstretching about a half-mile at 10:30 p.m. ''We were much morecomfortable under Saddam. My children are afraid to go to school.We are scared to drive at night.
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
