But they appear to be the exception. On Thursday night, the sound of folk instruments and ululating women signaled the arrival of a wedding party at the Babylon Hotel, where many foreign journalists are staying, and soccer games filled a threadbare park next to the Information Ministry on Friday, the Muslim day of rest. Radhi recalled a birthday party, complete with champagne and smoked salmon, that she threw for one of her daughters during the last bombardment. They sort of look at war as a sort of missile response on selected targets. Iraqis have plenty of experience with war and its attendant hardships, having fought a grueling eight-year war with Iran in the 1980s and invaded Kuwait in 1990.
Peace is the exception.
The populace certainly has proven adept at survival. Returning here for the first time in more than two years, an American visitor has the impression that living conditions have improved somewhat, at least here in the capital. Markets are well stocked with oranges, tomatoes, cabbages and other produce. There are plenty of consumer goods for those who can afford them, and a few Iraqis, at least, appear to be prospering. The evidence includes the recent opening of several new boutiques and restaurants catering to an upscale clientele, including one, the Captain's Table, where the waiters dress up as pirates.