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A Rough Road In Iraq

--By Kathryn R. Satterfield

The war in Iraq officially ended on May 1. But a different struggle has taken its place. Rebuilding the country has proved slow, difficult and dangerous. Some Iraqis want U.S. troops to leave. American soldiers suffer almost daily attacks, and innocent aid workers and Iraqi citizens have also been killed.

After U.S.-led forces removed Saddam Hussein from power, people celebrated in the streets. Hussein, who is thought to be in hiding, had governed Iraq since 1979. Many Iraqis lived in fear of his violent rule.

But some of the celebrations dissolved into chaos. People stripped hospitals, schools and office buildings of equipment and supplies. Gangs of thieves threatened daily life. Over the summer, power cuts made life unbearable for millions.

Still, in recent weeks, there has been progress. Police officers now direct traffic in Baghdad. Crews of cleaners are tidying city streets. The power supply has slowly improved.

Last week, Iraqi banks received the country's new currency, which no longer features the image of Saddam Hussein. In early October, about 4.5 million children returned to school. And a temporary governing council, which took over in July, is paving the way for a new democratic government.

HOPE FOR A BRIGHTER FUTURE

Most Iraqis welcome these changes. Jabar Al-Amri, the principal of a newly reopened school in Baghdad, says it made "his heart sing" to see the students so happy. But these are small victories in a poor country still reeling from the war. About 70% of Iraqis are unemployed. Oil production, once the nation's major moneymaker, has been nearly stopped by the war's effects.

On October 16, the United Nations Security Council unanimously approved a plan to encourage other nations to provide money and peacekeepers. The plan also gives the governing council until December 15 to set a time frame for writing a new Iraqi constitution and holding elections.

Iyad Allawi, the council's current president, promised earlier this month that his country will definitely hold elections in 2004. His group, says Allawi, "will proceed forward in very steady steps toward building a new Iraq."

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