Baghdad - The contrast between the Baghdad I saw in 2006 and the Baghdad I saw last month seemed nothing short of miraculous.

Families gathered and picnicked in parks along the Tigris River. Baghdad University students danced at a party on campus. Restaurants and shops were bustling. I even rode around town in an unarmored car and walked down a busy market street without body armor, a previously unthinkable occurrence.

To my Western eyes, life in the war-torn capital seemed surreally normal. The Iraqis who spoke with our documentary crew, however, saw things differently. They emphasized the tenuous and fragile nature of the positive changes they've experienced. Indeed, two bombings wounded seven Iraqis on the same crowded...