Not for Nothing - Take 12

In pictures, see Iraq then and now.

Note that most of the initial pictures (2 through 10) are from 2007, which was the year of the "surge": Gen Petraeus was confirmed in early 2007, and additional troops soon followed him to Iraq. The most intense fighting raged through the summer.

Thank you, Ms Hagar for helping to document the changes in Iraq.

My favorite photo is her last one: a teacher and school girls smiling while on a field trip to Babylon.

In 2007, that photo might have seemed too much to hope for. Now that it's reality, it's particularly sweet.