Brimming with optimism? On Thursday, March 20, 2003, the United States launched missiles at Baghdad in an effort to "disarm Iraq and to free its people," as then U.S. President George W. Bush put it. In the following years, the capital city became overrun by death squads, and car bombings were an everyday occurrence. But in the wake of the 2007 U.S. troop surge, daily life has reemerged, though the city isn't in the clear yet. Above, a vendor serves fresh orange juice at his fruit stand in Baghdad on Feb. 21. A glass costs about 70 U.S. cents.