Summer in Baghdad: Five years after the Iraq war began, Iraqi civilians still wake up daily to the perils of sectarian violence and bloodshed. Political reconciliation remains tantalizingly out of reach. Yet despite these ongoing problems, security gains in Baghdad are allowing for some much-needed leisure time for Iraqis, many of whom are enjoying summertime with their friends and families. With the “surge” over now that U.S. forces in Iraq have scaled down, and a top U.S. general telling the Associated Press that Baghdad is “probably the best we’ve ever seen it,” Iraqis might finally be glimpsing normalcy again.