Michael Totten reports from Sadr City

I was there when it was still called Saddam City. It's great to see such progress.

“I can take you to a hookah bar and chai shop,” he continued, “where we've given them a grant and they made drastic improvements to the outside. That had a great impact because it showed what U.S. forces are willing to do for Iraqis. It's a cultural and social hub of this neighborhood. Many people see what we've done for them. We didn't just make an investment with one person, the business owner. There may be hundreds of local men in the area who go to this hookah shop every week, and we made an impact with all of them.”

Built to hold a million unwanted Iraqis, Sadr City is now the most modern neighborhood of Baghdad.