But despite all the fears of civil war and terrorism, it seems Iraqis have come to terms with the chaos. As in Germany in the years after World War II, where there was an overriding sense of "having got through it all", people in Iraq are looking beyond the destruction, suffering and crises to the future. Their motto: progress.

At any rate, Iraqi incomes have more than doubled in the past two years, to an average of $236 a month, and the range of consumer durables on offer has improved markedly. Almost every household now possesses a television set, and 86 percent of TV viewers also have a satellite dish.

Mobile telephones, luxury items owned by just five percent of the population two years ago, are now mass market goods possessed by 62 per cent of households. The number of people owning cars (55 percent) and washing machines (54 percent) has risen along similar lines.

Reason enough for Iraqis to display an almost inexplicable confidence. Across the country, almost 70 percent of the population believe that within a year, the situation in Iraq will be either "somewhat better" or "a lot better".