NORMALCY:

In oasis of calm in Kurdish north, Iraq builds university (Dexter Filkins, September 2, 2007, NY Times)

In this corner of Iraq untouched by war, people are able to focus on the more normal attributes of building a nation, like starting a university.

In a ceremony here last week, Iraq's leaders gathered for the groundbreaking for the American University of Iraq, a private institution that they hope will one day grow to mirror the more well-known American universities in Beirut and Cairo. The first classes, which will be conducted in English, are set to begin in a donated office next month.

In the shorter term, supporters of the new university will stand as a symbol for the sort of positive change that is possible, if not in all of Iraq, then at least in its Kurdish north.