Reporters on the Job

Related stories: 12/10/04 A Marine company and a month in Fallujah 11/26/04 In pockets of Fallujah, US troops still face harsh battles 11/22/04 Fallujah attacks expose new risks 11/19/04 Fallujah yields up weapons, videos 11/18/04 Still under fire, US troops shifting to relief effort

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"Everything has changed," says Scott. "There are people everywhere, and far more families than I expected. They are also remarkably relaxed." ( See story.)

That usually means smiles in exchange for candies and pens, and the kind of face-to-face time that is rare in Iraq - especially in Fallujah.

The marines, Scott says, are trying to put a gentler face on the occupation. Monday, they sealed off a road and lined up 20 car drivers and passengers for a pat-down. Afterward, a marine who speaks Arabic apologized to the men and told them, if they saw anything out of the ordinary, to tell an American, because "we are here to help you."

The men nooded their assent, and as one climbed into his car, he told the marines: "Thank you very much."

"The verdict is still out on whether Fallujah 'works' as a model for crushing insurgents," says Scott. "But people here are showing unexpected resilience. Shops are opening, and even a few schools are on their third day of classes."

• Helpful Conversation: Correspondent Faiza Ambah, who is attending a counterterrorism conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, was intrigued by an exchange with three young men in the hotel lobby ( see story). "They were students at Imam Saud Islamic Law University, with the untrimmed beards and unadorned head scarves that mark the devout," she says. "One asked if I were a Muslim and then, why my hair wasn't covered. We spent 20 minutes talking about whether or not that was a sin. He asked if I'd start wearing a hijab if he proved to me that Islam demands it of women. I said no. He apologized for his curiosity and said he had never sat with a woman whose hair wasn't covered. I think we both came away a bit wiser and more tolerant."

Amelia Newcomb
Deputy world editor

Cultural snapshot

		MIXED BAG: A marine on patrol in Fallujah, Iraq, keeps both grenades and candy close at hand. SCOTT PETERSON/GETTY IMAGES

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