Militarily a bit quieter, AND it's a political problem with no military solution. With bodies still scattered around Baghdad.

CONCRETE BLAST WALLS
"It is quieter in Baghdad at the moment. At times earlier this year and last, gunfire, mortars and explosions punctured the air every hour. Now we are counting the gaps in days - in our part of the capital at least."

"It is different to six months ago," Kareem told me, perched beside a small wooden table spread with cheap watches.

"We were in what is known as the Thieves' Market in the central Bab al-Sharji district.

"The proof is you can come here today. You couldn't do that before," he added.

"He held up a watch with a Seiko logo. "Best quality," he assured me with a smile. The protective walls have prompted many shops and stalls to re-open.

But the atmosphere was nervous. Most shopkeepers and passers by would not talk to us. They watched uneasily as we filmed. Foreigners are a rare sight here - except for heavily-armed US soldiers.

A small, bespectacled man approached.

"What are you doing here?" he asked in good English.

I explained we were doing a report for the BBC.

"I would like to talk to you," he said, looking around. "But it's too dangerous."

Before I could say anything more, he was gone.

That anonymous man in the crowd, rather than the watch-seller, better reflects the mood right now.

Most Iraqis see only a veneer of better security - one that depends on endless concrete walls and thousands of checkpoints, many of them manned by security forces they still do not trust

Watching Gen David Petraeus's polished slide shows last week, it is possible for those outside Iraq to believe a corner has been turned.

Maybe it has. But from inside Iraq it is far too early to say so.

Most Iraqis see only a veneer of better security - one that depends on endless concrete walls and thousands of checkpoints, many of them manned by security forces they still do not trust.

But behind these walls, no-one is suing for peace.

The factions involved in Iraq's many conflicts are as far apart as ever.