BAGHDAD – A year after the last American troops rumbled out of Iraq, the two countries still are trying to get comfortable with a looser, more nuanced relationship as the young democracy struggles to cope with political upheaval and the legacy of war.

The military pullout a year ago today did not end Washington’s engagement. The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, a fortresslike campus as big as Vatican City, remains a highly visible reminder of America’s ongoing interest in Iraq’s future. Several senior U.S. officials have visited Baghdad over the past year, and America’s role as Iraq’s biggest arms supplier ensures continuing ties to the Iraqi military for years to come.

U.S. companies are hunting for Iraqi oil, and Chevrolet Malibus and Dodge Chargers increasingly cruise Baghdad streets still dotted with checkpoints. Iraqi Airways just days ago got its first Boeing jetliner in three decades, and it’s waiting for dozens more.