Iraq's Factional Chaos Threatens to Disrupt A Kurdish Haven.

ERBIL, Iraq -- For the Kurds here in this ancient city, the rewards of war are numerous and obvious. Construction cranes rise from the cityscape. Highway medians are green with shrubbery. A glittering shopping mall with an indoor ice skating rink stands as a totem of American-style consumerism. The only blast walls in sight are those that protect the regional parliament, decorated by sunflowers painted in muted shades of yellow. Among Iraqis, the Kurds benefited the most from the war, and now may have the most to lose if the political chaos that followed the departure of American forces metastasizes into civil war. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]