A ray of economic hope is evident in Huntsville, Ala.

By John C. Bersia

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — After a recent column about the global recession, in which I described our situation as bad but not desperate, several readers angrily responded: “There’s really no reason for optimism. If you’re that hopeful, why didn’t you provide some inspiring examples?”

Happy to oblige. In fact, I am visiting one of them right now, a city that is generally smiling its way through the economic downturn and — believe it or not — awaiting more jobs this year.

First, though, I stand by my position which, incidentally, was sympathetic about the disruption to people’s lives across the nation. Also, I hardly painted a rosy picture. Actually, my stance echoed the thoughts of a piece in The World in 2009 (www.economist.com/theworldin). It said that the “go-go years” have been replaced by the “go-slow years,” and that times will unquestionably be tough, especially in 2009. But the article also concluded that we almost certainly are not sliding into a depression like that of the 1930s. I agree. If we focus only on the negative, we will continue to talk ourselves into circumstances that are worse than they need to be. So, instead, let us consider some rays of hope.

Back to Huntsville. Everyone I have met here — from business owners to students to military personnel to workers in restaurants, hotels and transportation — has been in an astonishingly good mood. And not only because the circus happens to be in town. This city is regularly held up as one of America’s finest places to live and work.

Earlier this year, officials announced that Huntsville had received a AAA bond rating from Standard & Poor’s, a decent feat in the midst of a recession. Yes, this area does have a unique combination of defense, space and technology industries, along with prominent facilities such as the U.S. Army’s Redstone Arsenal, NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center and Cummings Research Park. But it also has an infectious, can-do spirit.

Moving on, in a recent issue of The Economist, a relevant article appeared under the headline, “Reasons to be Cheerful, Part 2.” It centered on a heartening tidbit: Despite the U.S. economy’s increasingly ailing status, the plunge appears to be slowing down. I would add that with the right moves by policymakers — acting in a bipartisan manner — and a gradual return to confidence, more pronounced braking should occur.

Moving on again, an issue of the Wall Street Journal, which I picked up at my hotel in Huntsville, had an article on restaurants titled “Grand Openings in Grim Times.”

At a moment when more people are heading to fast-food outlets, that news item sounded counter-intuitive. According to the article, a surprisingly large number of ambitious eateries will open around the country in the coming months. Are the “contrarian chefs” associated with those enterprises on to something?

Rapprochement

Moving on yet again, in a development little noticed by much of the outside world, a group of Turks and Kurds recently came together in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq. A key player was the Turkish consul general from nearby Mosul, a city in Arab-dominated Iraq. The gathering suggested the beginnings of a rapprochement that is long overdue, considering that Turkish companies estimated at more than 1,000 have operations in the KRG, and tens of thousands of Turks reportedly work there. Could a Turkish consulate in Erbil come next? With the Kurds flexing their growing economic muscle — in connection with the Turks and other parties — even more possibilities beckon. So does enhanced stability. Along with Iraq and its neighbors, the United States would benefit.

Finally, I would simply say that the list goes on. For every gloomy cloud, a bright spot appears — if one takes the time to look for it. No, we cannot all live in Huntsville or muster the resources to launch a nice restaurant. But we can keep our eyes on — and plan for — the prize: the prosperity that eventually will follow today’s misery.

X John C. Bersia, who won a Pulitzer Prize in editorial writing for the Orlando Sentinel in 2000, is the special assistant to the president for global perspectives at the University of Central Florida. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.