According to the 2008 Transatlantic Trends public opinion survey recently released by the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) -- available at www.gmfus.org -- Turkey's threat perception has declined and its confidence has increased compared to a year ago.

Unlike in the aftermath of World War I, none but the Middle East's own children are to blame for the turmoil that the region experiences today.

A successful transition in Iraq towards stability will require meangingful decentralisation, an equitable plan for oil revenue distribution - and a lot of compromise on all sides.