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.

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.

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.