All's not so quiet
The Palestinian Authority as well as the general Palestinian public condemned the "thuggish and irresponsible" assault on Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher, Khaled Amayreh reports

Facing up to fitna
Iraqi observers downplayed growing fears of intra-Iraqi divisions, Omayma Abdel-Latif reports

The long road ahead
Beginning with the war that ousted Saddam Hussein from power and ending with his capture, 2003 afforded Iraqis a great deal of suffering yet presented them with high expectations, writes Salah Hemeid

Target dodge
Earlier in 2003 bets were divided between Syria and Iran as to which would be target number three in the US "war against terror". By year's end Tehran had masterfully dodged the potential bullet. Rasha Saad reviews a turbulent year in Iran

Sharon must be stopped
There is only one way to save Palestinian-Israeli peace in 2004: drop Sharon, writes Mustafa Barghouthi

Syria: much ado, but nothing happened
The war on Iraq was used to put pressure on Syria in 2003 to amend foreign and domestic policies, writes Sami Moubayed

Turkey: new era or fading false dawn?
By the turbulent standards of recent Turkish politics, 2003 was remarkably tranquil, writes Gareth Jenkins

Principles and personalities
In 2003, improved prospects for peace in southern Sudan were offset by the eruption of war in western Sudan, writes Gamal Nkrumah

Gulf on the brink
Hot on the heels of the capture of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, the GCC summit wraps up developments that launched a new era in the region. Sherine Bahaa reports