Israeli settlement expansion, the separation wall, internal leadership struggles and the limited return of Gaza made 2005 another tough year for Palestinians, writes Khaled Amayreh

2005 was the year Ariel Sharon swept all before him -- including Mahmoud Abbas, writes Graham Usher

2005 was another year of grinding occupation, a questionable political process, and violence that continues to rip apart innocent Iraqi lives, writes Omayma Abdel-Latif

If Iran's reformists suffered their final defeat in 2005, what does that foretell for its future in the world community, asks Rasha Saad

Fifteen years after the end of the civil war, 2005 shook Lebanon to the core, writes Hicham Safieddine

Unprecedented events led to unprecedented pressures on Syria, notes Sami Moubayed

Gulf countries' dabbling with political liberalisation continues, though limits on political freedoms remain entrenched, writes Mohamed Darwish from Bahrain

Gamal Nkrumah finds the defining features of Sudan's tumultuous history graphically repeated in 2005

Gamal Nkrumah reviews a testing year for the South and the North's poor and disfranchised

Confronted with domestic terrorism, Tony Blair drafted legislation undermining the liberal core of the British political system while dodging root causes, writes Doaa El-Bey