Where the new year is concerned, Assem El-Kersh tells us all we could know

Assem El-Kersh asks veteran analyst Abdel-Moneim Said what the new year could mean for Egypt, the region and the world

It remains to be seen whether the NDP's landslide victory is a curse or a blessing. Gamal Essam El-Din canvasses opinions

Concern over water resources rumbled on throughout 2010 and will spill over into 2011, reports Reem Leila

More than ever before, the new parliament reserved 64 seats for women, Reem Leila explores the prospects

By deciding to construct eight nuclear power plants, the government went some ways towards increasing energy sources but tenders, funding and training are issues unresolved, reports Doaa El-Bey

Low wages, Palestine and politics were reason enough for hundreds of protests in 2010. The trend is unlikely to wane, writes Amira Howeidy

With the peace process going nowhere, and the US having failed in its role as broker, Palestinian leaders are considering their options, writes Khaled Amayreh

The main problem Hamas faces is that the factors that make its life hard are all beyond its control, writes Saleh Al-Naami

Persia has always kept its own time. But followers of the Gregorian calendar must tip their hat to a scrappy fighter as we assess the year's events, says Amani Maged

In Lebanon, 2010 saw the fragile political balance teetering on the edge of breakdown while Israeli threats of renewed war continued, writes Omayma Abdel-Latif

For Syria, this year brought mixed results, with some successes in warming relations with other states, and many failures in addressing domestic problems, writes Bassel Oudat in Damascus

Even with a new government finally in place in Iraq, the country is still on the brink of disaster, writes Salah Hemeid

Asmaa El-Husseini reflects on the sad trajectory from lost opportunities to partition

While in 2010 Ankara continued to make inroads as a regional power, the Iran dilemma has shown how fragile its foreign policy orientations are, writes Hassan Abu Taleb

To avoid disaster, Arab governments need to stop dawdling and embrace comprehensive development programmes for the disadvantaged and peripheral areas, writes Sameh Rashed

2010 was a tough one overall. Public discontent with governments and economic policy brought people out on the streets to protest. US wars, occupation and threat of war in the Middle East and Asia were never far from the headlines. Elections around the world led to further tensions in most cases. There were few outright winners and many more losers, with most developments a mixed bag. Eric Walberg and Gamal Nkrumah reflect on this year and look ahead

This year's anti-corruption awards have drawn attention to Egyptians against Corruption and the individuals this movement honours, says Sarah Eissa

Violence may have seemed to be everywhere in 2010, but the year also saw the development of some significant voices for peace, writes Abeya El-Bakry

Nehad Selaiha detects glimmers of hope in an otherwise dismal year

Ati Metwaly reviews a year in the concert hall

Hani Mustafa balances commercial and independent