Recent events in the Middle East and North Africa have put a spotlight on the role and status of Arab women, who stand to either lose or gain from the winds of change sweeping the region.

The Arab revolution contagion reached the shores of the Persian Gulf, when protests took place against authoritarian rule, rising inflation and high unemployment in Bahrain, Oman and Saudi Arabia. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries did not experience the scale of protests seen in Egypt, Tunisia and Yemen. However in the future, if the large and young expatriate population demands citizenship rights and benefits, the GCC region may not be able to preserve the status quo that it has been able to maintain even in this volatile situation.

The incident with Osama Bin Laden highlights Pakistan's ambiguous attitude towards terrorism and militancy, stating its 'war on terrorism' on paper but supporting or being complicit in terrorist activity behind the scenes. This duplicitous policy will surface once again in Pakistan's plans as the U.S. starts its withdrawal from Afghanistan, particularly with regard to India. The U.S. should seriously consider this as it takes subsequent steps to scale down its military presence in the region and it should understand that terrorism in South Asia will continue unless this tightrope that Pakistan walks with militancy is addressed once and for all.

The ripple effect of the Tunisian Jasmine Revolution is far from over; Syria is the latest country in the Middle East to face mounting public unrest. The impact of the Tunisian revolution is not restricted to the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region alone; several countries in sub-Saharan Africa have also experienced anti-government protests. In Ivory Coast and Swaziland, protests have escalated into violent clashes between the government and protestors. While it is hard to predict the next revolution, countries in sub-Saharan Africa may not be able to pull of a North Africa-style revolution, despite its close proximity to the epicentre of the turmoil. Influenced by the political developments in North Africa, three possible scenarios may emerge in sub-Saharan Africa in the near future.

There has been a phenomenal increase in the number of landless people in Bangladesh over the last ten years. Reports suggests that approximately 60%-70% of the country's population is either landless or holds less than 0.5 acres of land. Another interesting trend, one that has been scarcely noted, is the rise in the number of disputes over unregistered land and shared waters reported in Bangladesh....

The new Census of India of 2011 will take several more months to be released in full. In the interim, bits and pieces have trickled out. India's population is now officially 1.21 billion. Overall effective literacy increased by 9.2% from 64.8% in 2001 to 74% in 2011. Women's literacy has increased more sharply than men's literacy. The ratio of adult women to men has increased, whereas the under-6 girls to boys ratio has declined. What does it say about how India has progressed in the last ten years? And what does all this really mean for the future of the country?