When Barack Obama was elected the 43rd President of the United States, there were many who started scripting the start of a new era; an era which would offer a lot of diplomacy, dialogue and discussion. He was seen as the man who would undo a lot of the actions made by the Bush Administration and would again start making friends across the globe. This included a vast majority sitting in the continent south of the United States as even they were looking forward to the start of better ties with their northern brother. It's almost a year now since that historic election, but little has changed.

The hysteria surrounding the outbreak of H1N1, or the more colloquial and misrepresentative name Swine Flu, has dominated the national and perhaps less so, global psyche for a few months. The rate at which the virus has spread has been disproportionate to the media coverage received in India, which has not shied from painting a virtual apocalyptic scenario understandable, given their fixation for maximizing TRP ratings.

Cities today make up a sizeable share of the Middle East. More than half of the population (300 million) in the Arab world lives in cities. In fact, after Latin America, the Middle East boasts the fastest rate of urbanization amongst the developing world.

Afghanistan's elections are a complicated exercise in democracy. A raging insurgency in the south threatened to close voting centers, and cut of the fingers of those who have had the courage to vote and sport the indelible ballot ink. Despite these threats, people came out, albeit in small numbers, to express their desire for change.

Energy security is important for India, which is largely dependent on fossil fuel imports to foster its economic growth. According to the World Energy Outlook report, India will become the third largest net importer of oil before 2025 after the United States and China. This will not be sustainable in the long run given the high volatility of international crude oil prices.

For the last few months, Pakistan has witnessed a series of problems, both internally and externally. These events, starting from the refusal to reinstate the judges to the eventual successful long march; the Army offensive and the corresponding IDP problems and then the Musharraf verdict, will now start taking a serious tone as the country braces itself for its most turbulent period in recent times. The next six to eight months for Pakistan will actually determine in which direction the country will head. It will also determine the future of individual important players in a country where the theory of probability actually goes for a toss.