Iraq: elections
On 7 March, Iraqis vote for the government that will presage the departure of US troops in 2011. Stable secularity is best for US interests; neighbouring Syria, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Iran also have an eye on the vote, but not all are hoping for the same result.
Corruption is only one possible threat to stability. In January, a Shia commission banned 500 Sunni candidates, raising worries of sectarian tensions. And as no party is likely to win enough seats to form a government, Kurdish support may be the key to a coalition. But the two-party alliance governing the Kurdish region is challenged by the Goran Party, which won nearly a quarter of seats in a regional vote last year.
Whatever the result, politicians must strike basic deals on power, territory and resources if Iraq is to have any chance of a stable 2010.
Iran: press freedom
Etemad, Iran's best-selling reformist newspaper - although the competition is not what it once was - has been banned, ostensibly for printing comments made by a former presidential candidate. Mohammad Khatami said Iran was in "crisis" after June 2009's disputed elections. "The watchdog had no choice," said Mohammad Ali Ramin, an official who is also the deputy culture minister for media affairs.
Three other papers have been closed down since the election, and 60 writers and journalists are now imprisoned in Iran - more than any other country.
“The press law in this country is very tough and unforgiving," acknowledges Ghanbar Naderi, a journalist at the government paper Iran Daily. "As a journalist, your first mistake will be your last."
Guantanamo: releases
The US Supreme Court has refused to consider whether the US should take in seven Uighurs - Chinese Muslims who may face persecution at home - held at Guantanamo Bay. But the government agrees that they pose no terrorist threat. Some were due for release as long ago as 2003.
The men have offers of homes elsewhere - two in Switzerland, five on the Pacific island of Palau. But five have rejected the offers. In 2008, it was ruled that they should be released in the US, but the Bush administration appealed. The Uighurs then asked the Supreme Court to hear the case.
Efforts to find alternative homes have stepped up under Obama; but closing Gitmo, a key election issue in 2008, is likely to limp on into the next presidential term.
Namibia: investment
Much has been written about the myriad business deals between China and African countries over the past decade or so, and the mutual benefits of relationships that have developed. But in Namibia, enthusiasm for Chinese business is waning.
In the first half of 2009, trade hit $309m, twice that of a year before. But foreign investment in some small businesses is to be banned, over concerns about illegal practices and foreign domination. The trade and industry minister, Hage Geingob, admitted that the "activities of Chinese business persons" were the reason. China's embassy has not commented, but Namibia's chamber of commerce is clear: foreign investment should not be tolerated unless it creates jobs or boosts economic growth.
Russia: Olympics
Now that the Vancouver Winter Olympics are over, attention turns to 2014's sporting hotspot: Sochi, a resort on "the Russian Riviera".
At Vancouver, officials in blue, Sochi-branded jackets beetled around picking up tips, and Sochi World, an exhibition in the city's science museum, played host to Russian athletes and sports fans.
As yet, Sochi is not ideal for the games: venues are unbuilt, and it is even warmer than Vancouver - balmy by Olympics standards. But Sochi 2014's chief, Dmitry Chernyshenko, is unconcerned. "Extra activities for snow storage" are planned and the domestic sponsorship plan exceeds $1bn, equalled only by the record take for the Beijing Olympics.
