Countries in sub-Saharan Africa lose billions of dollars each year through corruption, say analysts. Local and international efforts to reform governance have been inconsistent.

The crisis following Iran's presidential vote cast a new light on the country's hotly contested media space. A crackdown has limited independent reporting but other sources remain as channels for dissent.

Brazil's economic dynamism has given it a stronger voice on global trade and energy issues. Experts say Washington can advance its regional interests more effectively through a more sophisticated relationship with Brazil.

China remains Pyongyang's biggest trade partner and arguably has most leverage on Kim Jong-Il's regime. But the relationship is a difficult one, experts say.

As the United States looks to reform its health care system and expand access to the uninsured, countries that have moved toward universal health care may offer lessons.

A profile of militant extremist groups in the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir.

As China continues to transform its economy, rising tensions and spates of violence within its primarily Muslim Uighur community is causing regional instability both internally and with Pakistan.

Experts say graduating Russia from Cold War-era legislation linked to emigration and trade would be a step toward warming relations with Moscow.

A profile of the Southeast Asian terror group Jemaah Islamiyah, the group allegedly responsible for the 2002 Bali bombings.

Washington is focusing new military aid to Pakistan on strengthening counterinsurgency capabilities. But distrust between the two countries and Islamabad's continued focus on an Indian threat pose challenges, say experts.

Iran's Supreme Leader remains the regime's ultimate authority but controversy surrounding the country's June 12 presidential election has raised new questions about the role and power of the head of state.

Lebanon's upcoming parliamentary elections, pitting pro-Western political elements against a coalition led by Hezbollah, will test the country's ability to manage political change among many factions.

A profile of the Algerian terrorist organization, Armed Islamic Group (GIA).

International actors are redoubling efforts to restore Afghanistan's agriculture sector and weaken the massive opium trade that helps fund the Taliban. But competing strategies and corruption could stall reforms.

A profile of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a separatist terrorist group that seeks an independent state in areas in Sri Lanka inhabited by ethnic Tamils.

President Barack Obama says he will seek vigorous climate-change policy. Efforts to curb greenhouse gases pose considerable economic pitfalls, as well as opportunities.

Sri Lanka's government has scored a string of wins in its long-standing civil war with Tamil militants. But it faces the challenge of integrating its Tamil minority.

China's rapid economic development has been fueled in large part by a massive migration of rural workers to cities and industrial zones. Young, poorly educated, and highly mobile, these workers continue to face discrimination due to their rural origins and transitory status.

President Obama has made "strategic communications" an essential part of his move to boost the military and nation-building effort in Afghanistan. But experts say countering Taliban messaging will take technology, speed, and demonstrated success in providing security.

Relations between the Vatican and Israel are a complex combination of diplomacy mixed with interfaith discussion.