Both China and India aspire for the role, but it is not clear if nations that belong to the group see either of them as a benign leader or their champion

Israel at 75 is facing fundamental choices about its identity. 

Wars are fought not only on the battlefield but also in domestic political debates and in histories written after the fact. In the case of the US invasion of Iraq 20 years ago, we are still in this final phase, seeking an elusive consensus about the war’s legacy.

The president-elect knows only too well the failures of all the presidents who preceded him, and the hardening of positions that's occurred on both sides.

In a year of tumult, were there any positive trends? Experts point to a number of areas where progress was made, from reducing child mortality and poverty to improving women’s rights.