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After Friday prayers on 18 February, hundreds of stateless Arabs protested to demand their civil rights. The elite special forces used water cannon, tear gas, batons and smoke bombs to disperse the crowds.

Ruler Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum (MBR) remains resolutely in command. Until Dubai’s indebtedness was revealed in 2008-09, the emirate’s other most influential powerbrokers tended not to be members of the ruling family. Since the debt crisis, Dubai has seen the emergence of the next generation of the Al-Maktoum, MBR’s sons

Aspects of Dubai’s economy are looking much brighter, according to the authorities, but there are still serious concerns over other economic factors. Tourism appears to be recovering. But in the real estate market, property values are as much as 60% lower than at their 2008 peak and there are serious concerns over the refinancing of debt at Dubai’s government- related entities (GREs).

Real GDP growth was recorded at 17% in 2010, and is forecast to accelerate to 19% in 2011, according to an International Monetary Fund (IMF) Article IV report issued in December. This considerable economic growth is due to Qatar having huge gas reserves, with significant liquefied natural gas (LNG) capacity.

Yemen is in a fragile state. The regime, headed by President Ali Abdullah Saleh, is besieged on several fronts, with a Houthi rebellion in the north, a secession movement in the south, and increased jihadi activity by groups such as Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) pushing the country on a downward trajectory.

Since the granting of universal suffrage in 2003, all adults are eligible to vote and women have the right to seek public office. But civil liberties remain constrained. Media freedoms are heavily restricted, there is limited news flow from the country and the government reserves the right to censor.

After a year of turbulence and widespread civil unrest following disputed presidential elections, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s government has consolidated its position with the support of the president’s powerful backer, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC or Pasdaran).

The UAE has a reputation as one of the most stable countries in the region since it was formed in 1971. But regional unrest and the authorities’ apparent stick and carrot approach should cause observers to question the medium to long-term sustainability of the federation’s current political arrangements.

Opposition is not well tolerated, and the prime minister has again been grilled by MPs, this time over the heavy-handed police crackdown on a rally in December that left five people injured. The protest was against a ‘government plot’ to amend the constitution, and lift the parliamentary immunity of maverick Islamist Faisal Al-Muslim

Iraq has felt some of the revolutionary zeal that has taken hold in the Arab world, with hundreds of people protesting against corruption and high unemployment. Some have died and some injured in clashes with police.

In a series of decrees on 14 May, King Abdullah made a number of changes at the defence ministry, apparently at the request of Crown Prince Salman. He removed Salman Bin Sultan as deputy minister of defence and replaced him with Khalid Bin Bandar, the Riyadh governor.While there had been rumours for some time that Salman Bin Sultan would go, the timing of the announcement was unexpected, coming just after the close of a major regional defence conference attended by US defence secretary Chuck Hagel.

A move towards elections was promised mid-decade, but a change in the ruling families’ social compact with their populations to promote ‘democracy’ has not been forthcoming. Sheikh Khalifa’s 2010 National Day address on 2 December was notable for its lack of any pledge to introduce more accountable elections to the ‘consultative’ FNC.

On 16 November, opposition-led demonstrators stormed the parliamentary building, calling for prime minister Nasser Mohammed Al- Ahmed Al-Sabah to resign. Their anger was directed at the recent corruption and bribery scandals that have rocked the government, and an October constitutional ruling preventing the opposition from grilling the prime minister over the illegal money transfers.

Although Syria is a bastion of Levantine culture, its portrayal in the media is often dominated by its politics. The West mistrusts its relationship with Iran and organisations such as Lebanon’s Hizbollah. Years of meddling in Lebanese affairs have strained relations, although efforts at reconciliation have been made, with Syria naming its first ambassador to Lebanon in 2009.

Yemen is in a very fragile state. After 33 years of rule, president Ali Abdullah Saleh let go of power in February 2012, and the nation entered a two-year transitional period intended to steer it towards democracy and stability. His successor,Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, has inherited a nation beset by violence and competing factions. A smouldering insurgency in the north, secessionism in the south, a powerful jihadist movement and remnants of the old guard are all high on the agenda.