Ireland:The issue that exercised most attention in Iveagh House in 2007 is the one that will undoubtedly dominate at least the first half of the coming year. The headache of trying to get agreement on the final draft of the EU Lisbon Treaty will be replaced by the challenge of having it ratified.
Now that European leaders have approved and signed the revised draft, it will be up to Ireland - the only member state to hold a referendum on the treaty - to see it through.
An The Irish Times/TNS mrbi opinion poll published in November made for sobering reading, finding that only 25 per cent of respondents would vote for the treaty in next year's referendum and 13 per cent against, leaving a massive 62 per cent who said they don't know or had no opinion on the matter. With anti-treaty groups and personalities such as French far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen considering visiting Ireland to campaign for a No vote, the Government, as Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern warned last month, has no room for complacency.
Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly in October, Mr Ahern devoted much of his address to Ireland's attempts to further strengthen its role in overseas development. Ireland aspires to be a "world leader" when it comes to development-related issues, he told the assembly, and Africa will be a particular focus. He mentioned the work of the newly established hunger taskforce - which met for the first time this year - and outlined efforts such as the establishment of a dedicated unit within his Department and an annual €25 million fund to encourage conflict resolution across the world.
He paid particular attention to Darfur and said the Government considered it a priority in terms of diplomacy and aid.
On a visit to Sudan in November, the Minister announced that Ireland would donate €500,000 to a UN fund to support peace talks held in Libya between the Sudanese government and various Darfuri rebel groups. In meetings with Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir, Mr Ahern stressed the need for a full commitment to the negotiations which have so far failed to make progress, and he urged support for the forthcoming UN/African Union mission to Darfur. Also in November the Dáil approved the participation of up to 450 Irish troops in an EU mission to eastern Chad. The aims of the UN-mandated mission, led by Lieut Gen Pat Nash of the Irish Defence Forces, are two-fold - the troops will help protect Darfuri refugees and displaced Chadians living in camps near the border with Sudan, and will also facilitate aid efforts in the restive region. Ireland will make up the second largest contingent in what is expected to be one of the most challenging deployments to date for Irish troops.
The mission faces delay due to a shortage of essential equipment such as helicopters.
The Minister was also vocal on the situation in Burma, where the military junta violently suppressed pro-democracy demonstrations in September.
The Middle East remained high on the agenda, with Dermot Ahern visiting Tel Aviv, Ramallah, Cairo and Beirut early in the year for talks with Arab and Israeli officials.
The western Balkans attracted much attention, with tensions ratcheting over the future of Kosovo. A senior Irish soldier, Brig Gen Gerry Hegarty, commands a multinational taskforce in Kosovo and more than 200 Irish troops are stationed there. During a visit to the region in November, Mr Ahern said the Government was seeking legal advice on whether Irish troops could remain in Kosovo if it declares independence from Serbia.
The issue of alleged CIA flights passing through Shannon airport resurfaced during the year, with several high-profile figures calling on the Government to carry out random searches of US military aircraft to ensure they are not being used for rendition.
On separate visits to Dublin, both the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour and her counterpart at the Council of Europe said inspections should be conducted as a matter of precaution despite assurances from the US that no rendition of terrorist suspects has taken place through the airport.
Ireland continued its efforts to seek a worldwide ban on cluster munitions. In May next year a major international conference will take place in Dublin when Irish officials hope to secure agreement on the issue.
A management review of Irish Aid, the Department of Foreign Affairs' overseas development division, is expected next spring. It will make recommendations on the current systems of selecting, implementing and monitoring aid projects in the developing world, and ensure appropriate management structures and staffing levels are in place. Government spending on overseas development will increase to €914 million - or 0.54 per cent of GNP - next year, ensuring Ireland stays on course to reach UN targets of 0.7 per cent of GNP to overseas aid by 2012.