This morning U.S. and Iraqi officials had a ceremony to officially recognize the new U.S.-Iraq security pact. This pact, which is considered a landmark in restoring Iraq’s independence, requires all U.S. troops to leave Iraq by the end of 2011. For a look at what the pact's implications are for Iraq's future and the new role of U.S. forces (key words: baby steps), The Takeaway turns to Campbell Robertson. Mr. Robertson is the Iraq war correspondent for our partner The New York Times and is in Iraq and watched this morning's ceremony.

The new year in Gaza is taking up where the old one left off, in a blizzard of Israeli bombs and Hamas launched rockets. Israeli jets bombed the Palestinian parliament building and navy ships opened fire at Hamas positions along the coastline and Hamas fired at least three rockets into Israel. Meanwhile, the United Nations security council held an emergency session late yesterday. Mike Sargent is covering the story for our partner, the BBC. He joins us from Jerusalem for the latest from the ground.

Today marks a new year and a new chapter in the global battle to combat carbon emissions. Utility companies across the eastern seaboard are lining up for the rights to carbon emissions. The new market called The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (REGGI) is the beginning of a global trend in green politics. To explain all of this is Edward McBride, the energy and environment correspondent for The Economist, he joins John and Adaora from London to answer what is the price of used carbon?

For many, New Years Day is the chance to wipe the slate clean, change bad behavior, start a diet and an exercise regime, and get the year started off on the right foot. In order to help those resolutions along, why not eat foods to bring you luck and good fortune and taste good to boot? From collard greens to hoppin’ John, here to explain about Southern New Years' traditions are Matt and Ted Lee, cookbook authors and proprietors of the Southern food shop boiledpeanuts.com.

Need a Hoppin' John recipe to ring in the New Year prosperously? Look no further.

Hoppin' John from "The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook"

For 6 people

TIME: 4 hours to soak peas, 1 1/2 hours to cook

1 cup dried black-eyed peas or field peas
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 smoked hog jowl (or 1/4 pound slab bacon or 4 slices thick-cut bacon)
1 medium yellow onion, coarsely chopped
6 cups Rich Pork Broth
H teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon salt
One 14-ounce can crushed Italian tomatoes
1 1/2 cups long-grain rice

• Wash the peas in a strainer, place them in a medium bowl, and soak for 4 hours in fresh water to cover.
• Heat the olive oil in a 4-quart pot over medium-high heat and brown the hog jowl on both sides, about 5 minutes. (If using bacon, omit the olive oil and simply render the fat in the pot for 5minutes.) Add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the broth, black pepper, red pepper and salt and bring to a boil.
• Let the broth boil vigorously for 10 minutes, then add the drained peas. Boil gently over medium-high heat, uncovered, until the peas are tender but still have some bite, about 25 minutes for black-eyed peas, 30 minutes for field peas. Add the tomatoes and the rice to the pot, cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer vigorously for 20 minutes, until most of the broth has been absorbed but the rice and peas are still very moist.
• Remove the pot from the heat and allow the hoppin’ John to steam, covered, until all the liquid has been absorbed, about 5 minutes. Remove the hog jowl and pull off any meat.
• Fluff the hoppin’ John with a fork. Transfer to a serving dish, sprinkle the shredded hog jowl over the top, and serve.

The Arab League met yesterday in Egypt to discuss ongoing violence in the Gaza Strip. But what happened there wasn’t exactly a show of unity. Turns out the Arab world is having a hard time coming up with a united front as they try to deal with the latest clash between Israel and Palestinians. For more on that meeting The Takeaway turns to Steven Erlanger a New York Times reporter in Cairo.

The latest conflict in Gaza, and the challenges it poses to the Obama Administration, is the latest data point on a long line of history between the United States and the Middle East. Policy decisions there have profound implications on our global alliances, govern the price of oil, make or break presidencies, and draw us into war. Joining The Takeaway to explain what can we draw from our history in the region is Patrick Tyler, former reporter for The Washington Post and New York Times and author of A World of Trouble: The White House and the Middle East—from the Cold War to the War on Terror.

Today marks the 50th anniversary of the Cuban revolution when Fidel Castro established himself as the Cuban leader and began one of the longest and most controversial relationships in U.S. diplomatic history. Now almost an anachronism of the Cold War, how has the country changed over the last fifty years? How will it look fifty years from now? The BBC's Michael Voss joins John and Adaora from Havana.

Gained five pounds when you wanted to lose ten? Started smoking again after swearing you wouldn't? Not eat vegetables at every meal? Forget to not watch television? Who hasn’t had a New Year's resolution fail? The Takeaway’s science contributor Jonah Lehrer joins the show to tell us why our brain actually prevents us from changing everything at once.

Want more Jonah Lehrer? Read his book Proust Was a Neuroscientist. Guaranteed to make you smarter!

It's the end of The Takeaway's first year and we were trying to think of the best way to look back on that time. Well, a way to look back that wasn't too corny. So, we put the onus on you, our beloved listeners. John and Adaora take a listen at the year in responses from our listeners all over the country. We want to explore what you really, really think. We think.

Today marks the 50th anniversary of the Cuban revolution that brought Fidel Castro to power. The sweeping changes to the island nation weren't only of the political variety. Cuban music adapted and evolved, too. To take us on a tour through five decades of Cuban music, The Takeaway talks to Ned Sublette, author of Cuba and It’s Music: From the First Drums to the Mamba.

If you want more of Ned Sublette's musical insight, check out his choices of the best of Cuban music.

One of South Africa's most celebrated anti-apartheid campaigners has died at the age of 91. Helen Suzman passed away at her home in Johannesburg. For 13 years, she was the only member of parliament to openly condemn South Africa's whites-only apartheid regime. Here to talk about her life and legacy is BBC Africa editor Martin Plaut.