Now is the time of year that any
self-respecting news organization publishes its "best news of the
year" in high style with flashy graphics and an upbeat soundtrack.
Unfortunately I neither have the time nor budget to produce a video for you,
however, I will do my best to replicate the other aspects.
I have
compiled this list from my own musings, as well as with input from other
reputable sources. I have tried my best to pick news events that happened on an
international scale and that had exterior ramifications for not just the nation
involved, but for the world on a larger scale.
This list is by no means extensive--many of you may feel that I
arbitrarily picked my subjects--but know that I gave it my best shot. Also, the
numbers are not a ranking scheme, but merely a way for me to stay organized;
all these events were equally important.
Thus,
without further ado: the top 10 news
stories of 2012 (if you want a soundtrack for this recap, have at it: Soundtrack for 2012)
1. Egyptian Presidential Election & Constitution
Of all the
nations that rode the rollercoaster of emotions produced by last year's
"Arab Spring," Egypt has been one of the most driven to define its
own democracy. Enter Mohammed Morsi, a relatively unknown politician into the
elections held in June of 2012. Despite the political shenanigans of the ruling
Mubarak-era military junta, Morsi defeated the state-supported candidate and
became Egypt's newest democratically elected president.
For Morsi,
the win was merely a jump out of the frying pan into the proverbial fire; the
time had come for Egypt to write its constitution and the military-dominated
Supreme Court was threatening to disband all legislative committees involved in
the creation. Morsi feared that the courts could have gone further, writes Noah
Feldman, a law professor at Harvard University who’s an expert on Islam. The
courts may have “declared the presidential election invalid as well, creating a
constitutional coup d’état against the president.” Morsi passed a referendum
placing himself above and beyond the current laws and jurisdiction of the
courts, promising to rescind his powers once a constitution was passed.
Extremely wary of such a dictatorial grasp at power, the constitutional
committees quickly drafted and approved a constitution on December 26th. The document is a rather shoddy protector of civil liberties in Egypt, but is a solid
step in the direction of full democracy.
2. Successful North Korean "Rocket" Launch
As a
government, North Korea has always been partial to dangerous pyrotechnic
displays, and the new ruler Kim Jong Un is no exception. Ever since the nation
completed its first nuclear warhead, the challenge for the Korea scientists has
been to find a vehicle that will deliver that warhead around the world.
On December
12, North Korea launched a rudimentary weather satellite into partial orbit
above the earth atop a Unha-3 rocket. The nation insists that the launch had
nothing to do with military objectives and was merely a scientific exposition.
However, weapons experts in South Korea, upon analyzing the debris left by the
rocket, stated that the launch was a test of North Korea's ballistic missile
vehicle. “They efficiently developed a three-stage long-range missile by using
their existing Rodong and Scud missile technology,” a senior military
intelligence official said Sunday, briefing reporters on the condition of
anonymity.
If armed,
this ballistic missile could at maximum reach any target within 6,000
kilometers of North Korea. However, before you worry, experts are unsure as to
Korea's ability to weaponize the missile. Analysts doubt that North Korea has
mastered the technology needed to make a nuclear bomb small enough to mount on
a missile. If they do manage to miniaturize their warhead, the furthest target Korea could possibly hit would be Sarah Palin's home.
3. Russian Presidential Election
Vladimir
Putin has long been famed for his physique and feats of strength and valor.
This year, it appears that the Russian he-man has strong-armed his way back
into power as the president of Russia. After serving as the premier for his protégé
Dmitry Medvedev, Putin switched places in the last election, taking the
presidential title and choosing Medvedev as his premier. This is not the first
time Putin has been president either: he previously held the position from 2000
to 2008.
If you
think something smells fishy, you are not alone. In the latest Russian
election, not only did Putin win, but all candidates from his party either
reclaimed seats or defeated opponents as well. This apparent election-rigging
caused numerous protests from citizens and complaints from international
watchdog groups. In response, the government has severely cracked down on
dissension and contact with foreigners.
Russia has been down this road before; lets hope they remember the
outcome in 1991.
4. Aung San Suu Kyi Elected
In the CPI
(Corruption Perceptions Index) rankings for 2012, the nation of Myanmar
(previously known as Burma) ranked as the third most corrupt government in the
world. One woman however is attempting to change that statistic.
Aung San
Suu Kyi is the leader of the Burmese National League of Democracy (NLD), the
opposition party in Myanmar's parliament. The NLD has a 59% majority in
parliament for this session, for the first time in decades. Suu Kyi's election
was a landmark because of all of the NLD candidates elected, she has been the
most verbal, the most outspoken, and the most aggressive in pursuing sweeping
reforms to Myanmar's faulty government. In the last election that she
participated in, in 1990, she was placed under house arrest for twenty years,
becoming one of the world's most noted political prisoners. This political
prisoner however has now set out to change the system that imprisoned her.
For all of
her work, Suu Kyi was this year's recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize and the
Congressional Medal of Honor. Not only has she called for reforms within her
own country, but also reforms around the world, making her a strong advocate on
the international stage. For her courage and fortitude, world leaders have
lauded her, including US President Barack Obama and UK Prime Minister David
Cameron.
5. Syrian Civil War
It
seems that there has been a news story from this conflict on the front page
every day. The Syrian civil war is a bitter battle that shows no signs of
coming to an end. What began as a mostly peaceful protest against
dictator-president Bashar al-Assad in hope of reform has become a fight to the
death between the Free Syrian Army and the Syrian government with innocent
civilians caught in the crossfire. It is estimated that between 50,000 and
57,000 people have died in the fighting, with over 23,000 of those casualties
being non-combatants.
The war has
spilled over into the nearby nation of Turkey on occasion as well, causing
Turkish casualties and international ire. However, Assad was already in the
proverbial international doghouse due to his regime's human rights violations.
From mass executions to rigged juries, Assad is accused of numerous crimes
against humanity. In a recent attempt to prevent further innocents being killed
en-masse, the United States has deployed Patriot missile batteries to the
Turkey-Syria border to deter Assad from firing his biological and chemical
weapons on the Syrian rebels. Policy officials at the Heritage Institute note
that Assad realizes that he is losing his grasp on his power. Assad recognizes
the fact that it is only a matter of time before his end--and he will make sure
to cause as much damage possible in his death-throes. As one man once put it,
"Some men just want to watch the
world burn."
6. Chinese Presidential Selection
Of all of
the transfers of power staged this year, the Chinese presidential selection
promises to hold the most implications for the rest of the world. This year the
elite political body that forms the core of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)
was reshuffled. The Politburo Standing Committee (PSC), as this body is known
was announced to the world with new faces and a new organization. The number of
seats on the PSC shrank from nine members to seven and included the names at
the top of many speculative lists: Xi Jinping (President), Li Keqiang
(Premier), Zhang Dejiang, Yu Zhengsheng, Liu Yunshan, Wang Qishan and Zhang
Gaoli.
Cheng Li of
the Brookings Institute says that these choices do not bode well for those who
were hoping to see some political reform in China. "This Party congress
has sent a very clear signal that this leadership is politically
conservative." While in America, conservatives are considered the best
choice for achieving political reform, in China, the selection of conservatives
signals a maintenance of the dictatorial power exercised by the state so far,
Li believes. However, Noah Feldman, a constitutional law professor at Harvard,
thinks that the streamlining of the PSC and the overall willingness to change
leadership shows promise for reform: "China isn’t on the royal road to
democracy or to capitalism without major state direction. But in 2012 it reaped
the benefits of its historic move away from dictatorship -- and in historical
and comparative terms, that’s impressive enough."
Like any
election, we will just have to wait to see how things pan out for the governing
body of China.
7. Israel-Gaza Conflict
You might
ask, what else is new? After all, it seems that the Israeli-Gazan fighting is
always on the front page and is always considered a momentous event. Well, I'll
admit that you are correct. However, I think that this issue deserves some
attention, especially because of some of the new developments in that arena.
In August,
a rash of rocket attacks by Hamas fighters spurred retaliatory attacks by the
Israeli SDF; Israeli airstrikes, missiles, and artillery quickly struck back at
the rocket launch sites. These airstrikes spurred only more rocket attacks by
Hamas, and both sides found themselves in a tit-for-tat fight with the innocent
populace caught and killed in between.
The
military tensions were only worsened when the UN granted Palestine observership
status within the council, lending legitimacy to Palestine's cause. To make
matters worse, new evidence surfaced that Yasser Arafat, beloved leader of the
PLO, may have been assassinated by Israeli agents. Only causing more anger by
Gazans was Israel's decision to continue the expansion of its Jerusalem
settlements, encroaching on the border that Palestine claims.
A ceasefire
was finally reached in late November, but not before hundreds had died. This is
one conflict where both sides seem to repeat their mistakes, and with great
vigor. The old adage says that nothing new happens in the world--it is merely
history repeating itself. The Israel-Gaza conflict proves that point perfectly.
8. EU Financial Crisis & Bailouts
In the 2008
foreign film Slumdog Millionaire, one
of the characters makes a rather astute judgment: "There are two reasons
to make mistakes in this life: money and women." While promiscuity may not
be a problem, money has certainly caused its share of troubles for the European
Union and its Euro this year. The European financial problems of last year
became the European financial crisis of this year, with several nations almost
declaring complete bankruptcy. Greece, on the verge of financial collapse, even
attempted to leave the failing organization in the hope that as a nation it
could define its own economic freedom.
Realizing
the imminent threat of complete EU collapse brought about by not only Greece's
wage woes, but also the troubles of Spain and Italy as well, German chancellor
Angela Merkel quickly put together a bailout package. The Eurozone countries
approved a 237-billion-euro rescue package for Greece, as well as for Spain and
Italy. Economic officials at Bloomberg believe that while the bailouts did
afford some slight benefit, the danger of defaulting on the debt still looms.
On a
interestingly related note, when the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) was
published for 2012, the nations who received bailouts were found to have ranked
5 or 6 places lower than previously (indicating more corruption). Apparently
money, as well as power, corrupts.
9. Attack on US Embassy in Benghazi
The attack
on the US Embassy in Benghazi, Libya that left 5 Americans dead, including
ambassador J. Christopher Stevens has been called many things: a terrorist
attack, a freak explosion of violence, a retaliation for the infamous anti-Muslim
video published in the US. Finally however, we have answers: an independent
inquiry as well as a congressional committee have both come to the conclusion
that the attack was premeditated and carried out as a terrorist strike.
As the New
York Times reports, the independent report slams the “systemic failures and
leadership and management deficiencies at senior levels” in the State
Department’s bureaus of diplomatic security and Near East affairs that resulted
in a “security posture that was inadequate for Benghazi and grossly inadequate
to deal with the attack that took place.” Problems with security, intelligence,
and grasp of the situation plagued the Obama administration both during and
after the attack. However, it seems that the administration is responding
appropriately now. The Times goes on to note that "Mrs. Clinton accepted
all of the panel’s 29 recommendations and has already begun to make
changes."
As to the
mastermind behind the attack, FBI and CIA agents have questioned a suspect who
was detained in Turkey, then extradited to Tunisia. Authorities have stated
that Ali Harzi, a Tunisian, is "strongly suspected in the attack." It
seems that finally answers are forthcoming in this deadly situation.
10. 2012 London Olympics
The
excitement and expectation began to build long before the first athletes moved
into the Olympic village in July. On 18 May the Olympic Flame set down on
British soil, beginning the torch relay that swept around the country and
allowed everyone the opportunity to share in the occasion. Eight thousand
inspiring individuals took part, from sporting legends such as Dame Kelly
Holmes and fellow Olympian Sir Steve Redgrave to those nominated for their work
in the local community.
Athletes
from 204 National Olympic Committees rose to walls and waves of sound as
unprecedented levels of support inspired outstanding performances and records tumbled.
On the track, Usain Bolt’s double triple (100m, 200m and 4x100 relay gold for
the second time) brought cheers not only in the stadium, but also from his home
nation of Jamaica.
In the
pool, Michael Phelps graciously rose from Olympic waters for the last time,
taking an incredible 22 medal haul with him – 18 of them gold. And in the
velodrome Sir Chris Hoy won his sixth gold medal to become the most decorated
British Olympian of all time.
The
positive repercussions from hosting the Games will be felt across the UK’s
capital for decades to come, thanks to the regeneration of the area and the legacy
created by the state of the art stadiums and facilities such as the Velodrome
and the Aquatics Centre. London 2012 was an Olympic Games that pervaded the
boundaries of sport the world over, and is one that will not be quickly
forgotten.
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2012 has been
an eventful year. We have lived, cried, laughed, mourned, celebrated, and
remembered. Like any year, we won't get to live it again, but don't regret it
in any way. There is no sense in saying "what if...;" just accept and
live with what was.
