TOP 10 WORLD EVENTS

TOP 10 WORLD EVENTS

1 Turmoil in the Middle East

The Middle East experienced drastic turbulence in 2011. Demonstrations started in January in Tunisia. During the year power shifts happened in several countries in this region. Tunisia’s then President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was ousted from the country. Hosni Mubarak, former Egyptian President, is on trial. Yemen’s President Ali Abdullah Saleh was forced to hand over power. And Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was killed by Western-backed rebel forces. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has also been facing pressures from both home and abroad.

2 U.S. Shifts Focus to the Asia Pacific

The United States took part in the East Asia Summit, a regional forum held annually by East Asian leaders, for the first time this year. It also hosted the APEC Summit in Hawaii in November, during which it promoted the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade arrangement.

Meanwhile, it officially ended the war in Iraq by withdrawing almost all U.S. troops by the end of 2011, a move that could give the United States more resources to devote to the Asia-Pacific region.

3 Leadership Transition in North Korea

North Korean leader Kim Jong Il died at the age of 69 from “great mental and physical strain” on December 17 on a train during a field tour, according to North Korea’s official news agency. Following Kim Jong Il’s death, the North Korean authorities called on the nation to remain loyal to his son Kim Jong Un.

4 European Sovereign Debt Crisis

The sovereign debt crisis that started in Greece has spread to more euro-zone countries. Leaders of four EU nations, Italy’s Silvio Berlusconi, Ireland’s Brian Cowen, Greece’s George Papandreou and Portugal’s Jose Socrates resigned during the crisis, while Spain’s Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero and his party lost their ruling position in an election.

5 Earthquake, Tsunami and Nuclear Disaster in Japan

A 9.0-magnitude earthquake hit northeast Japan on March 11. The earthquake and the tsunami it triggered killed at least 15,000 people, leaving more than 90,000 others homeless. The earthquake and tsunami jointly caused radiation leaks at a nuclear plant in Fukushima.

The nuclear disaster was believed to be the most serious since 1986. It was not until December 17 that the Japanese Government declared the nuclear power plant had ceased to leak substantial amounts of radiation, achieving a condition that suggests a stable state known as a “cold shutdown.” Economists predicted Japan’s losses could reach several trillions of U.S. dollars.

6 Famine in the Horn of Africa

The most serious drought in the past six decades struck the Horn of Africa this year. More than 12 million people from different countries in this region were affected by famine. Millions of people lack access to fresh water and over 2 million children were malnourished. The famine sounded the alarm over food security in the world.

7 Global Population Hits 7 Billion

The world’s population hit 7 billion on October 31, according to UN estimates. Global population reached 6 billion in 1998. It is expected to grow to 9 billion by the middle of this century.

8 BRICS Expansion

South Africa joined Brazil, Russia, India and China at their summit this year, turning BRIC into BRICS. These emerging economies vowed to play a bigger role in global issues such as international monetary and financial system reform, climate change, energy and food security and nuclear security.

9 South Sudan’s Independence

South Sudan declared its independence on July 9 to become the 193rd UN member state. Salva Kiir Mayardit took office as president of the new republic.

The north and the south battled two civil wars for more than half a century before reaching a peace agreement in 2005. During a referendum in January, nearly 99 percent of the voters approved the secession of the south from Sudan.

10 Killing of Osama Bin Laden

U.S. President Barack Obama announced on May 1 that Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden was killed by U.S. forces in Pakistan. Bin Laden, born in 1955 in Saudi Arabia, was believed to be the one who masterminded the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 in New York City and Washington, D.C. His death marked a victory of the U.S. antiterror war. But it doesn’t mean the end of Al Qaeda or the worldwide campaign against terrorism.