There are lots of competing lists out there of top news stories, so I have decided to contribute my own. I rank these not in terms of flashiness or popularity but their significance and potential for long lasting impact in 21st century history.
1) Barack Obama Elected as Forty-Fourth President of the United States. No one can deny the magnitude of Obama’s accomplishment in becoming the first African-American president in American history. Only time and the actions of his administration will judge the success of his presidency, but, even Obama dissenters like me will admit that his election will leave a permanent mark on our nation’s political and social landscape.
2) Sarah Palin Runs for Vice-President. Palin’s run with McCain is not nearly as important as its implications for the 2012 election. I believe her appearance on the American political scene has brought to light the deep divides between the Christian and socially-liberal wings of the Republican Party- if Palin attempts to run in 2012, this division could lead to an all-out rupture between the two wings of the party.
3) Russia-Georgian War Again, the event itself is not as important as its implications for the future. With this conflict we have learned that there are deep divisions of interests between the liberal-democratic West and the increasingly totalitarian Russian state. We witness the beginnings of an attempted re-polarization not seen for many decades.
4) Financial Crisis The world will either reaffirm its faith in capitalism or condemn the liberalized markets that brought so much growth over the last two centuries by turning to protectionism, regulation, and state intervention.
5) The Death of Aleksander Solzhenitsyn. The death of the little-known giant of a human being who was referred to by many as the “Man of the 20th century” reminds us of the growing challenges we will face in this 21st century.