Top News Stories of 2010

The past year has been a difficult one in terms of the economy, wars, threats, and natural disasters.  It certainly appears as though the earth is trembling with birth pangs.  Below, I have listed the top 10 world events of 2010 in no particular order.

1. Haiti earthquake that left hundreds of thousands dead an injured.  The world responded with aid, support, medical supplies, food and assistance.  Despite this, cholera outbreaks are still occurring and Haiti is far from having recovered from this devastating natural disaster.

2.  Pakistani floods - rivaling the Haiti earthquake in terms of human loss, devastation, and misery, the flooding in Pakistan was a major event that has further crippled an already weak country.  The world has stepped in to help Pakistan, but not to the degree that it has for Haiti.

3. GOP 2010 victory - the Republican resurgence in Congress (House and Senate) will dramatically alter the Obama administration's plans to "transform" America into a socialist-Euro state, heavily dependent on government.  The Tea Party, first scoffed at by the MSM and Democrats, proved to be a potent political force that took down RINO's, overthrew the Democrats from the House, and elected numerous governors, senators, representatives, and state legislatures.  The next two years will force Obama into compromise while conservative policies are enacted at the municipal and state levels.

4. British Election - David Cameron became the new British Prime Minister in a coalition government between the Tories and Liberal Party. The disastrous management of the economy by the Labour Party paved the way for a new Thatcherite-like revolution.  Unfortunately, the Iron Lady is no longer available to implement policy.  However, the election might signal a dramatic shift in the west from socialist driven thinking to a renewed free market oriented political paradigm.

5. Chilean Miners Rescued - following a devastating earthquake in Chile, another tragedy struck the western South American country.  After 70 days trapped underground, 33 miners were rescued in dramatic fashion as the world watched and rejoiced along with Chile.

6. Polish President killed - the Polish President, Lech Kaczynski, and 97 others were killed when their plane crashed in western Russia.  The upper levels of the Polish government were left gutted of key military, political, and bureaucratic figures.  The world has not witnessed such a high profile tragedy in decades.

7. Korean Tensions - The Korean War, long cold since the armistice in 1953 threatened to go hot once again after several aggressive actions taken by the North Korean military.  First, a South Korean warship was sunk by a North Korean submarine.  More recently, the North shelled a border island with artillery that killed 2 South Korean soldiers and 2 civilians.  Angry that the South had not responded more forcefully, the South Korean defence minister resigned and was replaced with the promise that any further provocation would be met with a devastating response.  The threat of war remains frighteningly possible.

8. Wikileaks - An odd Australian hacker named Julian Assange infuriated the United States and many other countries after thousands of documents, diplomatic cables, and other information was made public.  Assange is unapologetically anti-American and wants to bring down the United States which he views as a threat to peace and stability.  Assange went so far as to publish the social security numbers and names of enlisted US military personnel; he was also openly sympathetic to the Taliban and other groups fighting the US and NATO forces in Afghanistan.  Assange is an accused rapist and faces deportation to Sweden from Britain.  I'd be surprised if Assange doesn't end up like Gerald Bull in 2011.

9. BP Oil Spill - A massive spill resulted after a drilling platform exploded in flames and was destroyed in the Gulf of Mexico.  President Obama was widely criticized for his inept response to the spill.  Nevertheless, things have largely returned to normal in the Gulf with no apparently long term effects although terrible images of dead wildlife, ruined beaches, and sludge brought back memories of Exxon Valdez.  However, that didn't stop Obama from enacting further bans on offshore drilling around the United States, further restricting the US from ever achieving energy independence.

10. European Sovereign Debt Crisis - In a foreshadowing of what may lie ahead for the United States and other debt-laden countries, the PIGS (Portugal, Ireland, Greece, Spain) faced the threat of a sovereign default on loans.  With massive entitlements, bureaucracies, unions, and public spending, the PIGS struggled to find a way to manage their economies as the recession saw unemployment rise and production decline across numerous economic sectors.  Let's hope other nations can their ducks in a row before we start talking about the "D" word - depression.

The past year has certainly been difficult, but there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the future.  Fiscal responsibility is at the forefront of voters minds and they're counting on politicians to keep their word in the US, Europe, Canada, and elsewhere.  While the west may have been weakened by financial difficulties, it remains the most robust economically and militarily in the world, and for that reason the hope of liberty, democracy, and the rule of law remains strong.