With the new year upon us, a look back at the year which just concluded is a valuable endeavor. This past year, 2008, involved political upheavals across the globe, from Canada to Thailand, and a vast array of locales in between, from the start of the year to its closing days. Though noteworthy, the series of developments in Israeli-Palestinian relations go unmentioned here due to the complex nature of that enduring dispute. Each event on the chronological list provided below is an independent determination and not necessarily supported by anyone else. Feedback on the defining events of 2008 is appreciated.

1. Iowa Democratic Caucus (January 3). Barack Obama’s big win in the first-in-the-nation Democratic Party presidential caucuses and primaries propelled the first-term senator to the Democratic presidential nomination, and allowed for his sweeping victory in the 2008 U.S. general election.
2. Fears of Recession (January 21) and the subsequent recession. In many respects, the plunge in stock prices worldwide would effect the events of the rest of the year, and was without a doubt a factor in some of the many political crises of 2008.
3. Kosovo declares independence (February 17). The mostly Albanian-inhabited Serbian province, which was the subject of NATO intervention during the Clinton administration, declared independence, making apparent growing rifts in the international order when mostly western and pro-western countries recognized it while others did not. As of the start of 2009, the status of Kosovo remains unresolved. Towards the end of the year, it was reported, mostly abroad, that a street in the Kosovar capital was to be named for President Bush.
4. Cuba gets a new president (February 24). Raúl Castro, effectively running the country since his brother became ill in 2006, was formally selected as President of Cuba. This was significant because Fidel Castro ran Cuba for decades, and, infamously, attempted to acquire Soviet nuclear missiles in the 1960′s.
5. Dmitry Medvedev is elected (March 2) and becomes (March 7) President of Russia. Only the third man to be elected as such since the adoption of the present Russian constitution in 1993. The transition from Putin to Medvedev was smooth, though, the outgoing Russian president, Vladimir Putin, became Prime Minister. At the end of 2008, Medvedev again made international news, this time for extending the length of his term.
6. The Union of South American Nations is formed (May 23). With all nations wholly within South America represented, a treaty is signed replacing the Andean Community and MERCOSUR with a new supranational polity at a conference in Brazil. The new organization is intended to further integrate a historically divided continent in several policy areas.
7. The Irish vote in referendum on the Lisbon Treaty (June 12). Due to standing judicial precedent in that country, the Republic of Ireland was the only E.U. member state to put the question of whether or not to adopt the Lisbon reform treaty up for a national referendum. Interestingly, Ireland is the country in the supranational grouping to reject the treaty so far. The government of Ireland, which approved of the treaty, has announced a second referendum with the encouragement of Brussels. This process reflects rather more poorly on Europe than it does on Ireland.
8. The South Ossetian War (August 7-16). Lingering issues caused in part by manipulative Soviet-era ethnic politics manifests into arm struggle in the midst of the Beijing Olympics. The conflict reinforced the Russian military presence in Transcaucasia and remains a challenge to the territorial integrity of the Republic of Georgia.
9. The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act (October 3) is signed into law by President Bush. This measure, the most expansive of its kind in more than sixty years, broadened the power of the federal government generally and the Treasury Department particularly. This bill, and its earlier incarnation which failed to pass, angered many conservatives and libertarians.
10. The United States and Iraq approve a Status of Forces Agreement (October-December). While important in determining the role of U.S. forces in Iraq from 2009 onward, the timing of the completionn and circulation of the agreement served as an understated ‘October surprise’ shortly before the presidential election. The agreement was approved in November by the Iraqi cabinet and parliament, and in December by the presidential council subsequently.

The past year was eventful and unpredictable in its developments. This year, 2009, will be similar in that respect. Knowing and appreciating the key events of 2008 is essential to the future of success for the leaders and potential future leaders in the United States, be they Republicans, Democrats, or otherwise.

Last 5 posts by James Kane

• A November to Remember - November 8th, 2010
• On hope and fear - October 18th, 2010
• Expecting Different Results - September 12th, 2010
• A glaring omission on Iraq - August 31st, 2010
• Employing a losing strategy - August 7th, 2010