My top ten international political moments of the decade

By Julian Ware-Lane / @WareLane

Following on from my top ten yesterday, here is a non-domestic list. Selecting only ten allows me to ignore all sorts of momentous events that will doubtless generate debate. I have attempted to go for game-changing events. Do you agree with my list?

Hamas’ election victory
The victory for a terrorist organisation in Parliamentary elections in what is probably the major terrorist hot-spot in the world was bound to have ramifications. Not only did this give the Israeli government a headache, it demonstrated that democracy can be a far from perfect form of government at times.

Russia gas pipeline dispute
In the end this amounted to very little. However, it was a signpost to a future in which energy supplies will become crucial, especially as natural resources become scarcer. Russia’s spat with Ukraine threatened EU supplies, and laid bare our dependence on parts of the world where stability is an even scarcer commodity. I predict further energy disputes this century.

North Korea nuclear test
The spread of nuclear weapons seems inevitable. Nonetheless, it does leave one uncomfortable and feeling vulnerable. It also demonstrated the impotence of the West in dealing with some rogue states. North Korea may be part of the axis of evil; unlike Iraq and Syria it is untouchable at present. Watch out for Iran’s tests to come.

Kyoto
The first international acknowledgement that something must be done about climate change.

The George W. Bush Presidency
Began in controversy (remember those hanging chads?), followed by eight months when nothing seemed to happen; then came the Al-Qaeda attacks. Under the Bush Presidency the US became embroiled in two wars that still threaten to outdo Vietnam for longevity.

Benazir Bhutto assassination
Public life has its benefits; it also has its pitfalls. This truly shocking event showed the fragility of democratic expression in some places, and how a determined extremist can undermine legitimate government. As we are producing weaponry at an alarming rate I expect more of the same in the years ahead.

Mugabe versus Tsvangirai
In the Henry Ford election (you can have any result you like as long as it is a ZANU-PF victory) Robert Mugabe lost and won. The reluctance of Thabo Mbeki to influence his neighbours accounted for his eventual downfall. One of the by-products of Mugabe terror tactics is that my hometown has something like a thousand more Zimbabweans than it did a decade ago. Africa has long been the continent where stable government was a distant dream; Zimbabwe looked like it was going to buck that trend at one point. It now is the embodiment of that old cliché: banana republic.

China olympic torch protests
Despite an appalling human rights record, there were many brave enough to use the opportunity afforded by the Beijing Olympics to demonstrate disgust at China’s policy over Tibet. To me, this was a heart-warming event, and a reminder that the freedoms we enjoy have all been won by fighters and believers.

Obama
Less about what he has done and will do, and more about who he is and where he came from. Barack Obama’s startling victory turned eyes from gazing at the gutter to eyes that now gaze at stars.

Aung San Suu Kyi
Today’s Nelson Mandela. She embodies the saying “it is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees”. When we are faced with falling voter turnout at home it is sobering to think of what others will do for a fair vote. Will she ever be free? I am not optimistic.