Wars and clashes accompanied by diplomatic efforts in 2008

Direct talks between Turkish and Greek Cypriot communities re-launched in 2008, while Turkey-mediated indirect talks between Israel and Syria continued briefly and the dialogue between China and Taiwan softened. Efforts to resolve the decades-long dispute of Azerbaijan’s Nagorno-Karabakh region also gathered momentum.   Â

Despite improvements in diplomatic efforts to resolve conflicts, tensions rose when Russia and Georgia engaged in a brief war in the Caucasus; an apparent move to show that Russia had returned to the world stage as a stronger international player.

The past year was marked by presidential elections in the United States and Russia. Democrat candidate, Barack Obama, won the U.S. presidential elections to become the country’s first black president, replacing two-term Republican George W. Bush.

In Russia’s presidential elections, Dmitri Medvedev replaced outgoing President Vladimir Putin, who endorsed him and who later became prime minister. Although Putin appears to have left his post for a lower one, many political commentators expect to see a major comeback from the Russian prime minister who many believe still holds the reigns of power.

The U.S. and Iraq sealed a deal on a timetable for the withdrawal of American forces stationed in the country. Iraq is likely to dominate the agenda for the incoming U.S. president in 2009.

Bush's farewell visit to Iraq produced one of the most unforgettable scenes in recent history. During a Baghdad press conference in mid-December, Iraqi journalist Durgham Zaidi threw his shoes at Bush and shouted abuse in protest to the outgoing U.S. leader's Iraqi policy.

Among the many devastating natural disasters of 2008, the magnitude-7.9 earthquake that rocked China, killing more than 80,000 people, was the deadliest.

Terrorist attacks left an indelible mark on 2008 with thousands of people around the world being maimed or killed; however, it was the recent Mumbai attack in which more than 150 people were killed that was this year’s most shocking.

Here are the some of the major issues that played out on the world stage in 2008:

MIDDLE EAST
Long-time foes Israel and Syria resumed peace negotiations in May after an eight-year hiatus, holding four rounds of indirect talks under Turkish mediation.

In the finals days of 2008, Israeli attacks launched on Gaza that have killed more than 350 people, after the ceasefire with Hamas ended, signaled that the situation in the Middle East would continue to dominate the world agenda in 2009. The attack resulted in the suspension of talks between Syria and Israel.

Another significant development in the region was the agreement reached between Iraq and the United States. According to the deal, all U.S. combat troops will be removed from Iraq's urban areas in 2009, with a full withdrawal of American troops from Iraq set to be completed in 2011.

At a press conference during Bush's farewell visit to Iraq, TV reporter Muntazer al-Zaidi shot to fame when he called the outgoing U.S. president a "dog" in Arabic and threw his shoes, a grave insult in the Arab world

The incident, at a joint news conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki in Baghdad, was replayed over and over again on television and Internet around the world. While the act was widely condemned in diplomatic circles, it was the source of great mirth among many ordinary citizens in the Middle East and beyond.

The Iraqi journalist has been hailed a hero by some commentators, with offers of employment and even proposals of marriage. At home however, Zaidi faces the real threat of a long prison sentence on the serious criminal charge of attempted assault.

Iran's disputed nuclear program, which it claims is solely for civilian purposes, continued to trigger fears throughout the West that the country is working to build atomic weapons.

The six powers, Britain, the United States, France, China, Russia, and Germany, have led negotiations on three rounds of U.N. sanctions against Iran for refusing to suspend its uranium enrichment program.

CAUCASUS
On Aug. 6, Russia sent troops into its small, ex-Soviet neighbor after Georgian government forces massed to attempt to retake South Ossetia, which had thrown off Georgian rule in 1991-92. After a week-long clash, Russia officially recognized unilateral declarations of independence by the Georgian breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, backed with Russian military protection.

The clash manifested concerns that Russia has tried to reassert its authority in the region.

It also proved that the region remains volatile and extremely vulnerable due to the numerous unresolved conflicts. In this regard, Turkey proposed a Caucasus cooperation and stability platform in direct response to the Russia-Georgia conflict - an agreement it expects will be signed in early 2009.

As part of a thawing in the region’s strained relations in response to Turkey’s offer for a regional platform, President Abdullah Gul paid a visit to Armenia on the occasion of a football game in Yereven. This is the first such visit since Turkey cut diplomatic ties with Armenia over its aggression on neighboring Azerbaijan in 1992.

Renewed peace efforts on Azerbaijan’s disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region were prompted by the Russia-Georgia conflict and Gul's visit.

ASIA
Ties between China and Taiwan, separated since the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949, warmed after Taiwanese president, Ma Ying-jeou took office in May. Since the election, Chen softened his party's call for a sovereign "Republic of Taiwan" and has said he will not declare independence unless Taiwan comes under military attack.

In December, the two sides opened direct daily passenger flights, new shipping routes and postal links for the first time in six decades. China also declared its willingness to meet requests for assistance from political rival Taiwan.

The world turned its attention to Mumbai on Nov. 26 when terrorists attacked two hotels, a Jewish community center, a popular restaurant and a train station in the Indian city formerly known as Bombay. The world looked on in horror as a group of terrorists took hostages and killed 150 people in a two-day siege of the city.

The incident forced the U.S. and its allies to move away from employing unilateral methods in the fight against terrorism.

This year saw some positive developments in the Korean peninsula nuclear talks, with the Pyongyang administration agreeing to abandon all nuclear weapons and programs, partly prompted by the removal of North Korea from the U.S. list of terrorism-sponsoring nations. Relations between the two Koreas however became strained when North Korea threatened to block overland traffic through the inter-Korean border at the beginning of December.

Although not completely free from controversy, China successfully hosted the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing. With more than 130 new records, including 45 world records, the 2008 summer games was an unforgettable event not only for the athletes and coaches taking part, but for the millions of people around the world who followed the two-week sporting spectacular.

BALKANS
Kosovo declared independence from Serbia on Feb. 17, to become the youngest state in the world. Serbia lost control of Kosovo in 1999 after NATO bombing to halt the killing of ethnic Albanian civilians in a two-year counter insurgency war.

Serbian war criminal Radovan Karadzic was arrested in Belgrade on July 21. Karadzic, leader of the Bosnian Serbs in the 1992-1995 civil war in the former Yugoslavia, is widely regarded as the architect of the ethnic cleansing in Bosnia, which is widely considered one of the worst atrocities in Europe since the end of World War Two. He remains in U.N. custody awaiting trial on war crimes at The Hague.

EUROPEAN UNIION
The European Union was drawn into bureaucratic chaos when Ireland voted "No" in a referendum on the highly anticipated Lisbon Treaty, which was planned to replace the EU’s current constitution.

The new legal framework aims to give the bloc more weight in the world by creating a long-term presidential figure and its own foreign policy supremo.

Ireland's rejection of the treaty slowed integration efforts at a time when EU backers say the 27-country bloc needs to show overwhelmingly that it is capable of being able to take quick action to tackle a financial crisis.

In 2008, France launched a new international body with 43 member nations that aims at ending conflict in the Middle East. The Union for the Mediterranean initiative will tackle issues such as regional unrest, as well as wide ranging concerns from immigration to pollution.

Comprising of 27 EU members, including states from north Africa, the Balkans, Israel and the Arab world, the union's membership will include 756 million people from Western Europe to the Jordanian desert.

RUSSIA
On March 2, with the backing of outgoing President Vladimir Putin, Dmitri Medvedev was elected as his replacement. Putin however did not give up total control and eventually became the country’s prime minister. The election of Medvedev raised concerns among former Soviet Union states that Russia may try to reassert its authority in the region.

These concerns manifested themselves in a clash between Russia and Georgia over South Ossetia and saw the return of Russia as a global power. Russia’s renewed show of strength became apparent when despite all efforts, including those of the United States; no country could urge Russia to step back from its actions against Georgia during the conflict.

Under U.S. pressure, NATO leaders promised Ukraine and Georgia eventual NATO membership. The policy enraged Moscow, while France and Germany blocked the move over their concerns about the reaction of a key energy supplier, arguing that neither Kiev nor Tbilisi was ready to take such a step.

US ELECTIONS
Illinios Democrat senator, Barack Obama, 47, was elected on Nov. 4 as the United States’ first African-American president. He built his campaign on a promise of bringing change to Washington.

His defeat of Republican John McCain came amid widespread dismay over Bush's handling of the economy and hopes that Obama would be able to bring stability as the nation slides into recession.

Obama will officially take office when he is sworn in as the 44th President of the United States on Jan. 20, 2009.