TONY BURMAN: TOP 10 HEADLINES FOR 2014
From the growing rumble of protesters demanding democracy, to the increasingly heavy hand of Russia’s Vladimir Putin, World Weekly’s columnist lays out the year to come,
Why wait 12 long, tedious months to discover what will be the top major international news stories next year? Here, in one snappy package, is an early peek at the Top 10 international headlines of 2014. Remember, you saw it here first. Iran and world powers move closer to “grand bargain” Iran and the world’s major powers will build on their “interim” nuclear agreement and move toward a long-term accord. Despite the coalition of cynics, opportunists and warmongers working so hard to undermine it — in Iran, Israel and the U.S. — this process has the potential to unlock several other crucial Middle Eastern issues, such as Syria, Israel and Palestine. In Putin’s Russia, the Iron Curtain returns At a time when Americans and the West seem preoccupied with the “Islamic threat,” Russian President Vladimir Putin is hard at work. Who says the Cold War is over? Russia’s dramatic deal with Ukraine’s embattled government shows how badly Putin outplayed his European adversaries. His actions regarding Ukraine, and his government’s brutal treatment of gays and lesbians, will cast a pall over the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics in February. Edward Snowden emerges as “hero,” not “traitor” The gradual rehabilitation of the American whistleblower will continue apace. A U.S. court has ruled that the bulk collection of Americans’ phone records by the National Security Agency is a likely a violation of the U.S. constitution. It comes as reports surface that German Chancellor Angela Merkel angrily told U.S. President Barack Obama that NSA snooping was like that of the Stasi, the hated secret police of communist East Germany. John Kerry salvages Barack Obama’s presidency The U.S. Secretary of State seems determined to rescue Obama’s legacy. At a time when America’s allies are dispirited and when the president himself seems to be in a fog, John Kerry is taking on the world. Due largely to his efforts, the U.S. is now within reach of a historic breakthrough with Iran, and Kerry is finally turning the screws on the Israelis and Palestinians to break their deadlock. Even with the civil war in Syria, negotiations are once again in play. Obama miraculously survives Obamacare The rollout of the U.S. Affordable Care Act was classi- cally inept. For a moment at least, it gave Republican conservatives hope that Americans would forget their bumbling ways of the past year. But that will soon pass. Americans will gradually see what most people in the industrialized world have long recognized. In any modern 21st century democracy, basic health care is a human right. China’s century turns sour As China gets closer to becoming the largest economy and most powerful nation on Earth, the signs out of Beijing are worrisome. New President Xi Jinping is tightening controls on dissidents and limiting access to the Internet. Calls for greater democracy are being muzzled. This comes as China prepares to mark the 25th anniversary in June of the crushing of the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989. Worldwide democracy protests accelerate The democratic drumbeats are getting louder. This past year has seen unprecedented protests in all corners of the globe, most recently in Ukraine. If anything, there is a likelihood they will increase in the approaching year, undoubtedly triggered by the fact that nearly half the globe’s population — including in India, the world’s largest democracy — will experience elections of some sort in 2014. Separatist parties in Scotland and Spain suffer defeats Europeans in 2014 will learn what Canadians have long known: breaking up is hard to do. Scotland will vote next September on whether to become independent in a referendum that is fraught with history. But Scots will vote “no.” This is certain to deflate the independence movement in Spain’s Catalonia region, which also hopes to vote in 2014. A Scottish defeat will likely delay that prospect. In Brazil, politics may trump World Cup When Brazil was granted the World Cup, which will be held next summer, it was unthinkable that anything else in 2014 would matter. But in June, a small dispute over bus fares developed into Brazil’s largest protests in decades. This October, incumbent President Dilma Rousseff stands for reelection but is no longer regarded as a shoo-in. Like Brazil’s soccer team, she may emerge as second best. Africa is becoming a global success story Nelson Mandela’s death has shone the international spotlight on South Africa in recent days. But there is a remarkable story elsewhere in Africa, as well. In 2014, several of the world’s fastest-growing economies will be in Africa. In the past decade, only Asia has grown faster. And, finally, a flashback to my last prediction of one year ago: “We shall read next October that the Toronto Blue Jays win the World Series.” In fact, the Blue Jays finished in last place. OK, I get it. I see how this “prediction” game works. This year, my final prediction is: “We shall read next October that the Toronto Blue Jays finish in last place.”