As the World Turns

Published December 18, 2007 12:24pm ET



Gideon Rachman lists here his top five most important events in 2007. Why? Because “I like making lists.” At least he’s honest! Here are Rachman’s choices: The surge; Putin’s Munich speech in which the Russian strongman accused the United States of “plunging the world into an abyss of conflicts”; the credit crunch that began in August; PetroChina’s valuation as the world’s largest company; and Musharraf’s declaration of a “state of emergency” in Pakistan in November. If you sense a theme here, you are right:

The link is the growing strain on the world’s sole superpower. America is locked into a draining and demoralising war. Russia, an old adversary, is becoming more assertive. China, a new rival, is on the rise. Pakistan, a vital ally, threatens to fall apart. The US economy is under more strain than for years. Happy new year.

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