2015 was one of the most dynamic and active years in recent history.
With a surge in terror attacks, mass shootings, and an increasingly violent and complex war
in the Middle East, many have experienced a dark year.
But at the same time, huge advances in civil rights around the world have made this year
particularly noteworthy.
So we wanted to look at the world’s key players.
Who were the most important people of 2015?
Well, to start, possibly nobody has had a busier year than Russian President Vladimir
Putin.
Despite facing severe, ongoing sanctions, and the decline of the Ruble, Putin has been
doubling down.
From jumping into the Syrian Civil War and backing Bashar al-Assad, to bombing ISIS and
Syrian rebels, Putin’s decisions on global issues have been swift, and wide-reaching.
Now, Russia is butting heads with Turkey, which Putin accuses of buying ISIS oil.
Clearly, he has not been one to back off.
Similarly, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has spent 2015 with her hands full.
The migrant crisis coupled with the Eurozone debt crisis have threatened to tank the European
Union.
Yet Merkel, the EU’s de facto leader, has negotiated through both crises and seemingly
kept Europe from collapsing.
Meanwhile, as the situation in the Middle East has deteriorated, terrorists aligned
with the Islamic State attacked Paris, France.
It was the country’s deadliest attack of it’s kind, and the second of the year.
French President François Hollande responded resolutely, bombing ISIS targets in Syria,
and hunting down the organizers of the attacks.
Unfortunately, 2015 was also a productive year for the Islamic State itself, and its
leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
Since cutting all ties with al-Qaeda in 2014, this year has seen ISIS expand, influence
terror attacks outside the Middle East, and make millions off an illegal oil trade.
Still, 2015 has also seen a worldwide ramp up of anti-ISIS forces, and many of their
top leaders killed.
One of the most outspoken critics of ISIS, and Muslims in general, has been US Presidential
candidate Donald Trump.
He’s already managed to anger both the Democrats and Republicans, as well as the media, the
public at large, and pretty much every world leader besides Putin.
His meteoric rise in early polls paints a worrying picture about the future of American
politics.
Finally, 2015 was a year of horrific civil violations, and enormous civil rights advances.
The Black Lives Matter movement, sparked by police abuse victims like Freddie Gray, has
moved from a fringe activist group into the mainstream.
Social movements around the US and on college campuses have prompted active and aggressive
debate.
Still, one of the brightest developments of the year saw same-sex couples legally allowed
to marry in the United States.
Thanks to Jim Obergefell, the plaintiff in the Supreme Court’s case, one more barrier
of discrimination fell in the United States.
2015 was crazy, but as we enter 2016, there are still problems to tackle.
The next year will likely see further developments on climate change, incredible technological
advancements, and hopefully a decrease of violence in the Middle East.
You don’t have to be an adult to do amazing things.
2015 brought us these 5 incredible inventions — and they were all created by kids.
Watch DNews’ video to find out what they are.
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