By: James Neyer ~Staff Writer~

There was much political strife in 2015, with many wars and terrorist attacks earning global attention. With the rise of ISIS in the Middle East, many Syrians were forced out of their homes and fled to Europe in order to live better lives. France endured two terrorist attacks on its soil this year. These attacks have not been localized on European soil, nor have they deterred many countries from taking in refugees.

Hostilities grew once again between North and South Korea, as both militaries were put on alert and readied for war. However, as drought threatened the North, South Korea promised aid in the form of food if requested.

China was hit with ups and downs. Its stock market crashed in June, with reverberations in July and August. However, the citizens of China were given a bit more freedom with the end of the one child policy, allowing married couples to now have two children.

This was also a year for cooperation, as America and Cuba finally restored communication. The American flag was flown on Cuban soil for the first time in more than 54 years.

Saudi Arabia was chosen as a leader for the UN’s Human Rights Council. This led to some complaints, as Saudi Arabia had sentenced a blogger to 1000 lashes for writing about free speech and was originally planning to behead and crucify a man who protested in the Arab Spring at the age of 17.

A Turkish doctor was fired after comparing President Tayyip Erdoğan to the “Lord of the Rings” character Gollum. Erdoğan responded by having the court decide whether or not Gollum is a bad character.

Mexico captured Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, an infamous drug lord, only for him to escape from a maximum-security prison. After recently capturing him a second time, they decided to extradite him to the U.S. The world was able to come together in agreement to limit emissions in order to halt the progression of global climate change.