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Best of 2007 10. Shutting Out the U.S.Aug. 16: The annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) held in the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek, affirms the principle that security in Central Asia should be in the hands of existing regional organizations. It also staged major war games involving troops from Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. The significance of the group, though, is that it unites China and Russia together with the neighborhood's former Soviet republics, and includes as observers the likes of Afghanistan and Iran. The U.S. is very conspicuously not invited into a group whose governments are largely authoritarian in nature, but which the U.S. has sought to cultivate. The SCO's composition and increasing assertiveness reflects a shifting balance of power in the region, and perhaps globally.
#9. China's New LeadersOct. 22: China's 17th Communist Party Congress unveils the new politburo that will rule the country until 2012. The notoriously opaque system of bargaining over leadership positions in the one-party system appears to have produced a compromise candidate as likely successor for President Hu Jintao: Xi Jinping, who may now have eclipsed Li Keqiang, believed to have been President Hu's preferred choice. While Li is deemed to be a Hu protégé, Xi is viewed as close to both Hu and his still-influential predecessor, Jiang Zemin.
#8. Japan's Political ShiftSept. 23: Yasuo Fukuda is tapped to lead Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, following the resignation of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Abe stepped down in the wake of a serious electoral setback to the party when it lost control over Japan's upper house in July, following a pension scandal. Fukuda is considered to be more of a consensus builder, and less hawkish on foreign policy issues than his predecessor.
7. U.S.-India Nuke Deal FailsOct. 16: India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh regretfully informs President George W. Bush that a nuclear agreement hailed by Washington as the "single most important initiative" in U.S.-India history has been stalled for the foreseeable future. The agreement, which provided for India to gain access to global nuclear energy markets despite its nuclear weapons program, was opposed by Singh's coalition partners on the grounds that it made India's nuclear program beholden to Washington. They vowed to bring down the government if Singh went ahead with the deal.

#6. Burma CrackdownSept. 26: Burmese riot police attack Buddhist monks involved in peaceful protests, as the military regime cracks down on a movement that has drawn tens of thousands onto the streets of the capital in recent days. Thousands are arrested, and at least 15 people are reported killed. Under international pressure, the regime later holds talks with opposition figures, but there are few signs of movement away from authoritarian rule.5. China Product Safety CrisisJuly 11: Zheng Xiaoyu, former head of China's State Food and Drug Administration, is executed after being convicted of corruption charges in a case concerning substandard medicines that led to several deaths. The case highlighted a dramatic surge of cases of tainted Chinese exports, including pet food, toothpaste and toys, prompting calls for stronger product-safety regulation in the country that has become the world's manufacturing hub. #4. China's Equity Bubble?Nov. 5: PetroChina becomes the world's first trillion-dollar company, tripling its share price on the first day it was traded on the Shanghai stock market. China now has five of the world's 10 most valuable companies. But analysts fear that the Chinese stock market frenzy is dangerous, and former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan warned in May that it was due for a "dramatic correction." Since his warning, its value has increased by more than 35%, although it remains volatile.
#3. North Korea Agrees to DisarmFeb. 13: Months after testing a nuclear device, North Korea agrees at six-party talks in Beijing to take the first steps towards disarmament. The deal involves North Korea turning off and dismantling its reactor at Yongbyon in exchange for energy aid, although an important aspect of the agreement is the promise of peace talks, via a separate forum, aimed at ending the conflict and normalizing relations between North Korea and the U.S. Progress in implementing the deal has been slow, but substantial nonetheless, although the behavior of the North Korean regime remains unpredictable.
#2. Taliban OffensiveSept. 29: A Taliban suicide bomber kills 35 Afghan troops and two civilians in the year's worst suicide bombing in Kabul. More than 5,000 Afghans have been killed in a wave of bombings and guerrilla clashes in the Taliban's offensive to drive foreign troops out of Afghanistan. Despite the presence of 40,000 NATO troops, by the fall of 2007 the Taliban controlled vast swathes of Afghan territory, and are expected to renew their offensive in the spring.1. Pakistan in CrisisNov. 11: President General Pervez Musharraf imposes emergency rule, hoping to cling to power in the face of multiple challenges. He has faced street protests in support of the independent judiciary, which he sacked as one of his first acts under the emergency, and a growing challenge from Pakistan's own Taliban, both in the northwest of the country and through suicide bombings in the cities. Musharraf's woes come after a violent standoff with extremists holed up in the Red Mosque shook the capital in July, and the return from exile of two former prime ministers demanding restoration of civilian rule. Still, Musharraf hopes to weather the crisis and remain in the presidency after giving up command of the military.