Top Five News Stories of 2011 [VIDEO]

The Arab Spring exploded in early 2011 with the Egyptian revolution to oust longtime President Muhammad Hosni Sayyid Mubarak being ousted by elements of pro-democracy activists and many associated with the Muslim Brotherhood, a radical Islamic organization. Mubarak resigned and is now under trial for murders of protesters.

Libya was next to follow with European and American forces backed up rebel forces in Libya looking to oust Colonel Moammar Gadhafi from power after 40 years and succeeded with his death in October.

Little is known about who will rule Libya for the long run, but Islamic radicals will have a hand in the shaping of the country.

Yemen and Syria has experienced internal strife to drive their rulers from power and will continue to be in the new well into 2012.

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After nearly 10 years of fighting wars in the Middle East, the United States struck a big victory  with the killing of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan in May of 2011. Seal Team Six went into Pakistan killed the man behind the 9-11-01 attacks on New York and Washington D.C. and fulfilled a promise made by then President George W. Bush in 2001. The killing helped President Barack Obama in the approval numbers and gave him a victory in what would be year of defeats for him politically.

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The Tsunami which struck Japan in March left the island nation cleaning up destruction from the waves and cleaning up a nuclear reactor for decades. Thousands were killed and many never to be found. The humanitarian crisis will remain for years on the island.

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Unrest on a large scale erupted in the United States with the "Occupy Wall Street" protests in New York. The goals of the protesters aren't totally unified except that Wall Street and the rich have to pay for their wrongs on society and that the 1% are oppressing the 99%. Thousands of copycat groups emerged across the nation and riots and beatings in Oakland left a black eye on the protest movement literally and figuratively. Reason.tv has a spectacular video of asking the protesters what they are there for.

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The Eurozone crisis among the PIGS (Portugal, Italy, Greece, Spain) drove the European Union and the Euro currency into a nose dive and will most likely crash the who continent into another severe recession or even a depression. The Greeks suffered austerity cuts and riots ensued and have continued in the Mediterranean country. Look for a collapse of the the Euro currency and the folding of the EU altogether in 2012.