In just over a day, 2008 will officially come to an end here, marking the conclusion of what has been a very interesting year as far as political, economic and social events around the globe are concerned.  Here in East Asia, we saw a number of changes on the political landscape in Japan and South Korea, along with significant headway toward the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.  Further away in the Middle East we saw a resurgence of the Taliban in Afghanistan, an escalation of tensions recently between Israel and the Palestinians and further steps toward the eventual withdrawal of troops from Iraq.  Of course, recently in the United States we witnessed the historic election of the first African-American President and also watched as the sub-prime mortgage crisis triggered what is now a global economic slowdown not seen since the 1930's. 

Ni hao, you're listening to our New Year's Eve edition of  People In the Know, your window into the world around you, online at crienglish.com here on China Radio International.  In this 2nd to last edition of 2008 we'll be taking a look back at the major events that took place around globe this year.  So let's get started.

(Music)

The beginning of the year in the United States saw a lot of discussion around the state of the US economy and the beginning of the fight for the Whitehouse.  But while all this was taking place, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice make a three-country swing here to East Asia.  To help us analyze this trip we spoke with Professor Georgy Toloraya，director of the Center for Contemporary Korean Studies at the Russian Institute of International Relations and The World Economy in Moscow. He is a former Soviet economic officer in the embassy in Pyongyang.

(Dialogue with Toloraya)

Of course the Korean Peninsula wasn't the only region which was dealing with nuclear issues.  In March, the United Nations implemented a new round of sanctions on Iran. To help us better understand that issue we spoke with Hua Liming, China's former Ambassador to Iran.

(Dialogue with Hua)

We're going to take a short break, and come back and continue our review of 2008 on the international scene in just a moment.  Stay with us.

(Promo)

Ni hao, you're listening to  People In the Know, your window into the world around you, online at crienglish.com here on China Radio International.  I'm Paul James in Beijing.  In this edition of the show, on this, the 2nd to last day of 2008, we're reviewing the major events that took place around the globe.  Of course, the major event that has gripped the attention of the entire world and continues to show its effects is the global economic downturn, sparked mainly by the sub-prime mortgage crisis in the United States.  This downturn has sent many countries around the world into recession and has added a significant amount of pressure to the Chinese economy.  And, of course, countries in Europe were not immune to the downturn either.  To help us better understand the economic situation in Europe we spoke with Vanessa Rossi, Associate Fellow with the International Economics Program at London-based Chatham House.

(Dialogue with Rossi)

And of course, global economics wasn't the only thing marking history.  2008 saw a watershed moment in American politics, with the election of that country's first ever African-American President.  To give us some insight as to what a Barack Obama Presidency would look like, we were joined on the line following the election by Mr. Samuel L. Popkin, a Professor of Political Science at the University of California in San Diego.

(Dialogue with Popkin)

Of course there were many other significant events that took place around the world in 2008.  However, we don't have time to cover them off.  But be sure to join us tomorrow as we'll take a look back at the big events that took place here in China in 2008.  For Executive Director Zhao Yang and Producers Chen Mo and Xu Yang, this is Paul James in Beijing.  Enjoy the day.  We'll help you wrap up your year tomorrow.