2016’s Top 10 World News Stories.docVIP

2016’s Top 10 World News Stories 　　 1. Brexit 　　Contrary to forecasts by major media and academic circles in the United Kingdom， 51.89 percent of votes cast in a referendum held on June 23 were in favor of the UK leaving the EU. The outcome of the Brexit referendum has had a strong impact on Europe and even the wider world. The vote has created a rift between the UK and the whole of Europe， and encouraged by the result， EU-skeptics are preparing for gains in the 2017 elections across the European continent. The UK-EU Brexit negotiations， meanwhile， may drag on indefinitely， and the UK economy’s prospects in the interim are not bright， due to the uncertainty the vote has caused. 　　 2. Donald Trump’s Victory of the U.S. Presidential Election 　　Republican Donald Trump defeated his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton in the U.S. presidential election in November， pulling a major upset after a controversial campaign period. Before the vote， major media， scholars and think tanks in the United States tilted heavily toward Clinton. The result showed the anxiety shared by the U.S. middle and lower classes in the face of globalization and their dissatisfaction with the current ruling elites. 　　The victory of Trump is a heavy blow to Western liberalism. Regardless of whether Trump strengthens the United States’ hard power in the future， the election has already damaged the nation’s soft power. Trump’s win also shows the relative decline of U.S. national strength： The United States is incapable of leading the world by itself. Judging by Trump’s cabinet nominees， U.S. policy under the new president may be characterized as conservative， self-interested， right-wing and isolated―a style and direction that may become a global trend in the near future. 　　 3. Terrorist Attack in Nice and the Global Expansion of ISIS 　　On July 14， a truck drove into crowds celebrating France’s national holiday Bastille Day， killing 87 and wounding 434. Extremist group ISIS claimed responsibilit