A U.S. State Department Travel Warning issued in March 2007 says, "The threat from terrorism in many areas of the country continues to pose a significant security risk." That couldn't have been more true. Here is a review of major events beginning in 2007.

Russian claims and activity begin a race for control of the Arctic North.

This timeline tracks the major incidents and sightings of the Chinese cargo ship An Yue Jiang from the time it arrived off South Africa on April 14, 2008. The An Yue Jiang owned by Cosco is carrying a cargo that includes a controversial shipment of weaponry and munitions bound for Zimbabwe and the regime of President Robert Mugabe.

Many African nations, humanitarian groups and the international community do not want these arms reaching Zimbabwe for fear Mugabe will use them to suppress his opposition in the contested and unresolved presidential election, in which both sides claim victory.

Technically China is doing nothing illegal by selling arms to Zimbabwe. There is no United Nations imposed arms embargo. However, with the Zimbabwean political crisis turning more violent, and China already under intense international scrutiny over its human rights track record, Beijing's decision to recall the An Yue Jiang would help it avoid additional controversy and threats of protests leading up to the Olympic Games this summer. It is likely that if the An Yue Jiang's cargo reaches Zimbabwe, China will hear intensified calls for world leaders to boycott the opening ceremony of the Olympics, if not the Games in their entirety.

The following are some of the important events that have taken place regarding rising tensions with Iran, their quest for a nuclear weapons capability, their influence and possible support of efforts to destabilize Iraq, and their influence on and support of global terror groups.

Since mid-2006 North Korea has been fighting a tense political battle over its suspected nuclear weapons program with the United States, as well as the regional states of South Korea, Russia, China and Japan.

At the end of 2007 North Korea agreed to dismantle its nuclear program, and make a transparent declaration about its suspected nuclear weapons program in exchange for the U.S. removing Pyongyang from its list of state sponsors of terrorisms. Also, North Korea is to receive much needed international aid for its citizens in the form of fuel, food and medical supplies.

Progress finally began being made in mid-2008 when North Korea turned over its nuclear declaration documentation to the U.S. and blew-up the nuclear cooling tower at Yongbyon.

Zimbabwe was already in political turmoil before the contested March 2008 presidential election. But since then, the escalating violence against and suffering of the country's citizens has only become worse.

This is a timeline of major events in the political standoff between strongman President Robert Mugabe and his Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) party, and the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and its leader, the now defeated presidential hopeful Morgan Tsvangirai.

In the months since the election more than 100 people are believed to have been killed by those loyal to President Mugabe, while hundreds if not thousands of other MDC supporters have been beaten or arrested.