World politics in 2007 featured relations between existing and emerging power centres, significant new leaders on the international scene and a growing preoccupation with economic and climate issues rather than the threats from terrorism and civilisation clashes that took the limelight in recent years.
A major shift from a predominantly transatlantic and European to an Asian focus is occurring, making the notion of a unified "West" increasingly problematic. This is gradually being replaced by a more comprehensive and encompassing sense of global belonging that better suits a more unified world.
Strong development in large states like Brazil, Russia, India and China is changing both the geopolitical and macro-economic realities. Africa and the Middle East are still the laggards in this league, largely because of political failings in potential driver states like Nigeria and Egypt and festering humanitarian crises like those in Darfur, Sudan and Chad. But there were some surprises in 2007, including fresh evidence of brisk economic growth in a number of African states, together with more regional co-operation between them, and a greater willingness of Saudi Arabia and Jordan to assume regional responsibility for pursuing a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians - a key but immensely arduous objective for 2008.
And it must never be forgotten that across these regions one third of the world's population lives on less than $2 a day, more and more of them in proliferating mega-slums.
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Arising from these trends in 2007 is a political watchlist for 2008. It must include the US presidential election to replace President Bush that will determine whether the only superpower can restore its lost international prestige. Many of its leaders and citizens believe this is possible, but they underestimate the damage done during the Bush years. Besides, patterns of interest and influence are changing, making ad hoc co-operation for particular tasks more likely among the major powers, probably at the expense of Nato-type military alliances. Whether the US economy goes into recession in 2008 as a result of this year's sub-prime lending crisis will also have many consequences for Ireland, Europe and the rest of the world.
A more introspective, protectionist mood is readily discernible in US campaigning, concerned with immigration, competitive pressures, domestic rights and social inequalities and fear of terrorism rather than foreign policy per se. This month's National Intelligence Estimate playing down the threat of Iran's nuclear weapons swiftly took the heat out of worries that an attack on Iran next year would compound the disastrous war in Iraq. The military surge ordered by President Bush reduced levels of violence there, but has reinforced social separation and the highly destructive displacement of one quarter of Iraq's 20 million population. Political agreement on Iraq's future is far away. A key point in 2008 is the fate of General Musharraf as leader of an unstable nuclear-armed Pakistan further east in this volatile region, bordering chronically dysfunctional Afghanistan.
China's handling of the Olympic Games next August will symbolise its stronger role under a prospective new leadership elected in October. It is steadily clocking up world records for output, value of firms, competitiveness, growth and productivity, even though it will take decades to close the overall gap with the developed world. In 2007 Chinese leaders became more aware of the impact it is having internationally and the need to respond. This was seen most clearly in its constructive participation at the Bali climate talks, in its lead role on North Korea denuclearisation, and more gradually on Taiwan, Burma, Iran and Darfur and the yuan's exchange values.
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How Vladimir Putin executes his shift of office from president to prime minister while retaining power and Russia's continuing more assertive policy in its neighbourhood - not least in Kosovo - will be continuing concerns for the rest of the world. A more stable and prosperous Russia gives him legitimacy. Finding a constructive relationship with Russia will be a critical task for the European Union next year if ratification of the Lisbon Treaty - by referendum in Ireland - enables it find a more settled and coherent international profile.
How Nicolas Sarkozy, Gordon Brown, Donald Tusk, Kevin Rudd and Yasuo Fukuda manage their new leadership roles in France, Britain, Poland, Australia and Japan will be another focus of international attention. Sarkozy deserves pride of place among them for his radicalism and audacity; but he has yet to deliver on most of his promised change. The same reservation applies to Mr Brown, who had a far less auspicious time in office when he finally succeeded Tony Blair last July. Mr Blair leaves the Northern Ireland settlement as arguably his principal achievement, a potential model for elsewhere.
Messrs Tusk and Rudd have a similar reforming style, while Mr Fukuda rapidly corrected the serial misjudgments that led to Shinzo Abe's swift departure. In Venezuela, Hugo Chávez lost a referendum but not his domestic or international popularity, while Argentina's populism was renewed by Christina Fernandez Kirchner's election to replace her husband Nestór. In Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan confidently swept back to power, still insisting on his country's vocation to join the EU. Global warming is also intimately linked to political and economic well-being in this rapidly changing world agenda.