When 2011 began, Dominique Strauss-Kahn was known as the widely respected International Monetary Fund chief who seemed destined to become France's next President. As the year closes, the disgraced Strauss-Kahn is synonymous with accusations of attempted rape, international scandal and the peril in which some men will place their careers and lives to satisfy their sexual obsessions. A criminal sexual-assault case against Strauss-Kahn in the U.S. was dropped, yet a civil suit related to his behavior awaits trial. Whatever the outcome, the debacle opened up a new chapter in the discussion about men, power and sexual harassment in both France and the U.S. but apparently closed the book on Strauss-Kahn's political career.
No one could have known that when a Tunisian fruit vendor set himself on fire in a public square, it would incite protests that would topple dictators and start a global wave of dissent. In 2011, protesters didn't just voice their complaints; they changed the world