Today we look back at 2011, a year that saw the U.S. killing of Osama Bin Laden, the ouster of a dictator in Egypt and the death of one in Libya, the meltdown of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan, and the expansion of the secret U.S. drone war in Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Arabian Peninsula. As U.S. troops leave Iraq, thousands of private security contractors remain to guard the U.S. embassy—the largest in the world. The Horn of Africa was hit by the region’s worst drought in decades as the devastating impact of extreme weather was felt across the globe, while the world’s most powerful countries continue to refuse to join in a pact to address climate change. However, 2011 may be most remembered as a year of global uprisings. From the Arab Spring to Occupy Wall Street, millions of people took to the streets to oppose repressive regimes and an unjust economic system. We spend the hour today looking back at the protest movements that shaped 2011.

2012/01/03 Headlines: Obama Signs Defense Bill Allowing for Indefinite Detention of U.S. Citizens Without Trial; Controversial Defense Bill Tightens Sanctions on Iran; Iowa Holds First 2012 Presidential Caucus; Occupy Supporters in Iowa Stage Actions Against GOP Candidates, Obama; Scores of Occupy Protesters in New York City Arrested Following New Year's Eve Action; Global Revolution, Occupy Wall Street Live Streaming Source, Evicted from Brooklyn Production Studio; Iraq PM Declares National Holiday to Commemorate U.S. Troop Withdrawal; Egypt: Mubarak in Court, Accused of "Tyrannical Rule"; Egyptian Military Defends Office Raids of Human Rights, Civil Society Groups; Nigerian Protesters Demand Shell Clean Up Massive Oil Spill; Senegal: Music Star Youssou N'dour Announces Plans to Run for President; Islamic Center Targeted in String of Firebombings in Queens; Federal Authorities Investigate Fire at Florida Abortion Clinic Previously Targeted with Violence; LAPD Arrests German Man in Connection with 53 Arson Fires; Iraq War Veteran Suspected in Park Ranger Killing Found Dead After Massive Manhunt; Seismologists: Fracking Linked to 11 Ohio Earthquakes Since March

2012/01/04 Headlines: Romney Edges Out Santorum by 8 Votes in Iowa Caucus; Obama Talks Re-Election in Iowa Address; Iran Threatens Response over U.S. in Gulf; Taliban Suggests Potential of U.S. Talks; Ecuadorian Court Upholds Chevron Fine for Amazon Pollution; Israeli, Palestinian Negotiators Meet in Jordan; Washington State Governor to Back Gay Marriage; California, NYC Take Up Corporate Personhood Amendment; Suspect Confesses to New York City Arsons at Religious Sites; Global Revolution, Live Streamers of Occupy Wall Street, Arrested in NYPD Raid;$

2012/01/05 Headlines: Obama Uses Recess Appointments to Sidestep GOP on Consumer Protection, Labor Board; Bachmann Bows Out of GOP Presidential Race; McCain Endorses Romney for GOP Nomination; Syrian Activists Denounce Arab League Monitoring Mission; Multiple Bombings Kill 24 in Baghdad; Military Trial Begins for Marine in Haditha Massacre; E.U. Agrees to Ban Iranian Oil Imports; Bahraini Forces Tear Gas Demonstrators; Report: U.S. Newspaper Published Pro-Bahrain Editorial After Lobbying; Washington State Governor Backs Same-Sex Marriage; Bi-National Gay Couple in San Francisco Granted Deportation Stay; Runaway U.S. Teen Mistakenly Deported to Colombia; Texas Police Slay Teen Holding Pellet Gun; Delaware Death Row Prisoner Set for Release After Conviction Overturned;$

2012/01/06 Headlines: New U.S. Defense Strategy Emphasizes Asia Pacific, Drone Warfare; Military Spending to Exceed Levels at End of Bush White House; Nuclear Reduction "Possible"; Panetta Invokes Korea, Iran Dispute in "Warfare" Scenario; Afghan President Demands U.S. Relinquish Control of Bagram; GOP Hopefuls Bash Obama in New Hampshire; Santorum Booed over Same-Sex Marriage Stance; Gingrich Calls for De-Funding Labor Board; Cordray Launches Mandate at Consumer Protection Bureau; 70 Killed in Iraq Bombings Targeting Shia Pilgrims; Suicide Bombing Kills 10 in Damascus; Arab League Monitors Face Protest; Group: 37,000 Jailed in Syrian Crackdown; Egyptian Prosecutors Seek Death Penalty for Mubarak; Texas Prisoner Freed over Withheld Evidence After 31 Years; Ex-Inspector Urges Cancellation of Keystone XL Pipeline;$

2012/01/09 Headlines: Republicans Debate Ahead of New Hampshire Primary; Romney Suggests Only Wealthy People Should Run for Office; Gingrich Accuses Romney of Looting Companies; Billionaire Casino Mogul Gives $5 Million to Pro-Gingrich Super PAC; Unemployment Rate Drops to 8.5%, Lowest Since 2009; Rep. Giffords Attends Candlelight Vigil to Mark Anniversary of Tucson Shooting; Iran-U.S. Tensions Escalate as Iran Sentences U.S. Citizen to Death; Panetta Admits Iran is Not Trying to Develop a Nuclear Weapon; U.S. and Iran to Hold Major Military Exercises in the Persian Gulf; Thousands in Yemen Protest Deal to Grant Immunity to Saleh; Bahrain Bars U.S.-Based Human Rights Official from Entering Country; Blackwater Settles with Families of Guards Slain in Fallujah; 100,000 Displaced by Ethnic Violence in South Sudan; Nigeria General Strike Begins over Rising Fuel Costs; Texas Teen Returns Home After Being Mistakenly Deported to Colombia; MSNBC Suspends Pat Buchanan; Occupy Our Homes Action in New York City Enters Second Month; "Occupy" Named 2011 Word of the Year; African National Congress Celebrates 100th Anniversary;$

2012/01/10 Headlines: Mitt Romney in New Hampshire: "I Like Being Able to Fire People"; With Two Votes Each, Romney and Huntsman Tie in Tiny Dixville Notch; Rick Perry Focuses on South Carolina Primary; William Daley Resigns as White House Chief of Staff; IAEA Confirms Iran is Enriching Uranium in Underground Bunker; Syrian President Assad Claims Foreign Conspiracy Behind Protests; Nigerian Strike Enters Second Day; At Least Three Protesters Killed; Report: DEA Agents Laundered Million in Cash for Mexican Drug Trafficker; Aung San Suu Kyi to Run for Parliament in Burma; U.S. Seeks to Toss Lawsuit by Guatemalan Victims of Medical Experimentation; U.S. Bans Uranium Mining Near Grand Canyon for 20 Years; Opponents of Factory Farming Claim to Set Fire at Beef Processing Plant in California; Dara Greenwald, Artist and Activist, Dies at 40;$

2012/01/11 Headlines: Romney Wins New Hampshire Primary, Paul Follows in Strong Second-Place Finish; South Carolina to Sue over Voter ID Challenge; Former Prisoners, Advocates Mark Decade of Gitmo; Activists to Protest Guantánamo in D.C.; Arab League Observer Calls Syria Mission a "Farce"; U.N.: Increased Killings Since Arrival of Arab League Mission; Report: Israeli Settlement Expansion Breaks Records; 3 Killed in Pakistan Drone Strike; Drones Account for 31% of U.S. Military Aircraft; Iranian Nuclear Scientist Killed in Bombing; Nuclear "Doomsday" Clock Moves Closer to Midnight; Child Malnutrition Soars in India; Barricades Removed from Occupy Wall Street Park;$

2012/01/12 Headlines: Karzai Condemns Video of U.S. Marines Urinating on Afghan Corpses; Haditha Trial: Marine Sergeant Said, "We Should Kill Everyone" Prior to Mass Killing; Nigeria Strike Day 4: Oil Workers Threaten to Shut Down Oil Production; Iran Urges U.N. to Condemn Assassination of Nuclear Scientist; Christian Right Leaders to Gather to Pick Anti-Romney Candidate; Republicans Ask Court to Allow for Unlimited Corporate Donations to Campaigns; Obama Campaign Raised $220 Million in 2011; Survey: Class Conflict Growing in U.S. Between Rich and Poor; French Journalist Killed in Syria; Haiti Marks Two Years Since Devastating Earthquake; Mexico Says Drug War Death Toll Has Topped 47,000; Chinese Workers at Xbox Factory Threaten to Commit Mass Suicide; Hundreds Protest Against Guantánamo in Washington; Lawsuit Filed Seeking Info on Use of Drones Inside United States; 100th Anniversary of Bread and Roses Strike Marked in Massachusetts;$

2012/01/13 Headlines: Presiding Officer Recommends Court-Martial for Manning; Report: U.S. Uses Secret Channel to Warn Iran Strait Closure a "Red Line"; U.S. Identifies 2 Marines in Urination Video; Gingrich Claims Pressure from "Extraordinarily Wealthy Institutions" to Drop Bain Criticism; Nigerian Oil Workers Set Sunday Deadline to Restore Fuel Subsidy; Burma: Prisoners Freed in Mass Amnesty; Ceasefire Reached with Ethnic Rebels; Tucson Suspends Ethnic Studies Program under Threat of Funding Cut; Mocking Super PACs, Colbert Enters GOP Presidential Field in South Carolina; Dozens Arrested in Anti-Torture Protest Outside White House;$

2012/01/16 Headlines:$

2012/01/17 Headlines: Romney Comes Under Fire at Republican Debate in South Carolina; Romney: I Oppose Negotiating with the Taliban; Ron Paul: "They're Building Up for War Against Iran"; Jon Huntsman Drops Out of Republican Race; Christian Right Leaders Back Rick Santorum; Architect of Anti-Immigrant Bills Endorses Romney; Homeland Security Hired Contractor to Monitor Websites; Report: U.S. Concerned Israel Is Preparing to Attack Iran; Report: Israelis Recruited Militants to Carry Out Covert Ops in Iran; Ban Ki-moon to Syria's Assad: "Stop Killing Your Own People"; Mohamed ElBaradei Drops Out of Egyptian Presidential Race; Nigerian Unions Call for Strike to End; Guatemala's New President Tied to Human Rights Atrocities; El Salvador President Apologizes for El Mozote Massacre; 29 Still Missing in Deadly Italian Cruise Ship Accident; 700,000 Seek Gov. Walker Recall in Wisconsin; Tucson School District Releases List of Banned Ethnic Studies Books, Includes Shakespeare; Occupy Protesters Mark Martin Luther King, Jr. Day; Six Arrested at Occupy Baltimore Action; Emergency Manager Law Protested in Michigan;$

2012/01/18 Headlines: Websites Stage Historic Strike Against Anti-Piracy Laws; Romney Claims Tax Rate of 15%; $360K in Speaking Fees "Not Very Much"; Hundreds Protest in D.C. for "Occupy Congress"; Obama Jobs Council Calls for Lower Corporate Taxes, Increased Domestic Energy; Wisconsin Governor Recall Petition Gathers Over 1 Million Signatures; U.S., Russia Debate Syria Measure at Security Council; Judge Who Targeted Pinochet Stands Trial in Spain; Iraq War Vet Arrested in Murders of 4 Homeless Men; Obama to Accept Democratic Nomination at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte; Delaware Commutes Death Sentence to Life in Prison;$

2012/01/19 Headlines: Citing GOP Deadline, Obama Rejects Keystone XL Oil Pipeline; Report: Romney Hides Millions Through Tax Havens; Romney Rejects Disclosure of Multiple Tax Returns; Iowa Recount Gives Edge to Santorum; Study: 30 Companies Spent More on Lobbying than on Taxes; Groups: Slow Response from West Led to Thousands of Deaths in Africa Famine; Israel: Decision on Iran Strike "Very Far Off"; Report: Obama Considering Summers for World Bank Helm; Supreme Court Backs Appeal for Death Row Prisoner over Filing Mistake; News Corp Admits Cover-Up in Hacking Settlements;$

2012/01/20 Headlines: GOP Candidates Debate Ahead of South Carolina Primary; Ex-Wife: Gingrich Asked for Open Marriage; Perry Exits GOP Race, Backs Gingrich; Second Officer Backs Trial for Manning; Afghans Protest Deadly NATO Raid; France Suspends Training of Afghan Troops After Shooting; Syrian Protests Follow More Killings; Arab League Extends Monitoring Mission; Top U.S. General Visits Israel for Iran Talks; Iran: Scientist Assassins May Have Used U.N. Info; 5 Moroccans Self-Immolate in Unemployment Protest; U.S. Shuts Down File-Sharing Site, "Anonymous" Hackers Retaliate; Military Suicides Hit New Record High; U.S. Confirms Liberian Leader Worked for CIA; Obama Visits Apollo Theater in New York City Fundraising Trip; 6 Marines Killed in Afghanistan; Vermont Barred from Shuttering Vermont Yankee Nuclear Plant;$

2012/01/23 Headlines: Newt Gingrich Wins South Carolina Primary; Romney Attacks Gingrich for Using "Weapons of the Left"; Gingrich Win Aided by $5 Million Donation, "Southern Strategy"; Video Emerges of Ron Paul Speaking in Front of Confederate Flag; U.S. Drone Strike Kills London Man in Somalia; 178 Killed in Nigeria Raising Specter of Civil War; U.S. Allows for Yemen's Saleh to Enter United States; Syria Rejects Arab League Request for Assad to Hand Over Power; Muslim Brotherhood Heads New Egyptian Parliament; Human Rights Watch Urges Nations to Support Arab Spring Protesters; Afghan Soldier Kills Four French Troops; Anti-Online Piracy Bills Put on Hold After Massive Protests; Boehner Pushes for Obama to Reverse Keystone Pipeline Decision; Protests Held Across Nation Against Citizens United Ruling; Hawaiian Teachers Reject Obama's "Race to the Top" Contract; EPA to Deliver Fresh Water to Homes Impacted by Fracking; Rep. Giffords to Resign from Congress After Shooting; R&B Singer Etta James Dies at 73;$

2012/01/24 Headlines: Romney, Gingrich Spar in Florida Debate; Gingrich Reported to Freddie Mac Lobbyist; Romney Paid Low Rate on Millions in Investment Income; Another $5 Million Pledged to Pro-Gingrich Super PAC; Santorum, Paul Claim Conservative Mantle; Obama to Deliver State of the Union Address; Supreme Court Rules Warrants Required for GPS Tracking; Ex-CIA Whistleblower Charged with Leaking Classified Information; Last Marine Charged in Haditha Massacre Reaches Plea Deal; 6 Killed in Iraq Bombings; Egypt Opens New Parliament, Prepares to Mark Revolution; U.S. Mulls Repatriation of Foreign Prisoners in Afghanistan; E.U. Enacts Iran Sanctions; U.K. Issues Troop Warning; NYPD Screened Anti-Muslim Video Far More than Disclosed;$

2012/01/25 Headlines: Obama Highlights Income Inequality in SOTU Address; Obama: "No Option Off the Table" with Iran; No Jail Time for Marine Alleged to Have Led Haditha Massacre; Egyptians Mark One Year of Revolution; Arab League Extends Syria Monitoring Mission amid Ongoing Killings; Gaddafi Loyalists Seize Bani Walid; Israel Detains 4 Palestinian Lawmakers; U.S. Forces Free Aid Workers in Somalia Raid; Chinese Forces Kill Tibetan Protesters; Connecticut Police Officers Charged with Targeting, Assaulting Hispanics; Indiana Dems Skip Vote on Anti-Union Bill; Google Increases Monitoring of Web Users;$

2012/01/26 Headlines: Obama Pushes Millionaire Tax in Iowa; Romney Slams SOTU Address; Romney and Gingrich Seek Florida Latino Vote; Fed Preserves Low Interest Rate, Predicts Slow Recovery; Geithner: No 2nd Term as Treasury Secretary; U.S. Could Expand Military Presence in the Philippines; Record Turnout Estimated at Egyptian Revolution Rallies; U.N.: Interim Libyan Gov't Torturing Prisoners; Occupy Protesters Rally at Davos World Economic Forum; People's Movements Converge for World Social Forum in Brazil; Giffords Exits Congress with Farewell Address; Indiana Lawmakers Pass Anti-Union Bill; Whistleblower: BP Sought to Alter Cleanup Data; Publisher Resigns After Suggesting Obama Assassination; NYPD Commissioner Apologizes for Role in Anti-Muslim Documentary;$

2012/01/27 Headlines: GOP Candidates Spar over Immigration, Wall Street in Florida Debate; Obama Touts Domestic Drilling in Vegas Speech: U.S. is the "Saudi Arabia" of Natural Gas; Pentagon Boosts Overall Spending Despite Short-Term Cuts; Iraq: 32 Killed in Baghdad Bombing; Iraq Mulls Legal Action over Haditha Massacre; U.S. Threatens to Stop Egyptian Military Aid over Stranded Americans; Syria: 30 Killed in "Terrifying Massacre"; Former Guatemalan Dictator Faces Trial; WSF Meets on "Capitalist Crisis, Social and Environmental Justice"; Rejecting GOP, Senate Hikes Debt Limit; Walker Aides Face New Charges; FBI Seeks App to Monitor Social Media; Twitter Can Block Tweets by Country;$

2012/01/30 Headlines: 400 Occupy Oakland Protesters Arrested; National Park Service Threatens to Evict Occupy D.C. Protesters; Romney Attacks Gingrich over House Ethics Record; Newt Gingrich Positions Himself as a Reagan-Style Conservative; Gingrich Backer Sheldon Adelson Under Federal Investigation; Secretary: Ron Paul Personally Proofed Controversial Newsletters; Report: Freddie Mac Bet Against American Homeowners; France to Impose Financial Transaction Tax; Egyptian Generals Visit U.S. amid Dispute over U.S.-Backed NGOs; U.S. Lobbyists from Mubarak Era End Contract with Military Government; Yemeni President Saleh Arrives in New York; Iraq Outraged over Expanded Use of U.S. Drones; Panetta Confirms Pakistani Doctor Aided CIA; Filipino Activists Protest Expanded U.S. Military Presence; Five Papuan Independence Activists Face Treason Charges; Cadmium Spill in Chinese River Causes Environmental Catastrophe; Mumia Abu-Jamal Moved from Solitary to General Population;$

2012/01/31 Headlines: Syria: Russia Opposes U.N. Resolution Against Assad; Romney Expected to Win Florida Primary; Report: 13,000 Pro-Romney Ads Aired in Florida, 200 for Gingrich; Gingrich: We Need a Government that Respects "Our Religion"; Obama Defends Drone Strikes, Denies Civilian Toll; Suspected U.S. Drone Kills 13 in Yemen; U.S. Military Equipment Sale to Bahrain Faces Congressional Opposition; Haiti's "Baby Doc" Will Stand Trial for Corruption, Not for Murders; Despite Eviction Order, Occupy D.C. Protesters Remain in Parks; Belgian Workers Hold General Strike to Protest E.U. Meeting; 25 European Nations Agree to Stricter Budget Rules; Senegal's Youssou N'Dour Accuses President Wade of Staging "Coup"; Brazil: Chevron Faces $11 Billion Lawsuit for Oil Spill; Republicans Tout Bill to Override Obama on Keystone Pipeline; Drought in Mexico Leaves Two Million Without Water; Water Tankers Called to Drought-Stricken Texas Town; East Haven's Top Cop Announces Retirement After Racial Bias Arrests; Tennessee Lawmaker Threatens to “Stomp” Transgender People;$

2012/02/01 Headlines: Romney Wins Florida GOP Primary; Santorum Claims Conservative Mantle Ahead of Nevada Vote; Obama Visits U.S. Automakers in D.C., Praises Industry Rebound; U.S. Intelligence Chief: Iranian Leaders More Willing to Attack United States; NATO Soldier Killed in Afghanistan; NATO Report: Prisoners Say Pakistan Aiding Taliban; Syria: 6 Killed in Fighting Near Lebanese Border; Russia Challenges Syria Measure at U.N. Security Council; U.S. Intel: Assad Regime Won’t Outlast Protests; Egypt: Dozens Wounded in Pro-Democracy March; Bahraini Protesters on Hunger Strike are Tear-Gassed in Prison Cells; WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange Battles Extradition in U.K. Court; Breast Cancer Charity Faces Backlash After Defunding Planned Parenthood; Oakland Protesters Face Mistreatment, Beatings; 12 Charged in Occupy Oakland Protests; Judge Rejects Attempt to Block Camping Ban on Occupy D.C.; Riot Police Clear Occupy Miami Encampment;$

2012/02/02 Headlines: Panetta: U.S. to End Afghan Combat Operations in 2013; Romney: "I'm Not Concerned About the Very Poor"; Trump to Endorse Gingrich Ahead of Nevada Vote; Thousands Protest as Indiana Enacts Anti-Union "Right to Work" Law; Arizona State Senators Introduce Anti-Union Bills; Washington State Senate OKs Same-Sex Marriage; American Airlines to Lay Off 13,000 Workers; Dozens Killed in Syria Clashes; Russia Stalls U.N. Measure; At Least 74 Killed at Egyptian Soccer Match; Julian Assange in Final Day of Extradition Hearing; U.S. Lifts Military Aid Ban to Uzbekistan; ACLU Sues Admin for Drone Strike Records; NRC: Nuclear Reactors in Central and Eastern U.S. Face Earthquake Threats; Occupy Wall Street Protester Gets Twitter Subpoena;$

2012/02/03 Headlines: Komen Officials Resign over Planned Parenthood Controversy; Syria: U.N. Drops Call for Assad Resignation; Egypt: 4 Killed as Thousands Protest Soccer Deaths; NATO Chief Contradicts Panetta on Afghan Timetable; Israel: Iranian Missiles Could Reach United States; Khmer Rouge Commander Gets Life Term; Trump Backs Romney Ahead of Nevada Caucus; SEC Issued Scores of Waivers to Wall Street Firms in Fraud Cases; Holder Takes Heat from Congress for "Fast and Furious" Weapons Sting; Yemeni Activists Protest Saleh's NYC Visit; Sierra Club Took $26 Million from Gas Industry; Report: U.S. More Than Doubles Names on No-Fly List;$