Hobbled by foreign interventions, political instability, and natural disasters, the former French colony is paralyzed by multiple crises.

Ten people who passed away this year who shaped world affairs for better or worse.

The International Monetary Fund, both criticized and lauded for its efforts to promote financial stability, continues to find itself at the forefront of global economic crisis management.

In the Central African Republic (CAR), outside the capital Bangui, President Faustin-Archange Touadéra exerts little to no authority. Armed rebel groups control two-thirds of the country, including access to mining sites.