A few things we learned from 2014

The year 2014, which marked both the 100th anniversary of World War I and the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, saw some notable changes in global affairs.

For one, war-related concerns have been spreading across the world, given the worsening situation in Ukraine and the rise of the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq. While looking on the brighter side, China's diplomatic moves last year have been lauded by many as the most important since the country's reform and opening-up was initiated more than three decades ago.

Among all the global changes, three of them are particularly noteworthy.