The article discusses notable events during 2014 that the author believes serve as a point of departure from the 20th century into the 21st. He says Russia's annexation of Crimea disturbed European beliefs about peace and inviolable borders. In the Middle East the terrorist group Islamic State under the leadership of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi seized territory and beheaded civilians. An outbreak of Ebola in West Africa served to illustrate how fragile countries can be. In the author's view the ineffectiveness of international organizations such as the United Nations and North Atlantic Treaty Organization created an opportunity for bad behavior on the part of certain governments including that of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.