( CNN ) -- If I had to pick the most important moves of 2014 , I would put Russian President Vladimir Putin 's flouting of international law and European security norms near the top . His swift annexation of Crimea -- despite a 1994 treaty signed by Russia and Western allies to guarantee Ukraine 's territorial integrity -- as well as his military intervention and support for pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine have destabilized the continent . But Putin 's moves on the European chessboard are now checkmating Russia , too . The year ended with the country in financial chaos , because of Western sanctions over Ukraine , the falling price of oil and Central Bank missteps . The slavish pro-Putin propaganda and the stifling of an independent press had brought nationalist fervor to fever pitch and put the majority of Russians behind him , but when their ruble and their living standards started to collapse by year 's end , the grumbling also started . How much political trouble will this spell for Putin ? Will he double down and seek more diversionary foreign ( mis ) adventures , or will he try to address Russia 's isolation , abide by the ceasefire he signed recently for eastern Ukraine , start getting sanctions unraveled and his economy back on track ? 2015 is a year to watch for Russia 's next moves . Similarly , Russia could also change tactics and play a constructive role in the horrendous disaster that is Syria . Over nearly four years of war , Russia has given Bashar al-Assad political cover , while Iran has provided most of the Syrian leader 's military muscle . More than 200,000 people have now been killed , while the United Nations says there are now more than 3.2 million registered refugees . And this year , there was the horrible evidence of al-Assad 's torture and death squads , as reported on my show . After years of the United States and its allies refusing to intervene in Syria , the big winner of 2014 in that region has been the brutal Islamic State of Iraq and Syria . The rise of ISIS was largely ignored until it swept into Mosul in Iraq and started the gruesome public beadings of journalist colleagues in the summer . The brutal executions of James Foley , Steven Sotloff and aid workers Alan Henning and Peter Kassig did serve to increase airstrikes and efforts that have somewhat halted the momentum of ISIS . And by the end of 2014 , a new government in Iraq , trying to be more inclusive , had taken encouraging first steps . But the challenge for 2015 remains that few believe ISIS will be stopped , that Iraq will be saved , or that the Syrian war will end until al-Assad leaves power , as President Barack Obama demanded back in 2011 . At the end of yet another year of war there , Valerie Amos , the U.N. under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator , told me the lack of a political resolution and the continuing carnage is a stain on the international community . In his own hemisphere , Obama took bold executive action and formally declared America 's isolation of Cuba to be a bankrupt policy that just has n't worked . After a half-century of trying to overthrow the Castros with things like the Bay of Pigs fiasco , exploding cigars and even an attempt to infiltrate Cuba 's hip-hop scene , Obama threw up America 's hands the week before Christmas and announced the United States would be changing tack . It would now engage with Cuba , like allies in Latin America , Canada and Europe . The President said the two countries would restore diplomatic ties as well as major increases in trade and travel . President Raul Castro , for his part , thanked Pope Francis for his help in pushing the two sides together . However , 2015 will likely be marked by a furious backlash inside Congress , where Republican opponents can be expected to use their new majority to try to block any new U.S. ambassador to Cuba , refuse funding and especially refuse to lift the embargo . Yet the question remains how much a new generation of Cuban-Americans will appreciate this ? After all , demographics have changed , and they are much more eager to engage than their parents , grandparents and the remaining hard-liners in Congress .
Christiane Amanpour picks her big three global news stories for 2014 . She cites the Russia-Ukraine crisis , the Syrian conflict , changes in U.S.-Cuba relations . Amanpour : 2015 will be partly shaped by response to Russia , Syria , Cuba stories of this year .