It wasn’t just you. From Ukraine to Ebola to Gaza, it’s been a year of big, horrifying international news stories that just wouldn’t end.

It's easy to blame the fatigue felt as we approach 2015 on the the sheer number of international events that have taken place. But that isn't why this year seemed like an infinity collapsed into 12 months. Instead, it was that every horrific event seemed to last forever. Crises flared up and then sunk down to continue burning, slow and steady without really being resolved, even as new ones roared to take their place.

January–Present: Syria

Yazan Homsy / Reuters

From the beginning of 2014 until the end, Syria remained the home to one of the deadliest conflicts on Earth. The fight against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad seemed almost secondary at times as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) consolidated control of its base city, Raqqa, and it and other groups fought among each other for control of territory.

It was also a humanitarian disaster. Half of all Syrians were displaced from their homes this year. Those displaced inside the country are currently having to survive the winter on just 825 calories per day.

The struggle over the future of Syria, despite lasting for three years already, would color many of the year's other crises, from the situation in Ukraine to the rise of ISIS.

February–Present: Ukraine

The Associated Press

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