What to make of 2024
A turbulent year has shed fresh light on some important truths
Our pages have been full of suffering in 2024. War has raged on three continents: the world watched Gaza, Lebanon and Ukraine most closely, but the fighting in Sudan was the most deadly. Storms, tempests, floods and fires have ruined lives, and taken them. All the while, the rivalry between countries siding with China and the American-led Western alliance has deepened, even as America has chosen as president a man whose commitment to that alliance is in doubt.
This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline “What to make of 2024”
More from Leaders
The Putinisation of central Europe
Austria could soon get its most extreme chancellor since the 1940s
To see what European business could become, look to the Nordics
The region produces an impressive number of corporate giants
Smarter incentives would help India adapt to climate change
It is the biggest test case for how hot, hard-up countries can cope
Tech is coming to Washington. Prepare for a clash of cultures
Out of Trumpian chaos and contradiction, something good might just emerge
The Starmer government looks a poor guardian of England’s improving schools
It is fiddling with what works and not yet dealing with what doesn’t
Finland’s seizure of a tanker shows how to fight Russian sabotage
The growing threat to undersea cables demands a robust response