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”
From the December 21st 2024 edition
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A fantastic start for Friedrich Merz
The incoming chancellor signals massive increases in defence and infrastructure spending
The lesson from Trump’s Ukrainian weapons freeze
And the grim choice facing Volodymyr Zelensky
Western leaders must seize the moment to make Europe safe
As they meet in London, Vladimir Putin will sense weakness
Prabowo Subianto takes a chainsaw to Indonesia’s budget
The result? More money for the president’s boondoggles
Inheriting is becoming nearly as important as working
More wealth means more money for baby-boomers to pass on. That is dangerous for capitalism and society
Donald Trump has begun a mafia-like struggle for global power
But the new rules do not suit America