The closing of a year marks the beginning of another. Throwing a celebratory welcome to 2025, we look forward to a fresh batch of colorful seasons, custom-filled festivals, and a new rollercoaster of events to ponder upon. However, every new story has a prequel. As the American writer and journalist Hal Borland said, “The end of the year is neither an end nor a beginning, but a continuation with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us.”
We learn and grow each day, taking a step back to reflect on our previous experiences, be it as an individual or as the world altogether. As Mahatma Gandhi manifested, ‘Vasudhaiva kutumbakam’ (the world is one family) is an undeniable fact considering how we face similar impacts of geopolitics, economy, cyber revolution, or climate change. Let us look back on what shaped our global affairs largely in 2024.
Year of Elections
2024 witnessed elections in over 80 countries. Some election results caught the eyes by marking some ‘famous firsts’ in history. Donald Trump became the first United States (U.S.) president to be convicted of a crime while Mexico got its new president, Claudia Sheinbaum, who is the first female and Jewish person to hold the office. However, these electoral processes failed transparency and fairness in some of the countries.
Bangladesh Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina Wazed, had to flee her country amid protests over election manipulation while Vladimir Putin won a landslide victory in Russia to serve for the fifth term.
Geopolitical Shifts
Amidst the political instabilities, some countries had to face hazy days with lakhs of lives sacrificed for their motherland.
Born out of the Soviet Union, Russia and Ukraine clashed over widening ideologies. The war that exploded in 2022 marked its 1000 days in 2024. Syria finally ended its thirteen-year-long civil war by ousting Bashar al-Assad as the country’s leader. On the other hand, Iran, lost its president, Ebrahim Raisi, in a helicopter crash. Masoud Pezeshkian, who is considered the most reform-oriented leader in decades, was chosen as their next president. Should this be called a gain or a loss to the country? Only time will tell…
Slowdown in Economy
Wars, terror attacks, and geopolitical adversities at a few junctions have nevertheless impacted the global supply chain. Rising inflation and economic uncertainties have led to reduced foreign investments (FDIs and FIIs) and increased the risk of bank runs. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) reported a lower growth rate of 2% to 3% in 2024. This reveals the interconnectedness of the global economy while highlighting the risk of a polarized economy. This led countries towards multilateralism in trade, lowering economic uncertainties and providing them with diverse trade choices.
Pop Culture Driving Economies
While countries’ financial policies and trade outcomes saw a slowdown, a single artist could drive the economy significantly. Yes, a four-time Grammy recipient, Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour made a contribution of $2 billion to the local economies. This underscored the significance of soft diplomacy and the entertainment industry to the economies that are often overlooked by the lawmakers and economists.
Unleashing the Power of Sports Diplomacy
Being the ‘softest of the soft diplomacy’, sports can play roles in bandaging international relations in the hyper-divided world. The 2024 Paris Olympics and Paralympics blurred the borders by bringing countries together on a level playing platform. The event marked gender parity for the first time in the Olympics with an equal number of male and female athletes. Countries took home their medals with the U.S. topping the medal table.
Besides, India saw a striking victory giving us the new world’s youngest chess champion, Gukesh Dommaraju. Sports enthusiasm not only drives the economy but also provides opportunities to the youth and an inspiration to build a healthy lifestyle.
Space Race
Human curiosity about the skies led to space exploration and understanding of the Universe. Although we are all ‘Earthlings’, countries and associations have strived to engrave their names as ‘the first’ in the space race. In 2024, China became the first country to return samples from the far side of the Moon, and India’s ISRO launched the XPoSat (X-Ray Polarimeter Satellite), making it the second country to make a space launch for the study of phenomena like black holes and neutron stars. However, the sky wasn’t bright enough for everyone, as NASA astronauts had to be left in space due to technical issues. Unfortunately, we as humans once again neglected our responsibilities over curiosities by endangering the Moon as a “threatened heritage site” with space debris and disposed urine bags as highlighted by the World Monuments Fund (WMF).
Technology Revolution On The Go
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a key part of innovation, shaping our day-to-day lives from energy conservation and self-driven cars to decision-making. Tools like ChatGPT have been on the rise among users for educational and even small-scale investments. However, AI also made the headlines for misguiding users to the extent of triggering suicides. Giving rise to deepfakes, misinformation has gained more attention, threatening genuine data, eroding public trust, and endangering women’s safety online, negating women’s empowerment.
On the entertainment side, virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are drawing attention, especially in the gaming sector.
Healthcare Advancements
Healthcare innovations like diabetes reversal through stem cell therapy by China and Russia’s cancer-curing vaccine have sparked hope for a better future. Yet, their efficiency is widely debated.
Climate Tipping Point
World Meteorological Organization (WMO) confirmed 2024 as the warmest year on record with global average temperature exceeding 1.5℃ above pre-industrial levels. It led to extreme weather phenomena like devastating floods in Spain, Hurricane Helene in Florida, and record-breaking heat waves in Europe. Anthropogenic impacts have crossed oceans to reach the polar icecaps, leading to breaking ice shelves that triggered worldwide seismic waves. This shows the extent of the adversities that the world is facing together. Thus, Possibilism has taken a toll on several lives whose recognition is now pushing countries and industries towards greener solutions and sustainability.
Bidding Farewell
In 2024, we also bid our farewells to some of our most beloved personalities, like the industrialist Ratan Tata, musicians Ustad Zakir Hussain and Ustad Rashid Khan and, the football world cup legend Franz Beckenbauer from Germany.
Reflecting on these experiences, we strive to live a better tomorrow with more resilience and understanding of our needs and that of our surroundings. Whether it is choosing the right leader, experiencing a healthy lifestyle, harnessing unity, or conserving our dearest nature, we learn every day to improve our future and look forward to a pleasant dawn. After all, as Abraham Lincoln said, “The best way to predict the future is to create it.”
By: K. S. NANDHINI
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