2024: The year that redrew the World Map

You know that feeling when things just aren’t quite as certain as they used to be? That’s pretty much where the world is at right now. 2024 has been another year of big changes, and it seems like the West, which used to call the shots, is struggling to keep up.

Professor Christopher Phillips, a guy who really knows his stuff about global politics, wrote a piece for Arab News that basically spells this all out.

Think about it: the wars in Ukraine, Gaza, and Lebanon haven’t exactly been shining examples of Western leadership.

In Ukraine, Russia’s been slowly gaining ground, and now even some of the staunchest supporters are starting to think a deal might be the only way out. Remember that call between Germany’s Chancellor and Putin? That seemed like a bit of a turning point.

And then there’s the Middle East. Israel’s military operations in Gaza and Lebanon, well, they’ve been incredibly tough, to say the least, with a devastating number of civilian casualties.

It’s gotten so bad that even countries that are usually allies with Israel, like France and the UK, are starting to say, “Hold on a minute.” They’ve even taken some actions to show they’re not happy, like sanctioning some settlers.

The US on the other hand is still standing firmly by Israel. The International Court of Justice said the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza is illegal, but Israel hasn’t paid much attention.

To make things even more complicated, we’re seeing a rise in populist movements across Europe. These are groups who are, let’s just say, not always fans of working together.

They’ve done well in elections in Austria, they’re part of the government in the Netherlands, and they almost won in France.

While it hasn’t totally upended things yet, if a party called Alternative for Germany, which is pretty pro-Russia, gets into power there next year, that could really shake things up in Europe.

Meanwhile, countries outside the West are getting stronger. Russia’s been making friends around the world, especially after hosting that big BRICS meeting where they invited a bunch of new countries to join, like the UAE and Egypt.

And China, even though they’ve got their own problems at home, is still a major player, especially in parts of the world the West hasn’t always paid attention to.

And of course, there is the return of Trump to the White House. He’s known for shaking things up, to put it mildly. Some people think that will make America stronger again. It’s a bit of a gamble. He is not a big fan of working with allies or following the usual rules of the game.

So, what does it all mean? Well, it feels like the world is changing in a big way. The West, which used to be firmly in charge, is facing some serious challenges, both from within and from outside. And with Trump back in the picture, 2025 is shaping up to be another unpredictable year.

It really makes you wonder what the world will look like in a few years’ time, doesn’t it? Are we just going through a rough patch, or is this the start of something much bigger? It’s hard to say for sure, but it definitely feels like we’re living through a pretty important moment in history.