2020

If someone had asked in 2015 where we could see ourselves in five years, no answer would have been accurate especially given the past 10 months.

2020 has been a year of tectonic shifts – a year that has seen a global pandemic, a presidential election in the United States the results of which affect us all, a Middle East with a number of Arab countries recognizing Israel along with an implied dismissal of Palestinian aspirations for statehood, two prominent Iranians assassinated, a civil war in Ethiopia a year after its Prime Minister won the Nobel Peace Prize, and Peru, with three presidents in one week – to mention but a few.

Three major global leaders – U.S. President Donald Trump, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro – contracted COVID 19, yet continued to completely mismanage the pandemic and spread misinformation that may well have led to tens of thousands of needless deaths.

Finally, U.S. President-elect Joe Biden is hitting the road running, naming several credible people to major cabinet positions while President Trump wastes time and endangers American security and safety by delaying the turnover of power and continuing to tweet lies about the handling of the election causing many of his followers to doubt key democratic institutions.

On January 20th, the United States and the world will undergo another tectonic shift a self- obsessed president to a rational leader who basis his actions on facts and truths.

All in all, it has been a mixed, life changing year filled with unforeseen difficulties for all of us.

2020 has also seen the quick recovery of China from being the origin of the pandemic to transforming into a global savior as the major global production center for emergency medical protection equipment.

Along with its normal challenges, Africa witnesses a nascent civil war in Ethiopia as government troops battle separatist militias in Tigray state. The resulting refugee problem is growing

In Uganda, long-time President Yoweri Museveni continues to harass and arrest opposition leaders and harass and expel domestic and foreign journalists in the lead-up to presidential elections. According to The Economist, scores of Ugandans were gunned down by government forces in the lead-up to the elections.

In Nigeria, Boko Haram continues its murderous campaign, killing hundreds every month with the Nigerian government appearing impotent to contain this threat. In other parts of the Sahel and Maghreb, Islamist violence continues to take countless lives and disrupt life for millions.

Latin America is another focal point of disruption and uncertainty.

At one point in November Peru had three presidents in one week. Its constitutional crisis continues apace, and Peruvian politicians appear to have little appetite for the consensus building between parties that democratic systems demand, preferring to play political games and put governance aside.

In Brazil, President Jair Bolsonaro continue with his tragically clownish antics despite the severity of the COVID 19 pandemic in his country.

It would seem that Latin America continues to revere a past replete with bread and circuses rather than look at a future with rational and effective democratic governance.

India, ostensibly the world’s largest democracy, continues down the road of populist politics, as Prime Minister Modi promotes a Hindu state despite the hundreds of millions of non-Hindu citizens. Dividing the population is the linchpin of populist politics and it appears that Modi has learned this lesson well.

The one bright spot comes from southeast Asia, where Taiwan, South Korea, and Vietnam have managed the pandemic successfully and kept the death rate to a minimum.

The impact of 2020 will continue well into 2021 and beyond.
 Meeting its challenges will require an effort from all of us, and not only from political leaders.

Each of us must vote with intelligence and vision and avoid falling for the siren songs of populist leaders.

Each of us has to make the necessary changes to our own lives in order to mitigate the damages of COVID 19 and other major challenges.

Staying at home, avoiding gatherings, social distancing, and avoiding all unnecessary travel are good ways to contain the spread of COVID 19.

And each of us must demand better from our political leaders and governments.

Are we up to the task?

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Edición: Ana Ordaz