This new year brings nothing new. The weight of other days, weeks and months is quickly coming and stacking up over what came before. The only exception is that current US President Joe Biden will exit the stage permanently on January 20, 2025, making way for the arrival of a man who has been waiting at the gate, eager to return to the Oval Office after a four-year absence, and move forward with a political and economic agenda that is not welcome in many parts of the world.
The inauguration of US President Donald Trump will be over in a few days, and the clocks will begin ticking in the various continents. His return will impact the fighting fronts in Ukraine, and people will be waiting to see how President Trump manages to fulfill his promise to end the war within 48 hours.
Anxiety and fear has prevailed in the corridors of the presidential palace in Kyiv since the results of the US presidential election were announced, over what is to come. The state of anxiety and fear is not limited to Ukrainian President Zelensky, his government and his army generals. It is also felt in other European capitals that disagree with President Trump's agenda for the war and strongly oppose ending it, which would grant Russian President Vladimir Putin a victory shield that they see as undeserved and a threat to their security.
The novelty of 2025 may come from the richest man in the world’s emphatic rise onto the political stage in the US. The newcomer needs no introduction, and stands cowardly alongside President Trump, with his body language suggesting personal political ambitions on the international political stage in the future. The year 2025 may be the year of Elon Musk par excellence. According to recent reports, he never leaves the residence of President-elect Trump in Florida.
The latter has tasked him with making the US administration efficient again, a well-deserved reward for the generous financial donations Musk made during the election campaign and his propaganda. Elon Musk is currently reaping what he sowed, and his ambition does not end in the US. His political interference in the affairs of allied European capitals, first London and more recently Berlin, for example, leaves no room for speculation about his political identity. His recent statements about supporting the British Reform Party and its leader Nigel Farage financially, as well as his remarks that the Alternative for Germany party is not extremist, are only the beginning.
Next February, Germany will hold new parliamentary elections, after the fall of the ruling coalition government led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz lost a vote of confidence. Opinion polls confirm that the Christian Democratic Party will lead the next government coalition, and that the Alternative for Germany Party will gain seats, while the Social Democrats, Greens and Liberal Democrat will lose seats. In Paris, President Emmanuel Macron could face a difficult year. His party lost its majority in parliament, and economic conditions are difficult. The recent fall of Michel Barnier’s government and the appointment of an alternative prime minister, will not put an end to the demands of opposition leaders, from the far left and right, for his resignation and new presidential elections. Indeed, the opposition believe that Macron remaining in the Elysee Palace will further exacerbate the economic crisis.
In London, the Labor government is feeling the impact of stagnation in economic growth, with the popularity of Sir Keir Starmer and the party falling to unprecedented lows for a new government. The Labor Party has not been in power for six months.
In the Middle East, the events in Syria remain the center of attention. The situation there is a concern to many Western and Arab circles, despite all the reassuring statements made by Ahmed al-Sharaa. The shadow of Abu Muhammad al-Golani still looms large in people’s minds, and Ahmed al-Sharaa’s reassurances cannot allay the fears.
The future of the Gaza Strip remains an open question as the political statements issued by Israeli government officials ebb and flow, especially regarding the role of Hamas in any possible political settlement overseen by the new American administration. It is also unlikely that Israel would accept the announcement of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza. It is also unlikely that a judicial ruling will be issued to convict Israel’s Prime Minister on corruption charges. Worse than that, the political crisis in my country, Libya, will continue for another year, with the same faces, ambitions and conflicts remaining in place. Nonetheless, that does not prevent me from wishing everyone a happy new year.
