What lies ahead in 2024?
After a grim 2023, the outlook for 2024 is also rather worrying. Commentators voice concern about the potential results of forthcoming elections and the risk of further wars.
Further conflicts likely
The outlook is bleak, says Diário de Notícias:
“The year that is now ending has confirmed Murphy's most famous law: everything that could go wrong has gone wrong. Since we know that 2024 could be much worse than 2023, we should prepare ourselves for next year to be really bad. This is not a question of pessimism or optimism, but a question of probabilities. ... In 2024, the probability that these two conflicts [in Ukraine and the Middle East] will be resolved is low - it is much more likely that further conflicts will arise.”
Many elections, little democracy
With elections due to take place in many countries and under worrying circumstances, the year 2024 will be a crash test for the world, says Eleftheros Typos:
“Next year, parliamentary or presidential elections will be held in around 70 countries with more than 3.7 billion inhabitants in total - so almost half of the world's population. ... Fears are, of course, most intense in the US, regarding Trump's potential return to the White House. ... This 2024 crash test will take place in the midst of a disorderly retreat of democracy. Not only in an Africa witnessing a series of military coups, for example, but also in the liberal-technocratic Euro-American sphere, where the sovereignty of the people is on the verge of turning into an empty husk.”
All eyes on Washington and Beijing
Večernji list believes that in the coming year, a great deal will depend on the elections in the US:
“The presidential elections will divert attention away from policy. In addition, there is the escalation caused by potential political extremism and election disputes, which have largely continued since the previous presidential election. This potentially gives China room for manoeuvre. However, many doubt this as China has not yet sufficiently recovered from the pandemic measures or the problems in its property sector and infrastructure. ... How the situation evolves for the two world powers will also play a key role in determining the developments in global trouble spots.”