The year 2022 might be one of the most prominent years in history. It marks the beginning of a new era, whether the best or worst, we aren’t sure yet. With so much happening in so little time, if there’s one key lesson we are taking away, it would be condensed into the famous Walt Disney quote “Times and conditions change so rapidly that we must keep our aim constantly focused on the future.”
The first few (Jan-Mar)
The year began with the world recovering from the COVID pandemic and being thankful to their respective governments for their vaccination efforts. As everyone tried their best to rush back into normalcy, to their dismay, they were only pushed into more uncertainty.
In what was just the second month of the year, we had seen the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the chaos and fear it created among countries. People were dead, sanctions were imposed, diplomatic efforts came to naught, and soon enough, inflation was triggered. This called for all governments to not only take a better look at their geo-economic strategies but also to brace themselves for the profound global changes that were yet to arise.
The ones in between (Apr-Sept)
As the world stepped into the subsequent phase of the year, it was hit by intensified climate change with record-breaking heat waves that created havoc across various parts of the globe. With one of the worst droughts and wildfires in Europe, floods in Pakistan, Hurricane Ian in Florida, and many such happenings, it is safe to say that almost all countries have faced the wrath of nature.
By late June, the climate had calmed but the commotion didn’t. Well, at least not in the UK and the US. Boris Johnson resigned as the Prime minister of the UK, Roe vs Wade was overturned in the US, and the tensions between the US and China have grown. Trade politics were altered and global equilibrium was disrupted, but that wasn’t all. In September, Queen Elizabeth II passed away and protests erupted in Iran. The incomprehensible events kept following one after the other and there was not enough time to fathom all that had happened.
The final ones (Oct-Dec)
Rishi Sunak was elected as the prime minister of the UK, the third one in the year, but the news made people happy, and by people, I meant us Indians, who were beyond elated to see a brown man, a practicing Hindu, whose heritage traces back to the roots of India lead the country that has colonized it for centuries. It was the first of many in Britain’s history.
The world population has surpassed 8 billion as of November. It has been decided at the COP 27 summit that the countries which are heavily impacted despite their low emissions will be supported and paid for any changes that they won’t be able to avoid or adapt to. And China’s aggression against India only seems to be increasing.
In a nutshell, 2022 wasn’t the best of times, not for anyone, but particularly not for women. Ranging from the protests in Iran against the government for their rights, the overturning of Roe v. Wade in the US, when the left wing is in power, to the ban of secondary education by the Taliban in Afghanistan, the situation is far from ideal for women across the world.
The world today as we see it is entangled in an economic, social, and humanitarian mess, which is driving the goal of global leaders to bridge the gap between idealism and pragmatism further away. Some of the major global forces are reshaping as we speak and with the foundations of the global political edifice disintegrating, we can’t help but wonder if 2022 is just the tip of the iceberg.