Why This New Year Feels Like a Continuation of Crisis

As the year ends, the world welcomes the new year, but there is little to celebrate. No positive news is anticipated, only more bad news; on the first day, China made a new announcement amid ongoing global conflicts.

During his annual New Year’s Eve speech in Beijing, China’s President Xi Jinping pledged to reunify China and Taiwan. Xi stated, “The reunification of our motherland, a trend of the times, is unstoppable.” Xi said that China embraced the world with open arms and noted several multilateral conferences hosted by Beijing last year. Notably, the Shanghai Cooperation Summit, which brought together world leaders, including Vladimir Putin, Narendra Modi, and Erdoğan.

China asserts that Taiwan is part of its territory and has repeatedly announced plans to annex it, even by force if needed. The People’s Liberation Army of China has already conducted military exercises around Taiwan. Named “Justice Mission 2025,” these drills came closer to Taiwan than previous ones and involved at least 200 warplanes over two days, marking the highest number in over a year. Taiwan stayed on high alert as 25 Chinese Navy and Coast Guard ships continued to surround it.

Several governments, such as the UK, Japan, Australia, the Philippines, the EU, and the US, criticized China’s military drills. Meanwhile, China had an unexpected excuse when the US government approved a record $11bn in weapons sales to Taiwan.

Now, the second one is decent but not quite enough to celebrate. Although the UN has gone gaga over the US pledge of $2 billion in aid after a year of significant cuts, the announcement of new funding for the humanitarian system comes with several conditions on how the funds should be managed and allocated. It has specified that the funds be allocated to 17 priority countries selected by the US, excluding those facing severe humanitarian crises, such as Afghanistan and Yemen.

The U.S. State Department stated that the UN must “adapt, shrink, or die” by making necessary changes and cutting waste. It also insisted that funds be channeled through a pooled fund managed by the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs rather than through individual agencies.

And not to miss, Zohran Mamdani’s histrionics, who was sworn in as New York City mayor during a private ceremony in an abandoned Beaux-Arts subway station, with his hand on his grandfather’s Qur’an.

The first thing the new mayor did was hand over a handwritten letter to Umar Khalid, expressing solidarity: “Dear Umar, I think of your words on bitterness often and the importance of not letting it consume oneself. It was a pleasure to meet your parents. We are all thinking of you”. Umar Khalid is an accused under the UAPA in serious cases linked to riots and violence. The Bharatiya Janata Party has rightly alleged that Mamdani is part of an “anti-India lobby” spread globally.

I remember his words: “I don’t think that we should have billionaires because, frankly, it is so much money in a moment of such inequality, and ultimately, what we need more of is equality across our city and across our state and across our country. I don’t know why, but this guy reminds me of Arvind Kejriwal.

The worst news came from Switzerland, where a fire at a busy bar called “Le Constellation” during a New Year’s Eve celebration killed 40 and injured about 100, most critically, in a resort in southwestern Switzerland.

As the year came to an end, many issues remained unresolved worldwide. Several issues that the global community hoped to resolve persist. Let’s take a quick look at these issues and examine their current status.

Israel-Hamas:

While foreign ministers from 10 countries have already expressed concerns about the worsening humanitarian situation in the devastated region, Israel has announced that it will halt operations of dozens of aid groups in Gaza within 36 hours for failing to comply with strict new rules that require them to provide personal information for Palestinian and international staff working in the devastated area.

NGO officials say that the new requirements conflict with European data protection laws and could put their staff at risk. The ban affects several well-known humanitarian organizations, such as ActionAid, the International Rescue Committee, and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).

In a joint statement, the ministers of Britain, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Japan, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland said that 1.3 million people still require urgent shelter support. More than half of health facilities are only partially functional and face shortages of essential medical equipment and supplies.

The crisis has developed because Israel has blocked hundreds of items from entering Gaza, citing concerns that they may be used by Hamas to rebuild tunnels or for military purposes. On the other end, extensive screenings are causing delays. The US administration is pressuring Netanyahu to enter the second phase of the 20-point Gaza peace plan, but Netanyahu is reluctant to proceed because Hamas has not been properly disarmed. Under the 20-point agreement that established a fragile ceasefire in October, Israel is required to permit full aid to be immediately sent into Gaza.

But when has Israel started to follow the rules? Trump’s mouth is sealed because Netanyahu flattered him on his recent trip by claiming that Trump would be the first non-Israeli to receive the Israel Prize, the highest cultural honor in the Jewish state.

Russia-Ukraine:

Trump has accepted Russia’s claim that Ukraine targeted Vladimir Putin’s residence, choosing to trust the Russian president’s statement despite Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissing the story as a lie. The allegation comes at a sensitive diplomatic juncture as Trump claims that a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine is 95% complete.

Russia has also announced that its nuclear-capable missiles are now operational in Belarus, its neighboring ally bordering NATO members Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia. The move might enable Russian nuclear missiles to reach European targets more quickly, allowing them to hit any location in Europe or the U.S. West Coast from Russia.

New Tension – UAE and Saudi Arabia:

For years, the UAE has been involved in Yemen, supporting the separatist Southern Transitional Council. Now tensions between the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia have escalated over Yemen’s future and the potential announcement of an independent southern state, with Saudi Arabia essentially accusing the UAE of endangering its security.

Trump and Venezuela:

Donald Trump has claimed that U.S. forces struck a major facility in Venezuela where boats are loaded with drugs. He had already confirmed in October that he had authorized the Central Intelligence Agency to conduct covert operations in Venezuela. Trump’s recent actions are nothing less than a form of resource imperialism, reminiscent of Iran. He has also escalated pressure on President Nicolás Maduro.

Iran-Israel:

Donald Trump hosted Benjamin Netanyahu for the fifth time since returning to the White House 11 months earlier. He declared that he would back Netanyahu if he ordered another attack on Iran’s nuclear installations, while confirming that he had personally asked Israel’s president to pardon the prime minister in a bribery and corruption trial.

The list is extensive and involves many issues, but I will conclude here.

So why should I say “Happy New Year”?