In this polarized world, in tension and sometimes at war it is difficult to find good news, whatever the meaning we want to attribute to this expression. From Afghanistan on the brink of humanitarian catastrophe to hints of war in Ukraine and repression in Hong Kong, there is little reason to be optimistic.
This is why I want to underline three very different situations that go against the current bleak climate, three situations that show dynamics in motion and promise a better future.
The Chilean hope
The first is that of Chile, which has come to the end of an eventful year. In 2019, several countries around the world rebelled: Chile against inequality, but also Lebanon, Algeria or Hong Kong, each with its own agenda. Today only Chile continues its political experience: in May a constituent assembly was elected in charge of drafting the first constitution to cancel that of Pinochet, while recently the election of a young president, Gabriel Boric, who defeated a nostalgic for the dictatorship.
The obstacles to building a more socially and politically inclusive future are not lacking, and the country is disturbingly divided. But the Chilean future remains to be written and arouses great hope elsewhere in the world.
Courage Lithuanian
Let’s move on to the second good news. Closer to us, in Europe, a small country has become a model of political courage by defending democracy and freedoms. It is Lithuania, a former independent Soviet territory in 1991 and populated by just three million inhabitants.
Little Lithuania became the refuge of Belarusian opponents after the rigged elections last year by the dictator Aleksandr Lukashenko, and in the summer it paid for this gesture of defiance by enduring together with Poland the destabilization campaign conducted by Minsk through the exploitation of migrants.
Today Lithuania is attacked by powerful China (1.4 billion inhabitants) for having allowed the opening of a representative office in Taiwan. Beijing threatens Lithuania as if it wanted to invade China, and has imposed a trade boycott to which the European Union (of which Lithuania is a part) must respond collectively. The fact remains that in 2021 Lithuania proved that you don’t need to be a great power to show courage.
A step forward against malaria
Finally, the third example is the discovery of a vaccine, but not what you think. The announcement made in October by the World Health Organization of the development of the first malaria vaccine in East Africa could fundamentally change the situation on the continent. Malaria causes around 400,000 deaths a year, mostly children under the age of five. The parasite, among other things, no longer leaves those who survive.
The production of a vaccine has been a dream for thirty years now, which has finally come true. The solution announced by the WHO was found by a British laboratory. The vaccine does not have total effectiveness, but is already considered by experts as a historic step forward that adds to the set of tools for the fight against malaria in Africa.
In this generalized pessimism, accentuated by the new wave of covid-19, it is right not to forget the good news of 2021. In 2022 we will find out if they will keep their promises. Happy New Year everyone!
(Translation by Andrea Sparacino)
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