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What kind of memories have you left in the coming 2021? What major events will be recorded in history? Agence France-Presse carried out an inventory at the end of the year, listing several important events and situations affecting the global landscape.
The new crown epidemic continues to raging around the world
The main theme throughout 2021 is still the new crown epidemic. Although the more than 20 vaccines developed have brought dawn, the global delivery of vaccines is very uneven. There is a huge gap between rich and poor countries, and at the same time the more infectious Delta ( Delta and Omicron mutants have appeared one after another. Although vaccine administration has reduced the risk of severe illness, the cruel reality is that hopes that the epidemic will be contained soon have faded, and the stubborn virus continues to spread all over the world. The official death toll is more than 5.39 million, but WHO believes that this data is seriously underestimated, and the actual death toll may be two to three times higher.
In absolute numbers, the United States is the most affected country with more than 810,000 deaths, followed by Brazil (618,392), India (479,682), Russia (304,218) and Mexico (298,759). Among the most affected countries, Peru has the highest number of deaths relative to its population.
Europe is currently the region with the most recorded infections in the world. In the past seven days, the number of infections accounted for 53% of the global total, followed by the United States and Canada with 22%.
China, which has always adhered to the “zero infection” strategy, broke out again at the end of the year. The latest statistics show that Xi’an has become the city with the largest number of local infections. This city with a population of 13 million has been completely closed, and comprehensive disinfection has been carried out since last Sunday. And strengthen travel restrictions. The Chinese authorities are taking extra vigilance to avoid any large-scale outbreak before the Beijing Winter Olympics (February 4-20).
Unfortunately, two years after the outbreak of the new crown epidemic, the source is still an unsolved mystery. The World Health Organization has sent a team of experts to China, where the virus first broke out, but has yet to come to any conclusions.
U.S. Capitol Hill attack
Among major international events, according to Agence France-Presse’s list of major events by time, the chaotic scene on Capitol Hill on January 6 ranked first. On the same day, hundreds of supporters of former President Trump rushed into the US Congress to try to prevent lawmakers from confirming the victory of Democrat Joe Biden in the November presidential election. The chaotic scene that led to the death of 5 people caused consternation all over the world. Trump was banned from Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, and these sites accused him of using his platform to incite his supporters to take violent actions before the attack.
On January 20, Joe Biden was sworn in as President without his predecessor present. Trump refused to attend the ceremony and refused to accept defeat. Trump was accused by the House of Representatives of “sedition” and was acquitted by the Senate in February after the second impeachment trial.
Multinational armed coup seize power
In the past year, armed coups have taken place in many countries around the world, and democracy has retreated. First, on February 1, in Myanmar, the army arrested the head of civilian government Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest, ending the ten-year democratic period after nearly half a century of military rule. This coup triggered public protests and demonstrations. Violent suppression resulted in the killing of more than 1,100 civilians and the imprisonment of thousands of protesters. On December 6, Aung San Suu Kyi was sentenced to two years in prison for inciting public disturbances and violating health regulations. She may face further convictions and longer imprisonment.
In Africa, Chad, Mali, Guinea, and Sudan have all experienced incidents in which military commanders seized the supreme power of the country through military coups. At the same time, it was accompanied by the deaths of the people caused by protests and repression.
General Mahamat Deby of Chad was declared head of state by the army on April 20. This is the second death of his father Marshal Idris Deby Itno from war injuries after 30 years in power. sky. On May 24, Mali experienced its second military coup in 10 months and elected Colonel Asimi Goita as its transitional president.
In Guinea, President Alfa Conte was overthrown by a military coup on September 5. In Sudan, an agreement restored civilian prime minister Abdullah Hamdok on November 21, and at the same time strengthened military control after the October 25 coup. Since then, thousands of demonstrators have regularly called for the continuation of the transition to a civilian government initiated after the overthrow of Omar-Bashir in 2019. Dozens of people were killed in the crackdown.
Middle East: Hamas and Israel continue to fight, and the Netanyahu era ends
On May 3, in the Palestinian area of East Jerusalem occupied by Israel, clashes broke out during a demonstration supporting Palestinian families facing the threat of deportation due to Jewish settlers. Subsequently, Palestinians and Israeli forces clashed in the Mosque Square and the occupied West Bank. Hamas, the ruling Islamic movement in the Gaza Strip, began firing rockets at Israel on May 10. Israel retaliated and led to an 11-day war between the two sides. The Israeli army said that the rocket killed 13 people.
On June 13, Israel elected a new government, led by the nationalist right leader Naftali Bennett, and aligned with the centrist Yail Rapide to end Benjamin Netanyahu 12 Years of reign.
Europe: an extraordinary year facing challenges
The first is the subsequent impact of the pressure brought by the formal Brexit on January 1. The UK is facing a labor shortage, especially in road transportation, which has caused shortages in supermarkets, bars and fuel distribution. Brexit has also caused tensions in Northern Ireland and the fishing or immigration issues between the UK and neighboring countries, especially France.
In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel stepped down after 16 years in power. On December 8, Olaf Scholz, the leader of the Social Democratic Party, formed an alliance with the Green Party and the Liberal Party to replace her.
In October, the Polish Constitutional Court ruled that certain provisions of the European treaties were incompatible with the national constitution. In November, the Constitutional Court ruled that the European Convention on Human Rights was partially incompatible with the Basic Law. Europeans think this is an unprecedented attack on EU legal rules.
Europe is also facing an immigration crisis since the 2015 immigration crisis. In November, thousands of immigrants, mainly from the Middle East, camped in the snow and ice on the Polish border on the Belarusian side, hoping to enter the European Union. Western countries accused Minsk of orchestrated the influx of people in response to Western sanctions against Belarus following the suppression of the historic opposition movement in 2020. But Belarus denied that it was the source of the crisis and criticized the EU for not welcoming people.
According to humanitarian organizations, at least a dozen migrants have died on both sides of the border.
Taliban’s lightning victory
On August 15, when the U.S. and NATO forces began to retreat, the Taliban took Kabul on a lightning-fast offensive 20 years after being ousted by the U.S.-led League of Nations. A huge air transport agency was hurriedly set up in Kabul. In two weeks, at least 123,000 people, including Afghans and foreigners, were evacuated.
A few months later, the country faced an attack by a jihadist organization against the Taliban and a humanitarian crisis exacerbated by the lack of assistance from the international community. The international community asked the Taliban to respect the rights of women and ethnic minorities.
Sino-U.S. relations are strained
In the past year, the competition between Beijing and Washington has been a main line of world geopolitics. After Biden came to power, he joined forces with his allies to reach a front line against China. Fighters are increasingly invading the Taiwan Air Defense Identification Zone. Joe Biden warned that the United States will “resolutely oppose” any attempt to “undermine” peace in the Taiwan Strait. In mid-November, Chinese President Xi Jinping retorted that breaking the red line of Taiwan’s independence was “playing with fire and self-immolation.”
In early December, the United States, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom announced a “diplomatic boycott” of the Beijing Winter Olympics, accusing Beijing of trampling on human rights, especially in the Muslim-majority Xinjiang (northwest) region. These countries will send athletes to participate in the Olympic Games (February 4-20, 2022), but no officials.
Washington has also imposed new sanctions on Chinese companies accused of participating in violations of Uyghur rights. The mutual sanctions between the two sides caused an unprecedented diplomatic and political deadlock.
Ukraine crisis
The current hottest spot in the world is undoubtedly the escalation of military operations by Russia and Ukraine. In February, Biden threatened Putin that if Ukraine’s military operations escalated, he would be subject to “strong sanctions.” Russian President Putin asked for a guarantee to freeze NATO’s expansion. The deployment of tens of thousands of Russian troops near the Ukrainian border caused Western countries to worry about it. An invasion occurred.
These tensions are pushing natural gas prices to historical highs.
Since 2014, Ukraine has been torn apart by the war between Kiev and pro-Russian separatists in the east of the country. The war has killed more than 13,000 people and Russia has been accused of supporting these separatists.
Frequent extreme weather events
A draft report from a UN climate expert obtained by Agence France-Presse in June warned that continued global warming exceeding the ideal 1.5 degrees Celsius stipulated in the Paris Agreement will have “irreversible effects” on humans and ecosystems.
In 2021, extreme weather events have already occurred, such as the thermal dome that killed hundreds of people in Canada and the western United States in late June. In July, Germany and Belgium suffered catastrophic floods that killed 200 people. In August, record temperatures contributed to large-scale fires around the Mediterranean Sea.
In November, the COP26 meeting passed an agreement to accelerate the response to global warming. However, the “Glasgow Convention” does not guarantee compliance with the goals of the Paris Agreement, nor can it meet the aid requirements of poor countries.
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