What Actually Mattered This Week: State of the World 2024

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WHAT ACTUALLY MATTERED THIS WEEK 

Live from Tokyo: State of the World 2024

Each year I take a look at the biggest political moments of the year and share an honest assessment of where we are…and where we’re going.

So, what do I think we should be most worried about right now?

The current global leadership vacuum.

None of the world's major conflicts today are heading towards a sustainable resolution—and our geopolitical environment has become unsustainable with the United States and China both abdicating responsibility in those conflicts.

Watch the entire speech below:

Putin hosts growing BRICS alliance in Russia, touting it as an alternative to the West's "perverse methods"

Putin hosting the BRICS summit (with representatives of 36 countries) tells us something important about the state of the non-west: only the G7 countries aim to fully isolate Russia.

Another takeaway from the meetings: India holds the best geopolitical position globally.

No other major economy is close to being friends with pretty much everyone: holding a leadership role in the global south, stabilizing relations with China, close ties with the G7, and friendly with Russia. 

S. Korea hints at supplying offensive weapons to Ukraine

Seoul urged North Korea to immediately withdraw its troops that were revealed to be sent to aid Russia's offensive in Ukraine.

After previously offering up exclusively non-lethal aid, South Korea is now considering sending Kyiv non-lethal weapons for the first time.

No troops though.

Bulletproof vests, snipers and drones: Election officials beef up security at the polls

An unfortunate preview of America’s new normal.

TRUTHS, DAMNED TRUTHS, AND STATISTICS

BRICS: 45% of the world’s population and 35% of the global economy:

THE GZERO WORLD WE’RE JUST LIVING IN

THE GRAPHIC TRUTH

YOUR GZERO WORLD

It’s a critical time for Europe. In the recent European Union elections, voters unhappy with the establishment status quo delivered historic gains for far-right, nationalist parties in countries like France and Germany. But a fractured EU Parliament makes it harder for the ruling centrist coalition to deliver on key priorities like immigration reform and the Green Deal. Can the 27 member states come together to address big challenges?

On “GZERO World with Ian Bremmer”, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola discusses Europe’s future amid an ongoing migrant crisis, the war in Ukraine, and an economic slowdown. The EU is the world’s largest trading bloc and a regulatory superpower, but Metsola says Europe needs to strengthen its strategic autonomy to avoid getting squeezed by the US and China. Part of that vision includes Ukraine joining the European Union, which Metsola tells me is unequivocally “win-win” for both sides. But finding consensus among so many countries, cultures, and political parties in the EU government can be a major challenge.

“We’re not yet coherent, I think we've weakened ourselves by being a cacophony of what we think we want,” Metsola says, "We still have not, as a European Union, become better as a whole than individual countries."

For a longer, wider-ranging version of my interview check out the GZERO World podcast.

WORLD IN 60 

BRICS Summit: A "new world order" or already a relic of the past?

Is Sinwar's death the beginning of the end of the war in Gaza?

Yankees versus Shohei Ohtani, I mean Dodgers. Who do I think is winning?

Find out in this week’s World in 60 Seconds!

Do you like what you’ve seen? Sign up for GZERO Daily by Ian Bremmer

BECAUSE THE INTERNET

Going to start posting these around the country:

WHAT TO READ THIS WEEK

Patriot: A Memoir by Alexei Navalny

Alexei Navalny began writing “Patriot” after the Russian opposition leader’s near-fatal poisoning in 2020. Acting as his final correspondence to the world after he died in an Arctic prison in February 2024, Navalny’s autobiography tells the story of how he prepared for the end, and how ultimately, he conquered it. His brave testament to resilience is must-read.

DEEP THOUGHTS

"Politics ought to be the part-time profession of every citizen who would protect the rights and privileges of free men."  — Dwight Eisenhower

Thanks for reading! Please subscribe to GZERO Daily for coverage of global politics. And make sure to read my latest book The Power of Crisis for a roadmap of this decade's great crises and how they might help us build a better world.

I am president of Eurasia Group and GZERO Media and foreign affairs columnist at TIME. I currently teach at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs and previously was a professor at New York University. You can follow me on X, Threads, Facebook, and Instagram.