Top International News of 2024: How Should The World Face ‘America First’?

Editorial

14:59 JST, December 23, 2024

Amid the ongoing wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, a person who advocates “America First” will once again become a U.S. president. How should the international community face this situation?

The victory by former U.S. President Donald Trump, a Republican, in the latest U.S. president election topped the list of this year’s top 10 international news events selected by Yomiuri Shimbun readers.

Trump’s approach is to demand that even allies and friendly nations bear a fair share of the burden and to use tariffs and other means to get what he wants in a deal. There are widespread concerns that U.S. relations with allies and its international cooperation will decline.

The Republican Party will have a majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate in Congress. It seems likely there will be more scenes of confusion as Trump may push through his own ideas in personnel matters and policies.

During the U.S. presidential election, there was an assassination attempt (ranked second in the list) in which Trump was shot at while giving a speech. The fact that the election, which is the foundation of democracy, was threatened by violence shocked the world.

Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has now entered its third year. Four of the top 10 news stories were related to the situation in Ukraine.

An issue that is serious for Japan is that North Korea sent troops to Russia, and they are taking part in the fighting (ranked sixth). It is believed that Russia will support North Korea’s nuclear and missile development in return. This could undermine stability in Asia.

In the Middle East, more than a year has passed since fighting began between the Islamist group Hamas and the Israeli military in the Palestinian territory of Gaza (ranked seventh).

The humanitarian crisis in Gaza shows no signs of abating. The death toll, including civilians, has now exceeded 45,000, due to the Israeli air strikes and other attacks that have been carried out day after day.

How can ceasefires be achieved in Ukraine and Gaza? This is a serious issue for members of the international community, including those of the incoming Trump administration.

In China, a 10-year-old Japanese boy who attended a Japanese school was stabbed to death by a man (ranked fourth). Many people certainly have felt deep sadness and anger.

China has not yet disclosed the details of the motive, including whether the attack was intended to target Japanese people. If China continues taking such a stance, it is doubtful that there will be any improvement in Japan-China relations.

In December, the turmoil in South Korean politics deepened. President Yoon Suk Yeol declared short-lived martial law (outside the ranking due to the timing of the incident). South Korea’s National Assembly passed a motion to impeach Yoon, and he will face impeachment proceedings at the Constitutional Court. The possible negative impact on Japan-South Korea relations is a cause of concern.

In the wake of a massive earthquake that occurred off the east coast of Taiwan that killed 18 people (ranked fifth), a movement spread across Japan to send donations to the affected areas. Many people may have been reminded of the fact that Taiwan sent the world’s largest donation following the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Dec. 23, 2024)