Lessons from 2023 and pointers for 2024

In an era of AI and geopolitical transformation, we may find ourselves feeling nostalgic about 2023 as the new year unfolds

As we head towards the end of 2023, the dominant sentiment across countries and peoples is a lack of agency and a sense of losing control. This is paradoxical since most governments swear that they are taking back control over the destinies of their countries. Their citizens have given the reins to cynical leaders who peddle narrow nationalism and parochialism. These attitudes have trumped any prospect of even minimal international collaboration to tackle global challenges such as climate change, whose salience increases relentlessly.

Vaccine nationalism seen during the Covid-19 pandemic was a spectacular demonstration of self-defeating myopia and a pervasive lack