The Year 2018 has ended leaving the world good and bad memories at the same time. Politically the world remained gripped by conflicts, proxies as well as unresolved disputes; Syria, Palestine, Indian occupied Kashmir, Afghanistan, Yemen, Iraq and few other topped in the headlines regarding violence and grave human rights violations by the foreign forces.
Indian occupied Kashmir, Israeli occupied Palestine continued bleeding as well as sufferings of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar were not lessened anyhow. Similarly, tension between the world’s major power; US-North Korea, US-China, US-Russia, EU-US as well as ongoing divorce process between the EU and UK; the Brexit also kept the world perplexed. Kim-Trump, Trump-Putin, PM May- Donald Tusk parleys also flashed on the political horizons of the world during the year.
Internally, the US President Donald Trump, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, German Chancellor Angela Merkal as well as British Prime Minister Theressa May remained among the leaders who either were politically weakened in result of midterm elections, got successors, or faced rebellion from the inside from their party. On the other hand, Chinese President Xi Jinping received more strength and international stature in result of continued coercive diplomacy. Catalonia, Macedonia witnessed referendum type processes while Georgia, Singapore received first female Presidents Salome Zurabishvil and Halimah Yaqob respectively.
The international economy also confronted some sort of recession, meltdown or crunch in 2018; nearly $7 trillion were wiped off world stocks, emerging markets trampled flat by a charging dollar and even gold and US government bonds lost money. A grisly combination of US-China trade tensions, central banks turning off the money taps and cooling growth in former hot spots wiped 10 percent off world stocks index; it was first double-digit loss in any year since the 2008 global financial crisis.
Here in Pakistan: as a positive change, Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) government is making hardest possible efforts to minimize the impacts of world economic crisis despite inheriting immense liabilities from the previous governments. In result of robust diplomacy of the PTI charismatic leader Pakistan has become able to meet the current account deficit after getting desire foreign exchange from friendly countries.
Moreover, the government is also trying to expand the scope of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to neighbouring countries to yield the economic benefits. Opening of Kartarpur Corridor an initiative by the PTI government also exposed the Indian hypocrisy regarding peace before the world as the international community was sensitized about the hollow claims of peace by India despite opposing due rights to minorities in India.
With heart filled gloomy and pleasant memories of the 2018; Our Worthy Readers! the New Year Edition of Melange, International Magazine is in your hands. This edition carries a number of articles, analyses, special reports and others informative material about the global developments. Melange Media Group welcomes comments, suggestions and proposals anyhow from our worthy readers. Melange Media Group extends heartiest New Year Greetings to all. The Group also Greets our Chinese Friends on eve of their New Year celebrations.
Published in Melange Intl. Magazine in January 2019.