2024 was a whirlpool of upheaval in the global political sphere, affecting all regions from the Far East to the western hemisphere. The tumultuous phase was particularly game-changing for the United States, when the populace decided to vest power in Donald Trump, marking his second successful run for presidency.
South Asia also encountered the winds of change, notably in Bangladesh, which was formerly known as East Pakistan. A wave of uprising led by the nation’s young generation caused a significant political shakeup, resulting in the dethroning of Sheikh Hasina Wajid’s rigid regime.
In Middle Eastern affairs, the volatile Levant region went through major transitions. With support from the United States and Turkey, rebellion forces managed to break the shackles of President Bashar al-Assad’s oppressive rule in Syria, ushering in a new era.
However, the turmoil was not confined to Syria. Across different Arab nations, tensions and hostility continued to escalate. A controversial aggressive policy led by the Netanyahu government in Israel resulted in the tragic loss of approximately 47,000 lives, predominantly innocent children, in the Gaza Strip under the veneer of countering the threat of Hamas in response to an attack on October 7.
A significant fallout of the Israel-Gaza altercation expanded into both Lebanon and Syria. This backlash led to a string of high-profile liquidations, including the military head of Hamas, Yahya Sinwar, and its political frontrunner, Ismail Haniyeh in Gaza and Tehran. The domino effect also took down the Hezbollah head, Hassan Nasrallah.
Mid-July of 2024 saw a failed assassination attempt on Donald Trump during his campaign when a single bullet made a narrow pass by his ear, grazing it. However, the individual who dared to challenge the might of his security apparatus was neutralized immediately at the scene.
While Trump had a close brush with death, across party lines, President Joe Biden decided to step down from the Presidential race, throwing support behind Kamala Harris as his successor. However, Biden’s strategy didn’t play out as intended in the November 5 U.S. Presidential election, and Trump convincingly clinched the victory over Harris, securing his position for the next four years.
The year was tumultuous for the South Asian front as well. January 7 witnessed Sheikh Hasina Wazed clinching the Prime Minister’s seat for the fifth time in Bangladesh amidst unclear circumstances surrounding her election. However, her triumph was short-lived, testament to life’s unexpected turns.
The student-driven protest against the existing quota system of Bangladesh gained momentum by July, putting Hasina’s rule under the scanner. Eventually, hastened by the mounting pressure, she opted for a self-imposed exile in India on August 5, thereby ending her prolonged 14-year rule.
As her regime crumbled, globally acclaimed personality and Nobel Laureate, Muhammad Yunus journeyed from Paris to Dhaka, assuming the reins as the head of an interim government. This development signaled a new chapter in the tale of Bangladesh’s politically colorful landscape.
Gaza’s conflict, which was sparked in 2023, witnessed an uptick during 2024. Israeli bombings took a toll on the region in the long run, resulting in the loss of respected leaders such as Hamas’ Ismail Haniyeh in an Israeli attack in Tehran in late July, and Hezbollah’s Hassan Nasrallah in late September, following the direct attack on Lebanon by Israel.
The theater of war broadened, Syria, after over a decade of civil unrest, saw the long-awaited fall of Bashar al-Assad’s governance. Resistance forces started their major advancements on November 27, finally seizing control of Damascus by early December. The fleeing of Bashar al-Assad and his kin to Moscow marked the end of their half-century long ruling.
Several key members of resistance groups, inclusive of the figures from both Hamas and Hezbollah, met a fatal fate. Mentionable among them were Ismail Haniyeh, Yahya Sinwar, Hassan Nasrallah, and Fawad Shukr. These deaths created power gaps in the organizations, causing further instability in the region.
Among the political upheavals of the year, 2024 also unfolded a slew of natural calamities causing widespread destruction globally. The UAE, for instance, experienced the heaviest rainfall in over seven decades in mid-April, causing inundation everywhere it struck, claiming numerous lives.
The violence in the Ukraine-Russia conflict escalated, reaching a crucial point. Ukraine, backed by growing Western military support, launched aggressive counters in efforts to reclaim occupied territories. In response, Russia ramped up their military tactics, increasing drone and missile strikes, thereby exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in the region.
In the midst of this worldwide upheaval and unrest, there was a noteworthy power shift in the UK. Elections held on July 5 allowed the Labour Party, led by Keir Starmer, to seize control after a hiatus of 14 years. The incumbent leader of the Conservative Party, Rishi Sunak, was shown the exit, marking a major turning point in the UK’s political trajectory.