The 2010’s in Perspective

The 2010’s begun amidst chaos in many parts of the world and generally ended the way it started. One of the most chaotic episodes of this decade was the so-called Arab Spring – a wave of populist uprisings against authoritarian regimes in the Middle East. The Arab Spring started in Tunisia and quickly spread to other Islamic countries such as Libya, Egypt, Yemen, Syria and Bahrain among others. In some instances, as was the case in Libya, regimes were toppled. In other instances, as is the case with both Yemen and Syria, a prolonged period of internal conflict ensued which is spilling over into the coming decade.

Unrest and protests were not confined to the Middle East as was evident with the “Occupy Movement” in the United States (US) which saw thousands of people demonstrate against corporate greed, income inequality and a failing financial system. The “Me Too Movement” also emerged in response to sexual harassment and sexual violence and this has inspired countless women around the world to become more vocal on these issues.

Today, protests are raging in Hong Kong, the political situation in Venezuela remains fragile, there is still unease in Chile, a country known for prosperity and political stability in recent decades, as thousands of people pile pressure on the political directorate to address issues of inequality, increased cost of living and privitisation among others.

Notwithstanding the aforementioned developments, it would not be a surprise if historians label the 2010’s as both “the decade of the unlikely” and “the beginning of the end for humankind”. Indeed, this decade saw two of the unlikeliest, yet most era defining developments in the form of Donald Trump’s election as president of the US and the decision of the British people to leave (Brexit) the European Union (EU). Regarding Trump, I say unlikely with respect to his elevation to the presidency because he had to defeat a strong Republican field and ultimately, an arguably more qualified Democratic candidate in the person of Hilary Clinton. Since being elected to office, Trump has proceeded to tear up the rule book of presidential and diplomatic conduct which has on one hand energised his base and on the other hand, alienated allies in foreign countries and further widened the political chasm in the US. Pertaining to Brexit, this is labeled as unlikely because many of us never imagined that the majority of voters in the referendum would have chosen this option given the economic fallout predicted by several economists and observers. In the end, the pull of nationalism proved to be much stronger than the promise of pooled sovereignty. It is instructive that in the final month of this decade, Brexit is now more inevitable than it has ever been, and the US President has been impeached. These two developments are likely to dominate the news cycle in the first moments of the 2020’s.

“The beginning of the end for humankind” may seem over the top, however, this is exactly what could happen if we mismanage the threat of climate change. According to the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), the last five years in particular have been the warmest such period on record. Particularly for small island states, climate change is an existential threat because it is contributing to more intense weather events, sea level rise and a host of other problems which could ultimately decimate human, plant and animal life. Although climate change affects countries large and small, it is the smallest that are most vulnerable and for whom the threat is gravest.

Finally, the 2010’s have not only been gloomy. We have seen numerous innovations in technology; the world largely recovered from the global financial crisis which emerged at the end of the previous decade; and very importantly, many people appeared to become “woke” to the many ills of our world and have had the determination to push back against inequality, authoritarianism and climate change. I suspect that the 2020’s will be known as the decade when ordinary people fought back and restored humanity to itself.