What can we expect for 2010?
Disclaimer: This is my personal view of the world, it might be biased but I'll try to be as objective as possible. This is not an in-depth analysis but an opinion.
For starters, opinions are divided, as always. On one side, we have the optimists, who think that just because some increase in sales during holiday season the economy is showing signs of bouncing back. On the other, the pesimists, which think we might never recover from this.
I am a skeptic, a bear, one that is always putting the worse ahead so that I am prepared for any situation. I think that right now, in the year to come, the world needs to embrace a new paradigm. That politicians leave their egos aside (and interest group friendships) and start taking note from the opinion leaders, economists and thinkers.
Usually, politicians like to take credit when things go according to plan (you probably knew that already) but when economies hit the proverbial fan, they immediately start panicking and don't know what to do. Why is this such a pandemic? Because politicians are humans, prone to mistakes? Oh, let's be real! With all the money involved you might think that one would act more responsibly. Guess not.
Politicians are like a plague (okay, it might be a harsh word, but most of them deserve it!) they use the people to satisfy their own meagre needs, their idiotic agendas, some of them thinking that we can't figure it out. Now for the good part. I've seen that there are some politicians with potential. One of them was elected president of the States in 2008. :-P
Now for the worldview. How can the world be in 2010? Better or worse?
World issues:
1. Iran - can the EU, USA and the rest of the happy bunch manage to control Iran's nuclear ambitions? I consider this more important because if Iran gets a nuke bye bye peace! Climate change will be the last thing we'll worry about. Hardcore measures are needed. I'm all for each and every country having the means to defend themselves. But when a country is run by ill-minded religious fundamentalists, everything changes. For the worst. Since we came here, let me add that no muslim country should have a nuke. (Pakistanis have it, too bad). Actually, coming to think about it a little better, no one should have a nuke. Those things are way too dangerous. So, if the west plus Russia plus China aren't able to stop Iran appetite for destruction we are in for a very dire 2010.
2. The Economic Crisis - will the world get out of the current hole? Not likely. And we owe it all to our beloved politicians and their ability to stall a decision for months if not years. Pay some attention to those economists and all the think tanks out there. They aren't using their knowledge just to show off, but to ail the world. We need a libertarian approach, a price on carbon, a tougher control on finance. We need to make sure no one gets paid off for making stupid decisions (remember AIG?)
3. Climate Change - Copenhagen, Hopenhagen, crapenhagen! From what I saw so far, they are at it again. Nature doesn't wait, we need to act, and how! And now! Talking is easy, doesn't cost the talker a penny, making promises that can be easily broken is not a great deal improvement either. We need papers signed, countries making commitments and applying them at a fast rate. Will anything be done? Remains to be seen.
4. Any and every other issue - they are important as well, just that these three top the list for 2010. And they need to be solved.
We could also add the Somali pirates problem. The drug cartel wars in Latin America. Religious fanatics. The ubiquitous corruption in politics in certain countries. And the list might never end...
This is partly how I see things rolling in 2010. I hope I'm wrong in certain aspects and that I will be proven wrong. I would really hate it for another conflict to start. There's already too much death and destruction in the world. Can't we evolve and put an end to this?
