World: New challenges, new expectations

Readers sometimes write in to ask us why news is so often "negative". Bombs, terror attacks, killings, hijackings, domestic violence, rape, earthquakes, vengeance, ferry capsizes… the list is long. A day doesn’t go by without at least some of these incidents making it to the newspaper. Judging by the events over the past few days, the new year will also have its share of "negative news". Welcome to 2010.

But can we do anything about it? Can we stop a suicide bomber who is determined to inflict maximum damage? Or reduce the incidence of domestic violence? Or halt an earthquake? While the answer is ‘no’ to natural disasters, it is ‘yes’ to many others. And the answer lies with us. May not be tomorrow, or during the year, or even in a few years. But if we begin today, in this new year, we will be able to make a difference.

And it all begins at home, with the way we interact with our spouses, our children, our parents. It plays itself out at the supermarket in the way we behave with the people at the counter. It manifests itself through our reaction when we read about another attempt to blow up a plane. It displays itself in the values we instil in our children when they are young.

So while on the one hand force is being used to stop the tide of violence, we can play our roles to mould the minds of the next generation.

Having said that, there are a few events that will grab the headlines this year.

Sri Lanka

2009 saw the end of a bloody conflict in Sri Lanka. The new year will see a battle for the spoils. A record 22 candidates are running for the Sri Lanka presidential polls in January. But the main contest will be between the incumbent Mahinda Rajapakse and General Sanath Fonseka, the former army chief who led the army to victory over the Tamil Tigers in May.

Rajapakse, who called the elections two years before his term expires, is backed by the United People’s Freedom Alliance. Fonseka, who fell out with Rajapakse over who was responsible for the victory against the Tigers, has the support of the two main opposition parties. But the main Tamil party has not announced who it will support. Unlike other elections when the Tamils were discouraged from going to the polls, they could emerge as a key swing vote. While governments won earlier polls on promises to end the war with the Tamil Tigers, this time the economy, too, will be high on the poll agenda.

COP16, Mexico

Much money has been spent, much carbon dioxide has been emitted and much has been written about the Copenhagen summit on climate change. Across the world’s media, enthusiasm for the Copenhagen accord was scarce. But analysts say that the fact that negotiations were so contentious and the debate across the globe so heated, show that people have finally begun to sit up and take notice of climate change.

The president of COP16, Danish Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, said in an interview to Danish daily Jyllands-Posten: "The top leaders were taking Copenhagen seriously as their deadline and delivered beforehand. Had Obama not been due to attend, I doubt whether the US would have begun committing on long-term finance — which is historical. Had [President of Brazil] Lula not been due to attend, Brazil would hardly have raised its level of ambitions. Had [Chinese Premier] Wen not been due to attend, China would probably not have opened to some level of international insight as to what it is doing — which actually is a globally politically significant admission."

All eyes are now focused on Mexico, where the talks will be held in December. Will we see a deal there which will be accepted by all nations? We will have to wait and see. But one thing is certain, the debate on climate change is here to stay.

UK polls

After many opinion polls showing that the Conservatives are going to romp home in the elections due this year, the latest says that Britain is heading for a hung parliament amid growing optimism about the economy. Labour strategists believe that the recent polls reflect a greater scrutiny of the Tories’ policies.

Over the past year, tales of lawmakers lavishly spending taxpayers’ money on personal perks have hogged the headlines. But it is the economy which will likely dominate the poll.

Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown faces a battle to win. The economy, the unpopular Afghanistan war and a lack of charisma have dogged him.

The picture looks better for David Cameron, the 43-year-old leader of the main opposition. But he looks unlikely to enjoy the kind of landslide that Labour won under Tony Blair in 1997.

It’s still early days yet. The polls are to be held by June 2010.

Pakistan and Afghanistan

Pakistan will be widely watched in the new year, with top officials now being subject to prosecution for alleged offences before October 2007. President Asif Ali Zardari will be fighting two battles at the same time — one to stay in power and the other against the Taliban.

Add to that sectarian violence in the country, a troubled economy and foreign troops knocking on their doors. It will be a tough year for Pakistan.

Afghanistan is not far behind. In the news for violence almost every day, much will depend on how soon the troops are trained to take over from the international forces in the country.