When Al Jundi considered preparing a file on “The World in 2020,” or “Where Is the World Heading in 2020?” the important question was: what topics can this file include? What issues from this year are likely to impact the fiture?
Four topics were chosen—“World Economy 2020: Prosperity or a New Setback?” “Post-Brexit: Is the EU Heading for Disintegration?” “Populism: Declining on the International Stage?” and “Post-Daesh Terrorism: Retreat or New Waves?”
The choice of subjects was not haphazard; rather, it was based on several objective reasons and justifications. First, experts are talking of the possibility of a new global economic crisis in 2020 and critical developments in the trade war between Washington and Beijing, especially, raise valid questions about the future. Second, 2020 is the year of Brexit; it is a year that will test the European Union’s resilience without the United Kingdom, and vice versa. Third, populism has witnessed some relative decline recently, and 2020 represents a pivotal year for the future of this tide—the US elections will take place just the outcome of Brexit is emerging. Both events have, one way or the other, a substantial impact on the future of populism in the world. Fourth, 2020 represents a test of the state of world terrorism post-Daesh and in the wake of the death of the organisation’s leader, Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, in 2019.
In light of the above, the four topics chosen for this file are likely to affect the future of the world the most.
