How world leaders fared in a turbulent year
Updated 1654 GMT (0054 HKT) December 23, 2017
(CNN)It
has been a turbulent year for many leaders across the globe, and while
some benefited from 2017's geopolitical twists and turns, others
suffered a series of setbacks.
CNN's international correspondents
give their assessments on which world leaders are up and which are down
at the end of 2017, and what might be in store next year.
France's Emmanuel Macron -- UP
2017
was the year that made Macron. At its start, he was a former economy
minister making an unlikely presidential bid. But the improbable
collapse of France's two mainstream parties -- which had shared power in
France for 60 years -- paved his way to victory.
The
stars aligned themselves in Macron's favor on the international stage,
too. Political turmoil in London, Washington and Berlin, coupled with
his own ambitious vision, led Macron to be spoken of as not simply the
French President, but as the new leader of the free world. The year
ahead looks as though it could be more promising still.
By Melissa Bell
Germany's Angela Merkel -- DOWN
It's
been a tough year for Merkel, who first had to repair her relationship
with US President Donald Trump and then tackle German elections amid a
surge in right-wing populism. Despite Trump's apparent refusal to shake
her hand at their first meeting, Merkel has crafted a good working
relationship with him.
After that
success, Merkel turned her attention to getting re-elected and seemed to
be coasting to a September victory. But her party lost more than a
million votes to the far-right Alternative for Germany. Merkel remains
Chancellor, but she needs to get a working coalition up and running as
soon as possible to meet the challenges of 2018.
By Atika Shubert
Syria's Bashar al-Assad -- UP
In
2017, Assad consolidated his hold on Syria's territory, made the best
use of the war against ISIS to expand his grip and weathered a brief but
symbolic US air assault. He not only remains in power, but looks more
likely than ever to stay there until he chooses. The post-ISIS turmoil
of Iran's face-off with Saudi Arabia has reduced the prominence of Assad
and his alleged war crimes in the region.
He'll
have to navigate the threat of Israeli military interventions into
Syria to lessen Iran's presence, but Russia's continued backing and his
opponents' collapse mean his territorial grip is only going to increase.
By Nick Paton Walsh
Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi -- DOWN
This
year marked a fall from grace for Aung San Suu Kyi. The leader of
Myanmar's elected government went from being hailed as a democratic hope
for southeast Asia to being denounced as an apologist for what the
United Nations and the US call ethnic cleansing.
In
mid-September, after more than 400,000 Rohingya Muslims fled across
Myanmar's border to Bangladesh, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate gave a
speech on the crisis during which she said "we want to find out why this
exodus is happening." The refugee exodus has since swelled to more
than 600,000. But despite the crisis, Suu Kyi continues to enjoy
fervent domestic support.
By Ivan Watson
Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan -- UP
Erdogan
always wanted to turn Turkey's government into a strong presidential
system and 2017 delivered, as he won sweeping changes to the
constitution in a referendum. After 14 years in office, he remains a
singularly polarizing figure, jailing journalists and overseeing a
massive purge of civil servants. But he has made maneuvers that
guarantee Turkey a seat at the table in regional crises.
In
2018, Erdogan will have to contend with a corruption scandal at home
and regional uncertainty abroad. But with a weak opposition, Erdogan
will continue to chart the course of Turkey's modern history.
By Gul Tuysuz
Russia's Vladimir Putin -- UP
Putin remains extremely popular at home and is poised to win re-election as Russian president in March 2018.
But he has faced a stagnating economy and a humiliating Olympic ban over state-sponsored doping of Russian athletes.
2017
also saw Putin's hopes dashed of a better relationship with the US
under Trump and, amid allegations of election meddling, US sanctions on
Russia have intensified.
But it's
in the Middle East that Putin has scored a major victory on the
international stage, propping up his ally in Syria, Assad, securing a
Russian military presence in the region and bolstering his country's
status as a power broker.
By Matthew Chance
China's Xi Jinping -- UP
2017
was a very good year for Xi. He wrapped up his first term as chairman
of the Communist Party in historic fashion -- by having his "thought"
inscribed into the party constitution, something only Mao Zedong had
ever achieved. Xi has consolidated power in a way not seen in decades.
China's GDP is poised to keep growing and the country's ascent to global
superpower is all but assured.
But
there were challenges: A dangerous security situation in North Korea,
an unpredictable Trump straining trade ties, and a slowing economy are
Xi's top concerns. How well 2018 will go depends first and foremost on
North Korea.
By Matt Rivers
North Korea's Kim Jong Un -- UP
On
January 1, Kim Jong Un declared North Korea was in the final stages of
developing an intercontinental ballistic missile. The next day,
President-elect Trump tweeted Pyongyang would never possess such a
weapon. Eleven months, 16 missile tests and one nuclear test later, Kim
defied Trump with the successful launch of North Korea's most advanced
ICBM ever.
If 2017 was a battle of
wills, with Trump and Kim hurling insults and threats at each other,
the 30-something dictator came out on top -- for now. Kim's momentum is
uncertain in 2018, with growing war fears and unprecedented sanctions
taking effect.
By Will Ripley
Britain's Theresa May -- DOWN
After
calling a snap election, May lost her party's double-digit majority.
The result forced her to do a deal with the socially conservative
Democratic Unionist Party of Northern Ireland to remain in power. The
move attracted criticism and added complications to the issue of the
Irish border in Brexit negotiations.
May
has faced plots to replace her and was rocked by a serious
parliamentary sex scandal. She has since lost three cabinet ministers,
including close ally Damien Green, who admitted to lying over the
presence of pornography on a computer in his parliamentary office.
However,
her achievement in securing a move to the second phase of the Brexit
negotiations should not be overlooked, though she faces another grueling
year as the next phase of negotiations gets underway and rumors of
leadership challenges continue to swirl.
By Bianca Nobilo
Saudi Arabia's Mohammed Bin Salman -- UP
Crown
Prince Mohammed Bin Salman has gone from being third in line to the
throne to second, and faces limited challenges to his power.
At
home he's scoring big points with the young, letting women drive,
opening cinemas, limiting powers of religious authorities, lifting
restrictive controls and raising horizons and possibilities.
Internationally,
he's become the go-to Arab interlocutor for Trump and other global
leaders. His 2030 vision for revamping the Saudi economy is widely
applauded overseas.
But the next 12
months will be testing. His corruption crackdown is raising questions
about his rule, the Yemen war is drawing global criticism and failing
reforms could lead to resentment.
By Nic Robertson
Iran's Hassan Rouhani -- UP
Rouhani's
year has been successful but has also seen new, potentially difficult
challenges. Rouhani is riding high in Iranian public opinion because of
the nuclear agreement brokered with the P5+1 countries. The agreement
has boosted Iran's economy, and helped Rouhani win the 2017 presidential
elections.
Rouhani's main problems
are Trump and Iranian hardliners. Trump has decertified the nuclear
agreement, putting the whole deal in jeopardy. His tough stance on Iran,
in turn, has fueled criticism of Rouhani by domestic hardliners who
accuse him of being soft on America. 2018 could be a tough year if Trump
continues to endanger the nuclear deal.
By Frederik Pleitgen
Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu -- UP
Though
he was named a suspect in two criminal investigations -- and many in
his inner circle are being questioned in a third probe -- 2017 can only
be described as a good year for Netanyahu. More important than anything
else, Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital gave
Netanyahu an unparalleled diplomatic and political victory. If the UN
Security Council resolution declaring that Israel's settlements had "no
legal validity" marred 2016, Trump's announcement made up for it this
year.
But 2018 could be different.
The investigations aren't going away, crises within Netanyahu's
coalition are becoming regular events and many analysts see elections on
the horizon.
By Oren Liebermann
Spain's Mariano Rajoy -- DOWN
2017
is probably a year that Rajoy would like to forget. His country faced
the biggest constitutional crisis since the end of General Francisco
Franco's dictatorship, as Catalonia pushed ahead with its quest for
independence -- with a referendum that Madrid considered
unconstitutional.
The crisis
spiraled as Rajoy suspended the region's autonomy and imposed direct
rule -- a move that many argue could have been avoided had he either
ignored the referendum result, as Madrid had done before, or
acknowledged the crisis in Catalonia years earlier.
He suffered a further setback in December with pro-independence parties declaring victory in regional elections in Catalonia.
By Isa Soares
Japan's Shinzo Abe -- UP
Shinzo
Abe wrote the playbook in 2017 for scoring political points from global
uncertainty. He was the first world leader to ingratiate himself with
the unpredictable US President, lavishing Trump with praise, hamburgers
and even a gold-plated golf club. Trump and Abe are on first-name terms,
speaking and meeting regularly.
Abe
leveraged domestic North Korea fears after two missiles flew over Japan
to win a landslide supermajority for his ruling party, despite
embarrassing scandals and controversial plans to revise Japan's pacifist
constitution. He enters 2018 with positive momentum, including Japan's
best economic growth streak in nearly two decades.
By Will Ripley
Kenya's Uhuru Kenyatta -- DOWN
Despite
his election victory, 2017 has been an "annus horribilis" for Kenyatta.
Courts set aside an August vote after opponent Raila Odinga complained
about the conduct of the electoral commission. And then Odinga and his
supporters boycotted an October rerun, ensuring Kenyatta's mandate was
seen as questionable.
Kenyatta vows
to be "a president for all" -- but the atmosphere is fraught after an
election that threatened to split open Kenya's underlying ethnic
tensions. Kenyatta must find a way to unite the country in 2018. Also
at the top of his agenda will be how to rein in Kenya's trigger-happy
police. Then he must decide whether to talk to his opponents.
By Farai Sevenzo
Canada's Justin Trudeau -- UP
In
2017 Trudeau did a lot of crying. He teared up as he apologized to
Canada's LGBTQ community, when apologizing to Canada's indigenous groups
and again when he eulogized Canadian musical icon Gord Downie of the
Tragically Hip.
Yet his year of
contrition is nothing to cry about. Canada's economy is likely to grow
by 3% in 2017, there's a new child tax credit for needy families and
recreational marijuana will be legalized.
Trudeau
might want to save his tears for 2018, when he will have to convince
Donald Trump to "Make the North American Free Trade Agreement great
again," and no one is betting on that.
By Paula Newton
Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro -- DOWN
Venezuelans
will remember 2017 as a year of anti-government protests that occurred
almost daily for months, killing more than 120 protesters in clashes
with the government.
Protests
erupted in April after the Supreme Court took over legislative powers
belonging to the National Assembly. Maduro's proposal to convene a new
assembly to rewrite the constitution only made matters worse. The US
slapped sanctions on Maduro in late July, a day after elections to form a
constitutional assembly that Washington called "illegitimate."
The
next year promises to be a challenge, with Maduro attempting to defeat
what he called the "the financial blockade" imposed by US sanctions.
By Rafael Romo
Australia's Malcolm Turnbull -- UP
Turnbull
made headlines over his strained phone conversation with Trump earlier
this year, which the newly minted US President described as the worst
he'd had in a day of congratulatory calls. Another big moment was a
"yes" vote on same-sex marriage.
Domestically,
2017 was mixed, highlighted by the marriage vote and by Turnbull
finally facing down his nemesis and former boss, ex-Prime Minister Tony
Abbott. Turnbull's legislative agenda has been grinding ahead, although
it's been a struggle, and he remains reasonably popular.
2018
will be about the economy. Australia's growth outlook remains weak and
Turnbull will be judged on his ability to keep the economy motoring
through its 27th year without a recession.
By Andrew Stevens
Mexico's Enrique Peña Nieto -- DOWN
"What
would you have done?" Peña Nieto asked in January after approving an
increase in fuel prices, sparking violent protests in one of several
crises the Mexican President was forced to confront in 2017.
Increasing
disagreements over a proposed wall on the US border forced him to
cancel a meeting with Trump that month. In September, amid differences
with Washington over NAFTA, Peña Nieto vowed to defend Mexico's
"national dignity." His approval ratings continued to plunge, falling to
28% by mid-September, according to the Pew Research Center.
But
Peña Nieto had no time to reflect on his unpopularity. On September
19, a 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck central Mexico, killing 369 people
in the capital and surrounding states.
By Rafael Romo
New Zealand's Jacinda Arden -- UP
Jacinda
Arden became the world's youngest female leader in late October at age
37, when she was elected to head up a coalition government even though
her left-wing party finished second in the poll. "Jacindamania" swept
her to the leadership, but now the hard work begins.
One
of Arden's greatest challenges in 2018 will be making the coalition
work. She has to meld a government of her liberal Labour party with the
hard-right, populist New Zealand First party and the Greens. It won't be
easy but at least the economy is unlikely to be a headwind. It's
predicted to chug along at around 3% growth for the next few years.
By Andrew Stevens
South Africa's Jacob Zuma -- DOWN
South African President Jacob Zuma's expression said it all.
As cheers erupted, he sat tight-lipped and grim as the new leader of his party, the African National Congress, was announced.
Zuma
is known as the Teflon president, for his ability to survive scandal,
but as the clock runs down on 2017 he is at his most vulnerable yet.
Zuma
faces multiple allegations of corruption and in Cyril Ramaphosa -- the
new president of the ANC -- he faces a critic of that corruption.
A
high court ruled that Zuma can't stop a commission of inquiry into even
more allegations of corruption. Earlier this year Zuma narrowly avoided
a vote of no confidence. Will he survive again or will he be forced out
before his term ends in 2019?
By David McKenzie
The personal Assistant
to President Muhammadu Buhari on social media, Lauretta Onochie, has in a
series of tweets analyzed Nigeria past and present parents, using a
photo.
Going by her analysis, Nigeria was known in the past as a disciplined
country till the arrival and birth of the parents of our today’s bad
habits.
Lauretta Onochie
Our fore fathers were trained in such a way that discipline was their
watchword. But our present Nigeria is marked, recognized and known
nationally and internationally as an indiscipline, impunity and corrupt
country, which perhaps President Muhammadu Buhari has been fighting
since he assumed office as President in 2015.
However, looking at the photo, one will not hesitate to debunk the fact
that those images seen were Nigerians living in Nigeria because of its
composed discipline. But they are Nigerians walking on Nigeria road.
What happened to our country Nigeria? Let’s come back like we were
before. “Doing the right things at all times make life a lot easier for
everyone”, Onochie said.
Her statements read:
NIGERIA BEFORE INDISCIPLINE.
No one would believe that this was Nigeria.
This was before Mr & Mrs Indiscipline, Impunity; the parents of ALL
our bad habits were born. Pedestrians & cyclists, did d right thing
Doing the right things at all times make life a lot easier for everyone.
see her tweets bellow:
NIGERIA BEFORE INDISCIPLINE.
No one would believe that this was Nigeria.
This was before Mr & Mrs Indiscipline Impunity, the parents of
ALL our bad habits were born. Pedestrians & cyclists, did d right
thing
Doing d right things at all times make life a lot easier for
everyone
Read more at: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/12/nigeria-parents-bad-habits-born-lauretta-onochie/
Read more at: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/12/nigeria-parents-bad-habits-born-lauretta-onochie/
The personal Assistant
to President Muhammadu Buhari on social media, Lauretta Onochie, has in a
series of tweets analyzed Nigeria past and present parents, using a
photo.
Going by her analysis, Nigeria was known in the past as a disciplined
country till the arrival and birth of the parents of our today’s bad
habits.
Lauretta Onochie
Our fore fathers were trained in such a way that discipline was their
watchword. But our present Nigeria is marked, recognized and known
nationally and internationally as an indiscipline, impunity and corrupt
country, which perhaps President Muhammadu Buhari has been fighting
since he assumed office as President in 2015.
However, looking at the photo, one will not hesitate to debunk the fact
that those images seen were Nigerians living in Nigeria because of its
composed discipline. But they are Nigerians walking on Nigeria road.
What happened to our country Nigeria? Let’s come back like we were
before. “Doing the right things at all times make life a lot easier for
everyone”, Onochie said.
Her statements read:
NIGERIA BEFORE INDISCIPLINE.
No one would believe that this was Nigeria.
This was before Mr & Mrs Indiscipline, Impunity; the parents of ALL
our bad habits were born. Pedestrians & cyclists, did d right thing
Doing the right things at all times make life a lot easier for everyone.
see her tweets bellow:
NIGERIA BEFORE INDISCIPLINE.
No one would believe that this was Nigeria.
This was before Mr & Mrs Indiscipline Impunity, the parents of
ALL our bad habits were born. Pedestrians & cyclists, did d right
thing
Doing d right things at all times make life a lot easier for
everyone
Read more at: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/12/nigeria-parents-bad-habits-born-lauretta-onochie/
Read more at: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/12/nigeria-parents-bad-habits-born-lauretta-onochie/
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