At the other end of Europe, Russia’s war in Ukraine continues. Ukrainians chalked up some successes in 2024, becoming a dominant force in the Black Sea despite the country’s tiny navy, and mounting a counteroffensive into Russia’s Kursk region in August. But they are ending this year on the back foot, having lost many of their territorial gains and having seen many of their soldiers killed.
But Russia’s constant pressing comes at a huge cost for its troops too, with the past few months being extraordinarily brutal. The Institute for the Study of War, a U.S. think tank, estimated there were 53 Russian casualties for every square kilometer of Ukrainian territory gained between September and November of 2024.
Blockbuster election year
With votes in more than 60 countries including France, the U.K., Bulgaria, India, Japan and the U.S., as well as for the European Parliament, 2024 was a huge election year. As right-wing forces broadly consolidated their position firmly in the political mainstream, the polls themselves saw social media platforms like TikTok have ever greater influence and even shape campaigns.
Europe’s lurch to the right was on display in many of this year’s votes. In some countries, far-right parties rose to power; in others, they gained a position to exert significant pressure on governments.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing European Conservatives and Reformists became EU power brokers after the June European Parliament election. French President Emmanuel Macron’s shock decision to call a snap election in the aftermath of the EU vote plunged the country into political chaos.
What was interesting is that the far right’s success in many of the votes called for an update to the stereotypical image of their voters being angry old men.
