10 Political Trends to Focus On in 2023

Last year, I posted a top 10 summary of political trends to follow in the coming year.

I talked about the struggle for Taiwan and the South-China sea. Analysts have long worried about an outbreak of war in the region. 2021 unsurprisingly escalated tensions, but 2022 still surprised most of us.

I also discussed Russian aggression in Ukraine’s Donbas and its rise despite attempts at de-escalation. I questioned, along with a lot of people, NATO’s place in political affairs and whether it was becoming irrelevant in future years. Few of us thought that Putin would be so stupid; he was. And I wrote a lot about the topic, if you are not familiar with my blog, you can check out some of my posts.⁣

It was truly a crazy year. And 2023 is coming at full blast. So, here’s my top 10 list of political trends to follow this coming year.

Photo by Brian Wertheim on Unsplash

This is a short list, but at the end of the post, I have a brief announcement! — I’d love it if you checked it out after finishing the brief list.

So, here’s my list. What’s on yours? Let me know in the comments!

1. A failed zero-covid policy in China. Xi Jinping’s loss of economic growth and a potential increase in dissatisfaction with the regime?
2. Biden’s tenure in the US is slowly coming to an end; what will the ramifications be of a gridlocked house & senate? can the Republican party utilize this for political mobilization for the 2024 election?
3. Ukraine warns of a potential attack on Kyiv in the winter months or perhaps in the Spring. Will the US (along with the West) continue their support of Ukraine despite soaring inflation and a looming recession?
4. Will the EU finally eliminate the unanimous vote and veto power of member states? Hungary and Poland have been causing headaches in Brussels; Macron and Ursula have been wary of EU voting mechanisms and have called for change. Orban’s ties with Putin are problematic — and even one actor in the EU can continue to wreak internal divisions at a time when unity and solidarity are of utmost importance.
5. Can Lukashenko maintain his dictatorship throughout 2023 despite mounting political pressure and military failures in Ukraine?