Trump rebooted

Returning to the White House in January,Donald Trumplaunched his protectionist second term agenda at breakneck speed, ordering mass deportations of undocumented migrants, imposing sweeping budget cuts and dismantling large parts of the United States' federal government.

Trump also deployed the National Guard in Democrat-led cities, sought to intimidate the media and freely threatened his opponents with legal action.

'Ceasefire' in Gaza

Under pressure from Washington, a ceasefire was agreed betweenIsraelandHamas, two years after the start of the war inGazafollowing the 7 October, 2023 attacks. It allowed the return to Israel of the last living hostages and most of the bodies of those killed, in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners.

But the truce remains fragile. Negotiations on the second phase of the peace plan have stalled, with both sides accusing each other almost daily of violating the agreement.

Ukraine peace efforts at a standstill

Trumps return to the White House revived efforts to end the war inUkraine, but talks have failed to deliver a breakthrough. The US president made repeated reversals before putting forward a draft plan widely seen as favourable to Moscow.

International discussions continue on that basis, whileRussiaappears unwilling to compromise and continues its slow and costly advances on the ground.

Tariffs trigger global showdown

Trump imposed tariffs on imports and on entire sectors deemed strategic, triggering a trade conflict that shook the global economy. Difficult negotiations led to numerous agreements, with uneven consequences depending on the country in question.

Talks with neighbouringMexicoandCanadacontinue to drag on while relations withChina, above all, are extremely tense.

AIs explosive rise

Technology giants and investors spent vast sums to fuel the rapid growth ofartificial intelligence. Markets fear a speculative bubble and concerns are mounting, with AI accused of driving disinformation and copyright violations.

Many companies cited it to justify mass lay-offs too. As the technology expands rapidly, the full consequences are difficult to assess.

Gen Z in revolt

Nepal, Indonesia, Peru, Madagascar, Morocco, Bulgaria... across the world, mass movements led by people under 30 emerged in protest at poor living conditions, social media censorship and elite corruption.

They adopted the pirate flag from the manga comicOne Piece as a symbol, both on the streets and online, and while their success and impact varied from country to country, together they reflected the anger of a generation.

Climate warnings fall flat

It was another bleak year for the climate. Deadly floods struck Vietnam, while hurricanes and typhoons devastated the Caribbean and the Philippines. Across Europe, temperatures surged and forest fires intensified.

Extreme weather events are becoming more frequent, more deadly and more destructive because of climate change. Despite this, Cop30 held in Belm, in theAmazonresulted in only a minimalist agreement.

Former leaders behind bars

The year was also marked by the imprisonment of several former presidents. In Brazil,Jair Bolsonarobegan serving a 27-year sentence for an attempted coup. In France,Nicolas Sarkozywas jailed for 20 days after his conviction for criminal conspiracy.

In South Korea,Yoon Suk Yeolis in detention and on trial for insurrection and abuse of power. In the Philippines,Rodrigo Dutertewas arrested and transferred to The Hague under a warrant from the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity.

This retrospective was translated from theoriginal versionin French

Originally published on RFI