There's No Monkey Business During 2016

People remained shocked and stigmatised as pent-up economic and cultural frustrations created havoc, resulting in a threat to liberalism and flaring up protectionist attitude across the world

- Riddhima Malhotra

The Year 2016, the Chinese year of the monkey, saw no monkey business. In fact, it was marked by significant upheavals and landmark events across countries and continents that would result in a shift in the world order. Populations have been left shocked and stigmatised as pentup economic and cultural frustrations created havoc, resulting in a threat to liberalism and giving momentum to nationalist as well as protectionist attitudes in different parts of the world.

There is no doubt that the most consequential development this past year has been the election of Donald Trump as de facto the most powerful man in the world. During the highly nasty US Presidential campaign the real estate tycoon lived up to his image of a builder, though not of bridges but of walls in the hearts of people (and maybe soon between the US and Mexico too). The fact that Trump won the popular vote despite his buffoonery and ambiguous plan of action points to the restlessness and desperation of the electorate. It was not a vote for Trump but against the unfulfilled promises of globalisation and multiculturalism, against the average white American’s growing economic woes and uncertainty about the future.