2020 has been a very unusual year

2020 has been a very unusual year. The COVID-19 pandemic, a once-in-a-century plague, has affected every aspect of the country, society,...

2020 has been a very unusual year. The COVID-19 pandemic, a once-in-a-century plague, has affected every aspect of the country, society, and individuals, and has also catalyzed the accelerated development of the world's unprecedented changes in a century. A series of major events in the past year may be recorded as turning points in human history.

As we bid farewell to the 2020 with mixed flavors, this website sorts out the top ten "extremely unusual" events in the world in 2020 as a common witness to history for us and our readers.

1. The new crown ravages seven continents  

Without a doubt, this is the biggest global event of 2020, bar none. The new coronavirus has swept across seven continents, including Antarctica, like a ghost. At present, the number of confirmed cases of new coronary pneumonia in the world has exceeded 80 million, and the number of deaths has exceeded 1.7 million; the world economic output has dropped by at least 7%, the largest recession since World War II. What makes this global epidemic even more unusual is that the old capitalist countries in the West have been ineffective in responding to the epidemic, causing chaos and chaos, and have become the hardest hit areas, while East Asian countries such as China, South Korea and Singapore have achieved remarkable results in fighting the epidemic.

Future historians will trace some relatively significant impacts to the current coronavirus pandemic. The global distribution of power will continue to shift eastward, as East Asia does a better job of controlling the situation than Europe or the United States. (American Foreign Affairs bimonthly)

Covid-19 has not only had a severe impact on our health, it has also been the largest accelerator in history. The Asian region has been named a source of hope, and has even become a haven for capitalism and globalization. (French "Echo" website)

2. Trump doesn’t want to admit defeat

With the close of the Electoral College on December 14, Biden is confirmed to have won the U.S. presidential election and will be sworn in on January 20, 2021. But so far, Trump has not conceded defeat, and lawsuits over the election results continue. In the words of the US media, this may be an "unprecedented scene" in the history of US elections. After the chaos of this election, American-style democracy has been considered to have completely stepped down from the "altar".

Trump is trying to stay in the White House even after losing the election. American democracy is in jeopardy, even beyond the well-known voter suppression and racial divisions that threaten to reduce the country to the level of an inferior dictatorship. (US "National Interest" bimonthly website)

· The peaceful transfer of power is the foundation of our democracy. Trump acted like "a desperate dictatorial longer". (AFP)

3. Tokyo Olympics postponed

Affected by the epidemic, the Tokyo Olympics have been postponed, which is the first time in the 124-year history of the modern Olympics. In March 2020, after coordination with the International Olympic Committee, Japan decided to postpone the Tokyo Olympics for one year. The postponement of the Olympics poses a huge challenge to host Japan. According to estimates by the Tokyo Olympic Organizing Committee, the Tokyo Olympics will require an additional funding of nearly 2 billion US dollars. In the context of the ongoing epidemic, how can Japan ensure the smooth holding of this sports event? The time has come to test the Yoshihide Suga government.

Health concerns caused by the pandemic pose the biggest threat to next year's Olympics, with the global economic downturn triggered by the pandemic putting further pressure on Olympic planners. (US "Wall Street Journal" website)

4. The United States has become "the number one patient"

Turning the clock back to the beginning of 2020, few would have expected that the United States would become the country with the highest cumulative number of confirmed cases and deaths in the world. As of December 29, the number of confirmed cases of the new crown in the United States exceeded 19 million, and more than 330,000 people died. American politicians are to blame for the loss of hundreds of thousands of lives. When disdain for science and do whatever one wants, all that remains is the number of confirmed cases and deaths soaring. The United States handed over such an "anti-epidemic" answer sheet, which is shocking.

The disease that the United States is suffering from today cannot be cured with the new coronary pneumonia vaccine. We have lost trust in each other, in our institutions, and in our most basic notions of right and wrong. (US "New York Times" website)

• In the worst crisis the world is facing right now, China is winning and the United States is losing. This is because China respects science and Trump opposes it. (US "Washington Post" website)

5. "Black Lives Matter"

On May 25, George Floyd, a black man, was knelt on his knees for seven minutes and died, triggering the largest anti-racial discrimination and anti-violent law enforcement movement in the United States in decades. The Black Lives Matter movement sparked a racial debate, with statues of figures associated with slavery or colonization being torn down. The death of Floyd not only shocked the United States, but also international organizations such as the United Nations, the African Union, and politicians from many African countries have successively voiced their criticisms of racial discrimination in American society.

American history is partly the history of racism, and this "bone fracture" is still running down the spine of the United States. This is a structural issue. (Spanish newspaper El Pais website)

Trump's electoral tactics that cater only to white voters reinforce "white supremacy." Even if Democratic President Joe Biden takes office, the United States will not be able to return to liberal politics based on tolerance for the time being. (Japan's "Choice" Monthly)

6. The UK’s “ Brexit ” is finally over

On the eve of the "Brexit" deadline on December 31, EU and UK negotiators finally reached an agreement on the details of a future UK-EU relationship agreement, including trade, on December 24, avoiding the UK's "hard Brexit without a deal". Chaos scene. So far, the four-year, ups and downs of the British "Brexit" drama has finally come to an end. Although the two sides have reached an agreement, the benefits of the agreement will be limited and will not eliminate economic pain points and turmoil in the UK or EU member states. The UK government has predicted that the UK will lose about 4% of its economic output over the next 15 years compared to staying in the EU.

There is nothing to be too happy about, because divorce is not good news. (AFP)

· Now that Johnson has delivered on his Brexit promise, his challenge will be post-Brexit success. (The Times, UK)

7. The old enemies in the Middle East  

Israel, which has fought with Arab countries for decades since its founding in 1948, has achieved a "great diplomatic harvest" in 2020. Since September, Israel has normalized relations or established diplomatic relations with the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan, Morocco and other Arab countries. The United States, which has brokered the establishment of diplomatic relations between Arab countries and Israel, has its own small calculus-Trump wants to "brush diplomatic performance" before the election to win the support of Jewish voters; in addition, the United States also wants to use this to expand the Middle East's "support for Israel and the United States". Anti-Iranian Coalition". However, in the Middle East, where ethnic, religious and sectarian disputes are intricate, there are turbulent undercurrents beneath the surface of partial calm.

Israel is stronger and more recognized, which is a good deal for Netanyahu, which also helps Trump win re-election. This is not peace, not even a peace agreement. (Spanish newspaper El Pais website)

8. The "hot war" in the Caucasus

In September, two small Caucasian countries Armenia and Azerbaijan broke out in a new round of conflict in the Nagorno-Karabakh region. While clashes have erupted from time to time in the region since the two countries last reached a comprehensive ceasefire in 1994, the 45-day conflict in 2020 was the most intense in more than two decades. The great-power game between Russia, Turkey, the United States and France and the use of new weapons such as drones make the conflict even more unusual. On November 9, under the mediation of the Kremlin, the ceasefire agreement was reached again, and Azerbaijan resumed control of Naka and large surrounding areas. The Naka conflict has come to an end for the time being, but the millennium grievances between Armenia and Azerbaijan will not end there.

· Moscow has shown once again that it remains a major external player in the South Caucasus and has the capacity to stop the intense armed conflict that is taking place here. Another obvious result is that hyperactive external players, represented by Turkey, are gaining a foothold in the region. (Russian Council for International Affairs website)

9. The United States exerts extreme pressure on China

Suppressing Chinese companies, restricting visas, and interfering in China's internal affairs... Over the past year, the United States has done "everything" to suppress China. In July 2020, the United States unilaterally provoked the closure of the Chinese Consulate General in Houston; more than four months later, the United States shortened the validity period of business or tourist visas for Chinese Communist Party members and their immediate family members to the United States from 10 years to one month. This kind of pressure on China by forcibly restricting and cutting off normal people-to-people and cultural exchanges between China and the United States is unprecedented since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States. China will not dance with the United States, but it will never let the United States fool around.

• U.S. policy toward China should incorporate elements of competition and cooperation, not competition for competition's sake, which could lead to a dangerous cycle of confrontation. (Bloomberg News website)

Rising populism in the United States and growing assertiveness in China have become the main forces driving the two countries down the road to conflict. The leadership change in Washington offers an opportunity to reflect on the two sides' declining relationship. (Australia East Asia Forum website)

10. The "roller coaster" of oil prices in the stock market  

There have been a total of 5 circuit breakers in the history of the US stock market, 4 of which occurred in March 2020. However, the plot then reversed. Major stock markets such as Europe and the United States rebounded tenaciously. The Dow broke through 30,000 points, and the US stock market hit a record high. The drop in oil prices has surprised the world: On April 20, the expiring West Texas Intermediate crude oil (WTI) May futures closed at -$37.63 per barrel, a drop of more than 300%, and even fell for a while during the session to -40.32 US dollars / barrel.