Don’t Beat Yourself Up
Some people make new year’s resolutions. News curators just find new things to add to the list of stuff to worry about. I took the first week of the year off to match my kids’ school breaks, during which I worried alone. Now I’m back, so let’s get you up to speed with a little help from the always interesting Ian Bremmer in Time: The Top 10 Global Risks for 2024. I was a little surprised (and relieved) that a conflict between China and the US didn’t make the list. I couldn’t be less surprised that the first item on Bremmer’s list is the most pressing risk listed by almost everyone I know, from those who work in intelligence, defense, and risk analysis to those who are just paying a bit of attention to the daily headlines. In the age of malignant narcissism, it shouldn’t surprise you that the greatest threat comes from within. The United State vs itself: “The presidential election will deepen the country’s political division, testing American democracy to a degree the nation hasn’t experienced in 150 years and undermining U.S. credibility internationally. With the outcome of the vote close to a coin toss (at least for now), the only certainty is damage to America’s social fabric, political institutions, and international standing. In a world beset by crises, the prospect of a Trump victory will weaken America’s position on the global stage as Republican lawmakers take up his foreign policy positions and U.S. allies and adversaries hedge against his likely policies.” (I’d only quibble with the label. It’s not the United States vs itself. It’s Trumpism vs America.)
+ I can’t promise we’ll be making a habit of it in 2024, but let’s mix in a little positive with the negative. MIT Tech Review: 10 Breakthrough Technologies 2024. (The Apple Vision Pro will launch Feb. 2, which gives you just under a month to say goodbye to your terrestrial family and friends.)
