Year in Review: 2018

2018 is finally over, and the blank canvas of 2019 is before us. Many people hope to begin the year with a clean slate and tick off some goals written on their New Years resolutions list. Although 2019 began less than a month ago, major headlines have already covered the main pages of world news sites, such as the prolongation of the US government shutdown and the plunge of Apple’s stock value due to the company’s worsening sales outlook for the first time in recent decades.

Reading the news regularly is crucial to be knowledgable about the events that are happening around the world, and for those of you who do not read the news on a regular basis—yet wish to be aware of the biggest world events in 2018—this is the article for you. Overall, journalists claim that 2018 was not a good year: there were more downs than ups, headlined by major events such as the declining relationships between countries and failed attempts to improve human rights. This article covers all of the major headlines of 2018 and provides an opportunity for you to be aware of the news that shocked, angered, amazed, or impacted people worldwide.

February, 2018

• 2018 Winter Olympics is held in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

March, 2018

• Xi Jin Ping, China’s general secretary, changes the constitution to give himself the right to rule China indefinitely. He becomes one of China’s most significant leaders, alongside Mao Ze Dong and Deng Xiao Ping. During the past decade, the economic development of China has been unprecedented under Xi’s leadership. As he solidifies his position as one of the most powerful leaders in Chinese history or perhaps even the most powerful, the discourse surrounding the direction that China will take in this century is highly anticipated. For more information, please read “A New Era for China: Say Hello to ‘Emperor’ Xi”.

• The “March for Our Lives” movement begins in the U.S. in more than 800 cities, to protest frequent gun violence and mass shootings. However, despite the nationwide demonstrations across all age groups, the government insists on the right to bear arms as written by the Founding Fathers in the U.S. constitution. There have been numerous incidents of mass killing and shooting during the past two years, including the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting and Las Vegas shooting. Gun control has emerged as a very contentious issue, and it seems the issue will continue to generate debate and strong feelings for the foreseeable future.

April, 2018

• Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg admits to a data leak at Facebook. The price of Facebook stocks plunge tremendously, as Zuckerberg apologizes in a press conference.

• North Korean chairman Kim Jong-un meets the South Korean president Moon Jae-in, marking a monumental moment in world history. Chairman Kim is the first North Korean leader to cross the border of the two nations since the 1950’s. The historic meeting between the two leaders put an official end to the long Korean War. This event sparked talks about future meetings between North Korea and the U.S. (which then happened later in the year).

May, 2018

• The wedding of the royal family of Great Britain’s Prince Harry and American celebrity Meghan Markle is held. A myriad of people flock to attend the royal wedding at Windsor Castle, or just to be close to the royal couple. 

June, 2018

• The U.S. and China engage in a large-scale trade war that lasts through the end of 2018. Both countries impose major tariffs on each other’s exports and thus, worsen the relationship between the two economic monoliths. This trade war becomes very topical amid the finance and economics pundits, investors, stockholders, and businessmen as the leaders of the two countries—Xi and Trump—vow to not give in to each other’s offers. 

• 2018 FIFA World Cup is held in Russia and lasts for approximately one month. France defeats Croatia to become the winner of this year’s championship. 

July, 2018

• The Thai Youth Soccer team that was trapped in a cave in June is finally saved after surviving inside the cave for approximately three weeks, gaining attention from people around the world. There is an ongoing discussion about a movie based on this real-life drama.

August, 2018

• Apple becomes the first company in the world to capitalize 1 trillion USD in the market. Although the market capitalization decreased after its peak, the event proved Apple’s dominance in the technology and mobile industry despite critics’ denunciation of Apple’s overpriced, non-innovative products. 

September, 2018

• India decriminalizes homosexuality, taking one leap forward to improving human rights in the relatively conservative nation. 

October, 2018

• Saudi Washington Post journalist and ardent political critic Jamal Khashoggi disappears on October 2. Accused of allegedly killing the journalist, the Saudi government admits 2 weeks afterwards that they killed the reporter inside the consulate. 

• Brett Kavanaugh is sworn in as a justice of the U.S. Supreme Court despite serious allegations from Dr. Christine Blasey Ford of sexual misconduct. This is an extension of the #MeToo movement, and the event sparked heated debates among U.S. citizens. Ardent supporters of Dr. Ford strongly censured the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court to swear in the accused judge. Supporters of Kavanaugh, including Donald Trump, advocate for Kavanuagh and claim that he is innocent. 

• China opens the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge, the world’s longest sea crossing structure. China hopes to strengthen the connection between the Chinese mainland and its geographically separate islands and provinces. The construction of the bridge is viewed positively by mainland China, since it may increase tourism and allow the Chinese economy to further flourish. However, in the perspectives of the provinces that seek independence from China such as Hong Kong and Taiwan, the bridge is considered to represent the expansion of China’s power and dominance.

November, 2018

• Despite efforts to legalize same-sex marriage in Taiwan since 2017, conservatives prevail over progressives by voting against it. Hence, Taiwan loses the opportunity to become the first government in Asia to legalize gay marriage. This reveals the conservative nature and culture of Asian countries in general, as many Asian citizens still perceive homosexuality as a taboo. With the continuous improvement of human rights worldwide, Asia compared to its European and American counterparts is still conservative. 

December, 2018

• Support for President Emmanuel Macron in France has declined substantially since his administration began. The yellow-vest (gilets jaunes) movement begins in Paris, France, where French citizens violently protest pro-business policies and increased taxes on individual citizens. Contrasting against the initial overwhelming support for the young French president, citizens now express widespread dissatisfaction with his administration’s policies. To cope with these complaints and protests, Macron attempts to “turn anger into solutions” in a lengthy open letter to France by initiating a nationwide consultation in which citizens can express their wants and needs regarding four main topics: taxation, state and public administration, ecological transition, and democracy. This democratic approach taken by the French government to resolve such issues reveals a stark contrast with violent methods adopted by other countries when confronting with mass protests.

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