December and January are traditionally slow months. Most peoples’ attention is drawn by the Christmas and New Year celebrations, as well as the preparations leading up to the festivities.
This is a really bad thing for someone who is trying to maintain a monthly news update column, but a good thing for the world: When there’s news to comment on during this time of the year, it seldom is for a good reason.
So I decided to do a quick recap of this year’s MFP columns. If you are a new reader of this blog, I hope that you will find this summary interesting enough to refer to each month’s column for more details – the good thing about blogs, is that no matter when in its life-cycle you get to find one that appeals to you, you can always refer to older posts for more content.
Jan18-Feb18: Do you remember this? There were presidential elections taking place here in Cyprus around that time. It was less than a year ago, but it feels to me as if the elections took place ages ago. The article also provided a quick outline of how the two-round electoral system works, as well as commentary on abstention rates.
Feb18-Mar18: Or, perhaps you remember this? We also had Winter Olympics this year! Refer to the article for a quick history lesson on the modern Olympics, as well as my explanation on what makes these games so appealing to people.
Mar18-Apr18: We discussed the fine arts (and more specifically, painting) for a bit, on the occasion of the first full exhibition of Delacroix’s works in Paris, in more than 50 years. The fine arts have been an integral part of humanity’s cultural development throughout the centuries. Being knowledgeable in the arts, makes you more knowledgeable of the world around you.
Apr18-May18: We focused on Earth Day (22 April) the symbolism of having such a day celebrated and tried to make a case for upping the ante in our efforts to protect our Planet. There’s no Planet B!
May18-Jun18: GDPR went live on 25 May 2018. For the first (and perhaps only) time in my life, I was in favor of state regulation. I explained why.
Jun18-Jul18: A deal was reached in the early hours of 22 July between Greece and its international creditors, regarding the former’s request for debt relief, on the occasion of the end of its macroeconomic adjustment program. I explain why, contrary to local and international news outlets and statements from prominent figures, this was a bad deal.
Jul18-Aug18: The Football World Cup took place during that time. For those of you on the other side of the Atlantic, the Soccer World Cup took place during that time. There, who said that you can’t keep everyone happy? France (unlikely?) won the world title in the end. But we tried to take a lesson from the disappointing last chance at a world title, of Argentina’s “golden generation.”
Aug18-Sep18: Back to Cyprus and its chronically underperforming public education system. We use the Cypriot government’s disappointing handling of the issue to extract a lesson on negotiation techniques. Always useful!
Sep18-Oct18: Cyprus is on the spotlight once again. After spending almost seven years in the junk category, the country returned to an investment-grade credit rating, after a review performed by Standard&Poors. I am happy for it, but also concerned, I explain why.
Oct18-Nov18: Italy completely disregarded the Commission’s budgetary recommendations, and submitted a budget that didn’t conform to the EU’s growth and stability pact. I present some interesting data that I gathered, and explain why Italy is actually shooting itself in the foot by assuming such a bellicose stance.
Nov18: Because the column is published every four weeks, but months do not exactly last for four weeks, on November we ended up having two MFP. The second one focused on Germany, on the occasion of Chancellor Angela Merkel stepping down from her position, after almost 14 years. I explain why I will miss her, by examining her management of the EU’s most powerful country.
Nov18-Dec18: We closed the year by taking a look at the ever-escalating US-China trade war, on the occasion of the arrest of Huawei’s CFO, on charges of violating US sanctions against third countries. We explained why, unless something changes dramatically, the US can basically rule the world with their sanctions. Always important to keep in mind, given the unpredictable nature of their President in office.
And that was all for 2018! I would like to thank each and every one of you for your continued interest in my work and wish you and your loved ones, all the best for the New Year!