A lot is riding on Joe Biden - and Iran - to end the Middle East crises (Image: POLITICO.eu) There have been threats, in recent weeks, of the conflicts taking place in dotted parts of the Middle East 'expanding' to across the region . Whether it is the situation in Gaza, which the current horrors there have been going on for more than 100 days , or what is happening in Yemen and the Red Sea, where the Houthi military group is at loggerheads with ships belonging to the UK, United States and others. At the heart of these troubles are innocent lives being lost or displaced, and there is little sign, hope or willingness of resolution by those who should be negotiating peaceful solutions. But also at the heart of these are the United States and Iran. For decades, their governments have exchanged countless war of words, and for years, they've ruffled each other's feathers by using proxies and existing forces to needlessly flex their military muscles. These have often been
Cristiano Ronaldo is a big hit in Saudi Arabia (Image: ZAWYA) If I were to summarise 2023 in a few words, on a personal level, I can describe the year as being very busy, ploughing through a never-ending to-do list with little sparks of fun in between. Somewhat most poignantly, I feel I have a clearer sense of what I want (and need) to do over the coming months. However, I also feel that I haven't moved forward as much as I would have liked, leaving this year as I started it. That being said, I sense a very productive and constructive 2024. When it comes to more global affairs, I suppose scenarios are pretty similar across the scale. Countries who were in conflict in January remain in that state to this day, world average temperatures continue to concern experts, and oppression and poverty in many nations show no signs of heading to the right direction. But the lack of progression this year could open the door to potential for significant and intriguing changes over the coming 12 m