As the calendar year sputters to its close, dragging behind it the debris of scandal, triumph, calamity, and the occasional flicker of hope, it seems an appropriate moment to ask what it all amounted to. If one were to write the obituary for this year, as one does for an aging tyrant or a disgraced politician, what would stand out? Would it be the great unraveling of democracies at the hands of populist and pseudo-fascist charlatans, the slow-burning catastrophe of our planetary climate, or the occasional reminder of human resilience in the face of such odds? To survey the year is not merely to catalogue events but to trace their implications—because history, as we know, is never simply the sum of its headlines. It is the long shadows they cast.
The Cracks in Democracy
Let us begin, as we often must, with politics, where the spectacle of democratic bourgeois decline continued unabated. The past year saw more elections won by demagogues promising a return to some imaginary golden age, wielding their peculiar mixture of grievance and bluster like a blunt instrument. In countries once thought immune to the siren call of authoritarianism, we witnessed the systematic erosion of judicial independence, press freedom, and public trust. Democracy, that fragile yet essential contrivance, seems increasingly to be gasping for air, not because of an assault from without but because of a decay from within.
What is most troubling, however, is not merely the rise of illiberal leaders but the willingness—nay, eagerness—of so many to cheer them on. This is a phenomenon that would have given Orwell nightmares: the voluntary surrender of reason, the enthusiastic embrace of lies, the rebranding of cruelty as strength. One can hardly blame the strongmen alone; they are but the symptoms of a deeper malaise—a global weariness with complexity, a hunger for certainty even at the expense of freedom and true democracy. And yet, as history teaches us, such bargains rarely end well.
The Climate Clock Ticks Louder
Meanwhile, the planet continued its quiet rebellion against human hubris. The relentless march of climate change, which seemed in previous decades like a distant possibility, now confronts us with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer. This year brought floods of biblical proportions, wildfires of Dantean intensity, and the unrelenting heat of summers that felt like preludes to hell. And yet, the response has been little more than theatrical. Pledges are made, summits convened, but the machinery of action grinds painfully slowly, as if governed by the same laws of inertia that keep the glaciers melting.
The long-term consequences here are almost too dire to contemplate. It is not merely the destruction of ecosystems or the rise of sea levels that should concern us, though these are bad enough. It is the unraveling of the capitalist fabric that climate chaos portends: the migrations it will trigger, the conflicts it will ignite, the inequalities it will exacerbate. To look away from this reality is not merely irresponsible; it is suicidal.
The Fragility of Peace
In the realm of geopolitics, the year offered little in the way of reassurance. Wars, both hot and cold, simmered across the globe, reminding us of the frailty of peace and the persistence of folly. The most visible of these conflicts—be it the ongoing war in Ukraine, the fragile ceasefires and war crimes in the Middle East, or the power plays in the South China Sea—underscored an uncomfortable truth: that the world is still very much an imperialist battlefield, even if the weapons now include cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns alongside tanks and endless drones.
What is particularly striking is the ease with which old patterns reassert themselves. Nationalism, that most persistent and pernicious of ideologies, is once again ascendant. The liberal alliances forged in the aftermath of the Second World War—those fragile so-called constructs of collective security—are fraying under the strain of new rivalries, rampant imperialism, and old grievances. The “end of history,” which some once proclaimed with such hubris, now looks like little more than a premature obituary.
The Flickers of Hope
And yet, it would be churlish to suggest that the year was without its brighter moments. In science and medicine, for instance, humanity continues to astonish itself. Advances in gene therapy, artificial intelligence, and renewable energy technologies suggest that we are still capable of extraordinary ingenuity, even as we teeter on the edge of self-destruction. In the streets of Tehran, Hong Kong, and elsewhere, brave individuals continued to risk everything for the cause of freedom, reminding us that the human spirit, for all its flaws, is not so easily extinguished.
Perhaps most heartening, though, was the resurgence of a younger generation determined to take matters into its own hands. From climate activists to social justice campaigners, a new wave of voices is demanding accountability, not only from governments and corporations but also from the rest of us. Whether their efforts will be enough to stem the tides of decaying capitalism, apathy, and despair remains to be seen, but their presence is a reminder that history, for all its darkness, is never without its moments of redemption.
The Long View
In the end, the true significance of this year will not be determined by what happened but by how we remember it. Will we look back on it as yet another step toward decline, or as a moment when the tide began to turn to a better socialist world? That choice, dear reader, lies with us. The past year has been a sobering reminder of both the fragility of our achievements and the resilience of our aspirations. It has shown us the worst of what humanity is capable of—and, on occasion, the best.
As we move into the new year, we would do well to remember that history is not a spectator sport. It demands our participation, our vigilance, and above all, our refusal to accept the unacceptable. To do otherwise would be to betray not only the lessons of the past year but the very idea of progress itself. And that, surely, is a fate too grim to contemplate.
Author’s Note: If my musings have struck a chord and are beginning to resonate, why not kick off the new year by plunging into your local revolutionary communist party? A better world isn’t just an option—it’s a bloody necessity for the survival of humanity in the tumultuous century ahead!
For those in the USA, please consider joining here:
For those outside the great imperial metropole, more information can be found here:
No matter which brand of socialism you claim—be it Trotskyist, Stalinist, Maoist, or the classic Marxist-Leninist—it’s time to get your hands dirty and dive into the fray. Your participation is not just welcomed; it’s essential! The fight demands your vigor today, and future generations are counting on your audacity!
Letters from Tomis 
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