The New Year 2016 began with much fanfare and celebration all over the world. People have now returned to their places of work with new hope, vigour and resolutions after holidaying in various beautiful 

places. What the year holds in store for everybody will be known in the future, but we need to have hope and a positive outlook for the days ahead.

Unfortunately, 2015 was not a good year for Nepal and the entire world. While horrendous things happened in Nepal, world affairs too remained gloomy. The killer quakes, a controversial constitution and subsequent conflicts have shaken the country. The Indian blockade and fuel shortage have inflicted so much hardship on the Nepali people that it can hardly be forgotten. Indo-Nepal relations have sunk perhaps to the lowest point in recent history. And the frustration 

of the people against politics and the government has risen to the highest point. While the Nepali economy is almost about to collapse, the general public has been continuously suffering in agony and crying for some solace. So 2015 was certainly not good for Nepal.

Around the world

World events and happenings, by and large, have not been positive in 2015. Major terror attacks took place in Paris, Turkey, Tunisia and Mali. A Russian passenger plane crashed in Sinai, Egypt; and a Germanwings plane crashed in southern France. While the Russian plane crash was believed to have been caused by a terrorist act, the Germanwings plane crash was a suicidal act of the co-pilot. Several hundred people lost their lives in these heinous crimes. Hundreds of others were killed in other plane crashes in Indonesia, Taiwan and the US. Many people lost their lives in several other unfortunate accidents. The Hajj stampede killed over 1,400 pilgrims in Mecca. More than 118 people were killed in a crane accident again in Mecca. Extreme climate changes took a heavy toll too. Over 2,000 people died due to a heat wave in India. Unprecedented floods in Chennai also affected a million people.

A massive influx of refugees nearly precipitated a humanitarian crisis in Europe. The European Union faced a major migrant crisis with almost one million people arriving there in search of asylum. Migrants came from the Middle East, Africa, South Asia and the Western Balkans. A majority of them, however, were from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq. Continuous conflicts in these countries have forced hundreds of thousands to flee in search of livelihood and protection. There were many sad stories and events in their journey to a safer life. Hundreds of them also drowned when their boat capsised in the Mediterranean Sea. There was a never ending trail of both manmade and natural tragedies in 2015. A passenger ship sank in China during a storm, killing 434 people. The bombing by coalition forces of a hospital in Afghanistan killed dozens of humanitarian workers and patients. It was a sad chapter in humanitarian history and a blatant violation of international humanitarian law.

World politics last year was marked by stupidity and insensibility. Political conflicts and violence intensified in many countries. The fighting in Yemen killed many civilians. The conflict became more complicated after Saudi Arabia became involved. Despite 300,000 people getting killed and 10 million getting displaced, the Syrian crisis shows no signs of resolution. More than 4 million Syrians have fled the country since the conflict started. In addition, Russian involvement in the Syrian conflict made it more complex and uncertain. 

The ISIS advance and massacre of civilians in some parts of Iraq and Syria was an ugly turn in Middle Eastern politics.

Be positive

Nevertheless, there were some positive developments in 2015. The United Nations passed a resolution on the Syrian peace process that gave a ray of hope that it may end soon. The recently reached Climate Agreement in Paris was a positive outcome of the ongoing climate change negotiations. Around 200 countries approved the deal that indicates a strong commitment of the world community to address global warming. 

The year 2015 has largely been gloomy, and most of the events of the year will remain as painful memories. Be it the domestic politics and crisis in Nepal or the numerous happenings in the international arena, there was nothing of much positive significance to the common people. Most of last year’s events, actions, conflicts and politics had so much negative impact on the world and the entire human civilisation. The Syrian civil war and Russian involvement in the crisis, European migrant crisis, terror attacks in several parts of the world, alarming levels of Islamic radicalisation and growing Islamophobia in the West make all of us worried. The past always teaches us a lesson and helps us to live better and safer lives in the future. But there were very few positive elements in the past year. Hence, we should leave out the negative legacies and move ahead with a positive mind and outlook. The year that has just begun certainly brings a positive omen and spirit for a better world and overall wellbeing of mankind. But everyone in the country and abroad must change their mindset and behaviour in a positive way, prefer peace over violence, consider people over politics and make sustainable development our global agenda. 

Regmi  has a master’s degree in international relations from  International University of Japan