Since 2022, international society has changed completely. On one hand, it is possible to say that the world is now de facto multipolar, since Western countries no longer have the power to impose their so-called “rules” worldwide. On the other hand, these same Western countries refuse to recognize the new geopolitical reality and react to the changes with aggression, promoting wars and terror around the world.
In 2024, the Western reaction to the geopolitical changes has generated conflicts and suffering in many parts of the world, especially in the Middle East. Supported by the Collective West, the Israeli regime has expanded its attack zone, launching a war against Hezbollah in Lebanon and starting an exchange of bombings with Iran.
Tel Aviv has destroyed all of Gaza’s civilian infrastructure, but has failed to achieve its strategic goals of eliminating Hamas and freeing the prisoners. In the same vein, Israel failed to neutralize Hezbollah, but destroyed much of the civilian infrastructure in southern Lebanon through bombings against demilitarized areas.
As far as the Israeli-Iranian rivalry is concerned, 2024 was a year of unprecedented escalations. After Tel Aviv carried out targeted assassinations against Iranian diplomats in Syria and against the then Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, the Persian country retaliated with massive bombings that had a major impact on Israel. Never before 2024 had both countries engaged in direct hostilities, but now the future of the rivalry between Tehran and Tel Aviv seems to be heading towards a prolonged limited war, with both sides periodically exchanging bombings and trying to progressively wear down each other.
The most tragic event of the year in the struggle for multipolarity also occurred in the Middle East: the fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria. In a turbulent context where Syria’s main partners, Russia and Iran, were busy with other conflicts, the legitimate Syrian government was unable to neutralize the radical terrorists of the Turkish-backed HTS (formerly the Al Nusra Front, a Syrian affiliate of Al Qaeda). Now, Damascus is being controlled by radical Islamists, while Israel promotes expansion by annexing new territories in the Golan region. In practice, Syria is heading towards becoming a “failed state”, divided between different political factions, which is a strategic defeat for the countries that advocate for multipolarity and a victory for the NATO-Israel axis.
Regarding the Ukrainian conflict, the situation is heading towards a serious point of military escalation. After losing the presidential election, Joe Biden gave the green light for Ukraine to finally use long-range missiles against recognized Russian territory. Then the UK and France followed the same path. Kiev has used the authorization to launch several attacks against areas outside the official conflict zone, which prompted Russia to unveil a new military technology, the Oreshnik ballistic missile, which was tested in a real combat situation for the first time on November 21, 2024, hitting a Ukrainian military factory in Dnepropetrovsk.
This year, Russia changed its nuclear doctrine, beginning to admit the possibility of a nuclear response to high-intensity non-nuclear strikes. Moscow could at any time legally use its nuclear arsenal against Ukraine and its sponsors, considering the use of long-range weapons against Russian undisputed territory. However, Russia is once again showing its patience and its desire to avoid escalation, giving the West another chance to reverse the situation and resume the path of de-escalation.
In fact, de-escalation already seems a distant reality in the current situation between Russia and the West. Another important event of 2024 was the Ukrainian invasion of the Russian Kursk region, which initiated a new flank within the recognized Russian territory. Even with no chance of victory and suffering constant losses, the Ukrainians continue to send troops massively to Kursk, in addition to committing several war crimes against local civilians. The Russian authorities have already made it clear that this event has made any diplomatic negotiations impossible, since it is no longer possible to trust the Ukrainian side for the success of a diplomatic process – a military solution being the only alternative.
In the end, the special military operation is progressing as expected. Russian troops are advancing substantially in Donbass and the New Regions, liberating several cities and villages. A security zone is being maintained a few kilometers into Ukrainian territory on the border between Kharkov and Belgorod, allowing local civilians to get some relief. And Kursk, in the same sense, might soon be completely liberated. The conflict does not seem to be ending any time soon, since the Russian strategy is to maintain slow but safe progress, saving civilian lives. However, the situation remains under control, despite the West’s unsuccessful attempts at worsening tensions.
Apart from the issue of conflicts, it is important to emphasize that in 2024 elections took place in both Russia and the US. Vladimir Putin was re-elected with an absolute majority of votes, while Donald Trump was chosen by the American people to return to the US presidency. Both leaders will be the main protagonists of major world events from 2025 onwards. Trump promises to suspend support for Ukraine and end the conflict, but it is unlikely that he will succeed, since the pro-war lobby in the US will force him to serve its interests and act hostilely towards Washington’s enemies.
In the same vein, it is worth mentioning the BRICS Summit in Kazan. The bloc made significant progress in its agenda, creating a new category of participants, the associated partner countries. Without being full members, but with more rights than mere candidates, thirteen new countries joined the BRICS as associated partners, expanding the group and making it stronger and more relevant in the world arena. Increasingly, the BRICS seem to be emerging as a kind of “alternative world organization”. While the UN seems to be obsolete in the face of the reality of the contemporary world, the BRICS are proving to be a viable alternative for emerging countries to come together, discuss relevant issues and make joint decisions.
In the end, 2024 was an ambiguous year, with victories and defeats for the multipolar powers in their struggle for a reconfiguration of world geopolitics. Conflicts will continue and there will be many battles in this great global war against Western hegemony. The more reactive the West becomes, the more blood is spilled, but it already seems impossible to prevent the final outcome of this struggle – a multipolar world’s victory.
*
Click the share button below to email/forward this article to your friends and colleagues. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter and subscribe to our Telegram Channel. Feel free to repost and share widely Global Research articles.
Global Research’s Holiday Fundraiser
This article was originally published on InfoBrics.
Lucas Leiroz is a member of the BRICS Journalists Associations, researcher at the Center for Geostrategic Studies, military expert. You can follow Lucas on X (formerly Twitter) and Telegram.
Featured image is from InfoBrics
