A year that taught us to fear - Gregor Peter Schmitz looks back on the year

stern editor-in-chief - A year that taught us to fear - Gregor Peter Schmitz looks back on the year

Another year is coming to an end, another year I feel the need to pause for a moment and take a deep breath. And again I think: what a terrible year. In 2020 and 2021, the coronavirus kept the world on tenterhooks and took the lives of at least seven million people. At the beginning of 2022, Russia's brutal invasion of Ukraine changed everything in one fell swoop. And where are we today? The war in Ukraine will soon be entering its third year and has become a grueling, sacrificial war of position in an increasingly exhausted country, with no end in sight. On the world stage, the major players are more hostile to each other than they have been for decades. Heatwaves, conflagrations and record precipitation warn us that the climate catastrophe is no longer a dystopian vision of the future, but has long since begun.

And all of this has been suppressed in our perception by the barbaric attacks by Hamas on Israel on October 7 - never since 1945 have so many Jews been murdered so brutally in one day. Yes, Israel and its people have experienced great solidarity since then. But all over the world, people of the Jewish faith are once again living in deep fear. Anti-Semitism, often disguised as criticism of Israel, is breaking out openly in many places. Even in the middle of Germany, Jews are taking down their doorbell signs, hiding their kippahs and Stars of David because they don't want to be recognized and have lost confidence that this country can protect them. I find that shameful. And the brutal reaction of the Israeli army to the Hamas massacres has brought unimaginable suffering to the civilian population of the Gaza Strip. This year has once again taught us to fear.

"Turning point" was the title of our 2022 special issue - Chancellor Olaf Scholz used this term to define the scale of the challenges and it became the "word of the year". In 2023, the new Minister of Defense, Boris Pistorius, has now thrown another unwieldy term at the Germans: the country and its people must become "war-ready". In an interview with my colleagues Benedikt Becker and Miriam Hollstein, Pistorius takes stock of his first year in office and his attempts to make Germany and its often ridiculed army sufficiently resilient for this harsh world (page 20). Andreas Hoidn-Borchers devotes himself to another, no less important challenge. 2023, he writes, could prove to be "the year in which something decisive is shaken". This is because trust in democracy and the party system is "disintegrating at a gallop", and the poll figures for the AfD of over 20 percent nationwide are a disturbing sign (page 32).

2024 will not be an easy year either

ButHoidn-Borchers also asks: "Did tens of thousands freeze to death in their icy homes this winter? Did BASF and Bayer have to shut down their production? Are there masses of ragged and emaciated people begging on the streets?" The answer is of course a threefold no. Because we must not forget that at the end of this year: Many things have gone well, some tasks have been solved better and more efficiently than expected by the often-maligned politicians, we are going into the winter more relaxed than a year ago, inflation is falling and the economy is regaining its footing. Despite all the despondency, this should give us confidence. We will need it. Because let's not kid ourselves: 2024 will not be an easy year either. We should keep our courage and determination together.

If you now look back on 2023 with this magazine, you will see: There are also moments of joy and people who give us hope. I wish you a peaceful new year, confidence, courage and moments in which this life simply feels good.

Read also:

• Year of climate records: extreme is the new normal
• Precautionary arrests show Islamist terror threat
• UN vote urges Israel to ceasefire
• SPD rules out budget resolution before the end of the year

1. The UN voted urging Israel to implement a ceasefire, as the brutal attacks by Hamas on Israel in October resulted in the murder of numerous Jews, causing fear and concern among Jewish communities worldwide, including in Germany where Jews are hiding their religious symbols due to rising anti-Semitism.
2. In Germany, the Minister of Defense, Boris Pistorius, has urged the country to become "war-ready," acknowledging the challenges facing the nation and its often criticized army, as the world continues to be plagued by conflicts, such as the ongoing war in Ukraine.
3. Despite the numerous global issues, including the war in Ukraine, climate catastrophe, and rising anti-Semitism, Stern's top message for the new year is one of hope and optimism, citing achievements and improved circumstances in various areas, such as the economy and inflation rates.

Source: www.stern.de