It’s possible that one day – assuming the world is not set irrevocably on the road to fiery retribution – we might look back on 2017 and laugh. Donald Trump’s early morning Twitter rants. Society fractured by big tech and social media. Russian meddling in democracy. North Korea on the brink of nuclear Armageddon. Oceans frothing with plastic residue. Everywhere you look, autocrats, populists, dictators. What just happened here?
So 2017 probably wasn’t a vintage year for the planet. As Simon Tisdall points out this week in his keynote Guardian Weekly reflection, the world continues to be ruled by tough-guy leaders with big egos and bigger mouths. And where one strongman is finally ousted, another often simply pops up, as some fear may be the case in Zimbabwe.
Yet hope also exists amid darkness. There is plenty of cause for global optimism in areas ranging from renewable energy, philanthropy and gender equality, as we explore elsewhere in this edition.
You’ll find many more perceptive reflections from the Guardian’s expert correspondents on the year past and the one to come.
In these turbulent times, the role of the media has come under scrutiny. As unscrupulous and wealthy people seek to obfuscate the truth, it has never been more important for journalism to hold power to account. This edition is underpinned by a journalistic call to arms from the Guardian’s editor-in-chief, Katharine Viner, who draws fascinating parallels between the paper’s 19th-century northern English origins and the anger felt by many in the present day.
This year saw changes for the Guardian Weekly, too, as Abby Deveney, the paper’s editor for the last five years, moved on to pastures new. Overall, though, 2017 was another good year for the Weekly. From big tech to the environment, from the Paradise Papers to that guy in the White House, we have endeavoured to cover the big issues stylishly, smartly and succinctly. Thanks to your continued and loyal support as readers, subscribers and members, the Guardian Weekly remains in great health as it approaches its 100th year.
This special, expanded edition is the last to be published this year. We’ll be back on 5 January: exciting times lie ahead for the paper in 2018, with a design refresh and a new editor coming on board.
If you mark a holiday at this time of year we hope it is peaceful.
If you are a subscriber looking for our digital edition, please click here.
