HKmPUA/Flickr
From Sharapova to the Brownlee brothers, 2016 has given us one step forward to one step back.
Flag-wrapped coffin of late Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov is carried to a plane during a ceremony at Esenboga airport in Ankara.
Umit Bektas/Reuters
Despite the assassination of the Russian ambassador in Turkey, Ankara is part of a new ad-hoc coalition with Moscow and Tehran in the MiddleEast.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (R) and Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu offer flowers in memory of slain Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov.
Maxim Shemetov/Pool photo via AP
Ambassador Karlov’s death will weaken Turkey’s influence in the Syrian conflict.
Mosul is one of many war-torn cities in the middle East.
Reuters/Alaa Al-Marjani
In the Middle East, there will be no easy choices for the incoming Trump administration - and a wild ride is likely to continue.
A Russian police officer guards the Turkish embassy in Moscow.
EPA/Sergei Ilnitsky
Less than a year ago, Andrey Karlov’s assassination would’ve been a dangerous diplomatic incident – but the two massive powers involved have all but mended fences.
Fyodor Dostoyevsky.
Dostoevsky’s infamous novel reflected a wave of reaction against economic liberalism, not unlike that which has occurred during 2016.
Before regime forces reclaimed east Aleppo, it was the last major civilian centre still controlled by the insurgency.
Reuters/George Ourfalian
The Assad regime’s takeover of Aleppo is a major strategic and psychological blow for the Syrian opposition.
Donald Trump continues to downplay any alleged role of Russia in the recent US election.
Reuters/Shannon Stapleton
The president-elect’s dismissal of the CIA’s findings indicates a worrying attitude to intelligence.
Are OPEC’s cuts all smoke?
Hasan Jamali/AP Photo
To see why, one must only consider the core economic principle of supply and demand.
UK Prime Minister Theresa May can’t rely on her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi and others in the Commonwealth for unfettered trade support.
Reuters/Adnan Abidi
The UK political elite is overestimating the power of the Commonwealth’s brand in Africa as it seeks new partners in the wake of Brexit.
EPA/Song Kyung-Seok
Will the world be safer if Trump meant the things he said on the campaign trail, or if he didn’t?
The South African economy just narrowly escaped a credit rating downgrade but it is not in the clear yet.
Reuters
South Africa is breathing a sigh of relief after escaping a credit rating downgrade. But there are still serious concerns around structure of the country’s economy and finances.
The leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa at the BRICS summit in Goa, India. Brazil’s position is shaky.
REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui
Brazil’s place within the BRICS bloc is becoming questionable. Since the new President Michel Temer took over, Brazil’s foreign policy has shifted away from BRICS ideals to favour western interests.
Worried looks in a Beijing bar at the Trump victory.
EPA/Rolex dela Pena
Forget what you heard about isolationism, the new president-elect will realise the US needs the world and vice versa.
Protesters at Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate denounce Trump.
Axel Schmidt/Reuters
Europe has a lot riding on this election: NATO, relations with Russia and free trade all hang in the balance.
President Obama unveils ‘Prague Agenda’ on nukes in 2009.
EPA
With a $1 trillion modernisation programme signed off and atomic scientists deeply worried about the future, American policy on nuclear weapons is pretty much business as usual.
Do Kerry and Putin operate in parallel universes?
Sputnik Photo Agency/Reuters
Wars in Chechnya and Iraq affected the stories American and Russian leaders tell about their place in the world.
Pat Hutchens
In the third volume of The Official History of ASIO series, historians Dr John Blaxland and Dr Rhys Crawley examine the organisation's role in the years leading to the end of the Cold War.
Hillary Clinton has proven to be hawkish on foreign policy.
Reuters/Carlos Barria
The Trump circus has distracted from genuine scrutiny of Hillary Clinton’s approach to global challenges if she becomes president - and the signs are not good.
shutterstock.
Populism is a hot topic around the globe right now, and much can be learned from studying its history.