The world bids adieu to 2022 and looks to 2023 with cautious optimism amid significant challenges facing the global economy, including soaring inflation; an ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine that has disrupted the international energy industry; elevated numbers of excess deaths around the world since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic; and continued efforts from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to wage an undeclared war with the United States and to dominate the world.
As the year came to a close, the British monarchy saw a shift as Charles III acceded to the throne following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September. People around the world joined in watching the soccer World Cup in Qatar in November. The month closed with the death of the former CCP leader Jiang Zemin, who was responsible for launching a nationwide persecution of Falun Gong practitioners beginning in 1999. The year ended with the December disclosure of the “Twitter Files” which revealed to the international community how government agencies influenced Twitter to censor and steer discussions on various issues, ranging from the 2020 elections to COVID-19….