Opinion

from the editor

Into an uncertain future

It has been an unpredictable year in 2016. We have seen the end of an era characterised by stability and the advent of one dominated by change and uncertainty. The year started with change and uncertainty on the domestic level, but is also now ending that way, with the recent US election result and an upcoming election in France. Meanwhile, in the middle of the year there was also change and uncertainty after the Brexit result, when the UK defied the polls and chose to leave the EU.

As we leave 2016 behind, it seems we are also leaving behind an era of assurance, and humanity has for the moment been left with no clear direction. Anything now seems possible, even the unimaginable. The coming year will no doubt be a testing time for the planet.

Last year, we also lost some of our most influential personalities, from Johan Cruyff, Fidel Castro and Umberto Eco to David Bowie and Leonard Cohen, to name a few. Yet, it was also a year of achievement, in the Rio Olympics, for example. You can look back over 2016 in our review of the year. And that just leaves us to wish you a great Christmas and a Happy New Year!

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