Things To Look Forward To In 2019 ... If We Must

I love recaps, and the past few days they have been all over the place. I think they are great to take stock. In the previous episode of The Foreign Desk, Andrew Mueller looked back to the stories of another turbulent year. 

Could the world get any worse?

On a more positive note, this episode looks forward to what we can expect from 2019. 

• Will Donald Trump make it until the end of 2019 as President?

That's the million dollar question! Amy Pope, formerly US Deputy Homeland Security Advisor to President Obama, believes there is very likely a chance that President Trump will be impeached. It does not mean that he will be immediately kicked out of office. For that, the Senate would have to find him guilty of the accusations.

However, according to Pope, there is so much evidence of wrongdoing that the erosion of trust is going to occur.

But is impeachment in the interest of Democrats?

• On March 30, is the UK going to wake up in or out of the EU?

The UK will probably leave the EU on March 29, but it remains to be seen if this will be relatively orderly or in the chaos of a no-deal Brexit.

Amelia Hadfield, professor of European and International Relations at Canterbury University, believes that a second referendum will not be possible due to the approaching deadline. But she doesn't lose hope. Perhaps the article 50 could be extended to gain more time. 

• Do Europe and the US represent examples to emulate or hazards to avoid?

In the midst of the Western World self-sabotage, Asia will continue to catch up.

The future is Asian. Or is it the present?

A fascinating discussion that gets into detail on the politics of the (probably) most important events of 2019. Very recommendable to start the year well informed.