Since early March, three subjects have dominated the news: the coronavirus pandemic, protests arising from calls for racial justice, and the presidential election, now in its final stages (hopefully).
But there were so many other stories the world was watching in those pre-pandemic days at the beginning of the year.
Here are a few of the big international news stories that may have slipped our minds in the months since quarantine confined many of us in our homes.
Jan. 3: Iranian General Soleimani killed in airstrikes
U.S. forces assassinated Iranian General Soleimani, a top military leader, in an airstrike near the Baghdad International Airport, escalating tensions between Washington and Tehran. The White House decided to target Soleimani due to his alleged plotting to kill American diplomats and service members. President Donald Trump stepped to a podium in Florida and announced “we caught him in the act and terminated him.”
But the incident has left little mark on the presidential campaign.
In 2012, Democrats campaigned for President Barack Obama’s second term with the pithy summary of his achievements: “Osama Bin Laden is dead, and General Motors is alive.” Soleimani’s assassination has not been nearly a promiment a campaign theme for Trump — though he and his surrogates have accused former Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden of weakness because he criticized Trump for pushing the U.S. to the brink of war with Iran. Even Trump said in February that war was “closer than you thought.” But that threat has fallen off the front pages, as well.
Jan. 31: Brexit
Following nearly four years of see-sawing debates and negotiations, the United Kingdom left the European Union on Jan. 31. It was a landmark decision that bitterly divided the nation between “Remainers” and “Leavers.”
But even that deadline was not the end of the road. The departure left an 11-month period for the U.K. to negotiate a future trading status with the EU. Brexit will be official on Dec. 31, 2020.
Those talks have been rocky, with the Washington Post reporting last week that a battle over fisheries threatens to open an all-out trade war in Europe. After Brexit, a standalone U.S.-U.K. trade agreement would be a critical next step, butBiden and Democrats are warning that the U.S. will not sign a deal if Prime Minister Boris Johnson implements a Brexit strategy that leads to reestablishing a hard border between the U.K. and the Republic of Ireland, which remains in the EU.
January - February: Trump’s impeachment trial
The president’s impeachment trial began in the Senate on Jan. 16, following a vote by the House of Representatives in December to remove him from office. The articles of impeachment charged him with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress based on his apparent pressuring of Ukraine to dig up dirt on Biden.
On Feb. 5, two weeks into the trial, Trump was acquitted by the Senate on both impeachment articles. Despite being one of three presidents impeached in American history, neither the Trump or Biden campaigns seem to remember the event as the election nears — though in September, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi did not rule out the possibility of impeaching him again.
April 1: Meghan and Prince Harry leave the royal family
Ever since they began dating, Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex have faced harsh backlash from fans of the royal family and the media about Meghan being a mixed race Black woman and divorcée. Prince Harry has always been vocal about his social and political beliefs — as has Meghan — a fact that caused some tension between the older members of the royal family and the couple. After taking a sabbatical from their royal duties in late 2019 to focus on their family, and recusing themselves from their responsibilities in early January 2020, Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry announced their departure from the royal family and their plans to move to Canada in April 2020.
The couple have since moved to Los Angeles, Calif., where Meghan Markle is from, to raise their family. In recent interviews, Markle said, “It feels good to be home.” Most recently, Harry and Meghan have signed a multi-year contractwith Netflix to become Hollywood producers.
April - May: Media frenzy about Kim Jong Un’s suspected demise
CNN and other news outlets published misinformation about Kim Jong Un’s alleged death in the spring, after a South Korean website mistranslated health updates about a cardiovascular surgery that the Supreme Leader of North Korea had in late April. What followed was a game of “international telephone,” including Twitter chiming in with the trending hashtag #KIMJONGUNDEAD and speculations about who would take over leadership if Jong Un really had died. It was nothing short of awkward for the media industry, once the hoax was deemed false.
Kim Jong Un appears to be alive and kicking. On Oct. 10, he delivered an apology to North Koreans for having to weather “severe hardships and trials” this year. CNN claims Jong Un’s “tears don’t mean he’s softening” and that this apology is a form of political populism. Since this speech, North Korea has announced plans to push forward in the development of “advanced weaponry.”
Stefania Lugli and Namu Sampath are interns at GBH News.
