2022: The year of fleeting political power & the will of the people

Ian Explains: 2022: The Year of Fleeting Political Power | GZERO World

From the rise and fall of the Roman Empire to the blink-of-an-eye tenure of British PM Liz Truss, political power is fleeting.
Just look at Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky, Ian Bremmer explains on GZERO World.

Putin, who started 2022 as one of the most powerful leaders in the world, in many ways has now become a global pariah.

Zelensky, a former comedian few trusted with a crisis, is now TIME Magazine's Person of the Year.

It's also been a year of twists and turns for two other world leaders: Xi Jinping and Joe Biden.

Watch the GZERO World episode: On Russia’s reckoning, China’s vulnerability & US democracy’s Dunkirk

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Tensions in the Middle East escalate as Israel launches a surprise military strike against Iran, prompting international concern and speculation about broader conflict. In his latest Quick Take, Ian Bremmer calls Israel’s strike on Iran “a huge success for the Israelis” and a significant blow to Iran’s regional influence.

Iranian policemen monitor an area near a residential complex that is damaged in Israeli attacks in Tehran, Iran, on June 13, 2025.
Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto

Israel bombed Iran’s nuclear facilities Thursday night, causing “significant damage” at the country’s main enrichment plant, killing leading Iranian military figures and nuclear scientists, and sparking fears that the Middle East is on the verge of a wider war.

A tank on display at a park in Washington, D.C., on June 12, 2025, two days ahead of a military parade commemorating the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary and coinciding with President Donald Trump's 79th birthday.

Kyodo via Reuters Connect

The official reason for this weekend’s military parade in Washington DC is to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the US Army – but the occasion also just happens to fall on President Donald Trump’s 79th birthday.