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Top 10 geopolitical game changers of 2024 - GZERO | Pictured: Elon Musk, Donald Trump, a migrant, Benjamin Netanyahu, Vladimir Putin, Ahmed Hussein Al-Shara, the angry voter, Jacob Zuma, Nicolas Maduro, Giorgia Meloni

GZERO reveals the top 10 geopolitical game changers of 2024

2024 was a year of dramatic reversals. Some came at the ballot box, where long-ruling parties took a beating, anti-establishment figures stormed into power, or strongmen managed to see off what looked like fatal challenges. Some came on battlefields, where deadlocked conflicts began to break in one direction or another. And some came in how we think about politics and geopolitics more broadly.

Supporters of political party Rise Mzansi attend a protest march calling for the delivery of basic services in the Western Cape ahead of the general election in Cape Town, South Africa May 22, 2024.

Viewpoint: As South Africa's democracy turns 30, Mandela's ANC faces toughest election yet

Amid intense scrutiny of the ANC’s 30-year record – especially its failure to address economic problems and an electricity supply crisis – the polls show the party at risk of losing its parliamentary majority. Contributing to its woes is the reemergence of Jacob Zuma, a controversial former president and party leader, who is supporting a new political formation threatening to steal votes from the ANC. We sat down with Eurasia Group’s Ziyanda Stuurman to learn more about the upcoming vote.

Composite with photos of Joe Biden, Tsai Ing-wen, Xi Jinpingl, Elon Musk, Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, and Giorgia Meloni at a fancy dinner table

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World leaders: Thanks for nothing!

They have much to be thankful for this year — or maybe not. Here's a partial list.