Ten Most Significant World Events in 2023
Videos

Ten Most Significant World Events in 2023

December 7, 2023 5:12 pm (EST)

Ten Most Significant World Events in 2023
Explainer Video

2023 was a tumultuous year, marked by violent conflicts, democratic erosion, and record-high temperatures. This year, experts at the Council on Foreign Relations, along with visiting world leaders and thinkers, unpacked these issues and more.

More From Our Experts

Join CFR’s director of studies, Jim Lindsay, in looking back at his list of the ten most impactful events of the year.

For more, check out his blog post, “Ten Most Significant World Events in 2023,” only at CFR.org.

More From Our Experts

Top Stories on CFR

NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)

The war in Ukraine marks a new era of instability in Europe. Countering Russia’s efforts will require a stronger, more coordinated NATO.

China

After the rise of Chinese power during the 2010s and failed U.S. policies in the Indo-Pacific, the United States should renew the Pivot to Asia and place the region at the center of its grand strategy.*

France

Far-right advances in the European Parliament elections have destabilized politics in France, a longstanding pillar of the European Union, and highlighted fault lines in the bloc.