The 2020s (pronounced "twenty-twenties", shortened to the '20s)[1][2] is the current decade in the Gregorian calendar, which began on 1 January 2020 and will end on 31 December 2029.[3]
The conflict between Jewish and Arab communities in Israel and the West Bank has been ongoing since 1948.[4] After Israel occupied the West Bank, it began making settlements there, which has been an obstacle to the peace process.[5] Tensions also remained high as Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, has been launching rockets and cross-border raids into Israeli territory, which Israel has responded with force.[6]
After the fall of Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych, Russian soldiers took control of strategic positions in the Ukrainian territory of Crimea and subsequently annexed the region after a controversial referendum.[13] In the months that followed, demonstrations in Donbass escalated into an armed conflict between the government of Ukraine and Russia-backed separatist forces.
In late 2013, a terrorist organization called the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant began making rapid advances and territorial gains in Iraq and Syria. It captured Mosul in June[14] and made Raqqa its capital.[15] Various international coalitions were formed to help fight the militants.[16][17] By December 2017, ISIL had lost much of its former territory.
Fighting between the Colombian government, left-wing guerrillas, and various paramilitary factions had been ongoing since 1964. However, at the start of the decade, only two major groups remained, FARC and ELN.[18] Since 2012, both groups have been in peace talks with the government, with FARC and the government signing a ceasefire in 2016.[19]
Since 2004, Pakistan has been fighting an insurgency by various armed militant groups in the country.[20] The violence has killed almost 57,000 people since,[21] with over 3 million more affected.[22] By 2014, however, casualties from terrorist and militant attacks had dropped by around 40%.[23]
Since 2005, Paraguay has been fighting an insurgency by various armed militant groups in the country, including the Paraguayan People's Army, the Armed Peasant Association and the Army of Marshal López. At least 82 people have died in the conflict.
Following a rise in criminal violence as a result of drug trafficking in the country, Mexican President Felipe Calderón declared a war on drugs in December 2006.[24] Since the start of the war, the death toll from drug violence had sharply increased.[25] Arrests of key cartel leaders led to increasing violence as cartels fought for control of trafficking routes into the United States.[26][27][28]
In 2009, Al-Shabaab, an Islamist militant group, began waging an insurgency against the newly formed Transitional Federal Government. In 2011, the federal government captured Mogadishu[29] and subsequently retook several towns across the country.[30] Since then, the government has attempted to clean out the remaining Al-Shabaab strongholds with help from AMISOM soldiers.[31]
The Boko Haram insurgency began when the jihadistrebel group started an armed rebellion against the government of Nigeria.[32] In 2015, the group pledged alliance to ISIL.[33] It has since been called the world's deadliest terrorist group.[34][35]
Protests erupted in Syria against President Bashar al-Assad's rule, with police and the army sent in to crack down on protesters.[36][37] They later morphed into war after army officers defected to the opposition, forming the Free Syrian Army (FSA).[38] The war allowed for Islamic extremist groups like Al-Nusra Front and ISIL to temporarily take control of vast amounts of territory.
In January 2012, a rebellion by Tuaregs in Northern Mali began. After Malian president Amadou Toumani Touré was ousted in a coup d'état, Tuaregs captured Northern Mali,[39] and declared it to be the independent state of Azawad.[40] However, shortly afterward, various Islamists groups took over Northern Mali from the Tuaregs and imposed sharia law on the region.[41]
Preceded by a decade-long Houthi insurgency,[42] the Yemeni Civil War began between two factions: the then-incumbent Yemeni government, led by Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, and the Houthi militia, along with their supporters and allies. Both claim to constitute the Yemeni government.[43]
Following a rise in criminal violence as a result of drug trafficking in the country, the Philippines has been engaged in a drug war since Philippine PresidentRodrigo Duterte was inaugurated on 30 June 2016. It has caused 3,000 deaths.[44]
Since early October 2017, Islamist militant groups, namely the group Ansar al-Sunna and the Islamic State[47] have been attempting to create an Islamic state in northern Mozambique. Over 200 have been killed as of May 2019.[48]
Since the beginning of the Syrian Civil War in 2011, ethnic Kurds, Assyrians, and Arabs in Northern Syria have been protesting against the Syrian government. The main cause of the protests was state-sponsored discrimination against ethnic minorities. Although originally starting as protests against the government, the protests quickly turned into an armed conflict after the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) captured the cities of Kobanî, Amuda, and Efrîn between 19 July and 20 July 2012, facing relatively little resistance from the Syrian government.[50] Much of Northern Syria was occupied by the YPG between July and August of 2012, with little resistance encountered due to Syria's involvement in the Battle of Aleppo. Led politically by the Democratic Union Party (PYD), the territories declared autonomy in January 2014 and Rojava was formed, officially known as the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria.
Massive protests began in mid-November in response to a number of changes instituted by the French government, namely the institution of a fuel tax, and other factors such as the high cost of living in France. Their stated goals are an increase in the minimum wage and the resignation of French PresidentEmmanuel Macron, among others.[53][54] The yellow vest became a symbol of the movement due to its ubiquity, visibility, and accessibility.[55]
Protests are taking place across India and overseas against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), which was enacted into law on 12 December 2019, and against proposals to enact a nationwide National Register of Citizens (NRC). The protests began in Assam, Delhi, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, and Tripura on 4 December 2019. In a few days, the protests spread across India, though the concerns of the protesters vary.
Kurds, Assyrians, and Arabs in a demonstration directed at the Syrian government occurring on 6 January 2012 within the city of Qamishli, as part of the currently ongoing Rojava conflict.
Under Article I, Section 3, Clause 6 of the U.S. Constitution. Donald John Trump was impeached for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress on 18 December 2019. The United States Senate trial began on 16 January 2020 and may or may not convict him and remove him from presidential office.
The Persian Gulf region saw tensions between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran escalate in mid-2019. The crisis saw oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz sabotaged and seized, drone shootdowns, and efforts by the U.S. and United Kingdom to pursue military patrols to protect shipping in the gulf. On December 31, 2019 tensions reached to breaking point as Iranian-backed militia stormed into the US Embassy in Iraq leading to the target killing of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani by the US on January 3, 2020.
This is a list of leaders of states and notable organisations. Names of leaders shown in bold have remained in power continuously throughout the decade (as of August 2024).[note 1]
A 7.7Mw struck in the Caribbean Sea between Jamaica and Cuba at 2:10 p.m. local time on January 28, 2020. The earthquake was also felt in the United States, Mexico, Honduras, Dominican Republic, and the Cayman Islands. This was the strongest earthquake reported in 2020. No damages were reported. A small (12.2 cm) tsunami was reported in the Cayman Islands.[62][63]
On January 12, the Taal volcano in the Philippines erupted at VEI 4 intensity, bringing intense ashfall to the surrounding areas and killing over 3 people.
Bushfires in Australia continue into 2020, having started in September 2019.[64]
Economics
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Cybersecurity and hacking
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Health
AIDS, a pandemic responsible for killing over 30 million people since its discovery in the early 1980s, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, became a treatable condition, though only two cases have been cured.[65] With good treatment patients can generally expect normal lives and lifespans. However, as of 2011[update] only some 5 million of the 12 million afflicted have access to such treatment.[66]
The interaction of the three main decadal solar cycles suggests an upcoming reduction in solar activity, with a low-energy period centered on 2020.[67] As suggested by John Maddox in 1995, this might mitigate the global warming trend (at least temporarily) in the 2020s.[68]
Assuming that the Atlantic multidecadal oscillation runs through a 70-year quasi-cycle (after peaks in 1880 and 1950), its current warm phase is likely to reach its peak.[69][70]
Many browsers will entirely remove Adobe Flash on December 31, 2020.
Society
Population
By the mid-2020s, the world population is projected to surpass 8 billion people,[73] and by the end of the decade it is estimated to be at around 8.6 billion.[74]
India is projected to surpass China as the most populated country on Earth around 2027.[73]
^Berger, Wolfgang H.; et al. (2002). "A Case for Climate Cycles: Orbit, Sun and Moon". Climate development and history of the North Atlantic realm. Berlin: Springer. pp. 101–123. ISBN3-540-43201-9.
^Maddox, John (1995). "Natural antidote to global warming?". Nature. 377 (6546): 193. doi:10.1038/377193a0. {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help)
^Curry, Judith A. (2008). "Potential Increased Hurricane Activity in a Greenhouse Warmed World". In MacCracken, Michael C.; Moore, Frances; Topping, John C. (eds.). Sudden and disruptive climate change. London: Earthscan. pp. 29–38. ISBN1-84407-478-1. Assuming that the AMO continues with a 70-year periodicity, the peak of the next cycle would be expected in 2020 (70 years after the previous 1950 peak).
^Enfield, David B.; Cid-Serrano, Luis (2010). "Secular and multidecadal warmings in the North Atlantic and their relationships with major hurricane activity". International Journal of Climatology. 30 (2): 174–184. doi:10.1002/joc.1881.