President Haley? Revolution in Iran? Dodgers Back to Brooklyn? What To Watch For in 2024

Last year in this space, we made a few strong predictions for 2023, including the death of Yevgeny Prigozhin in the wake of the Wagner group chief’s attempt to capture the Kremlin; we foresaw a diplomatic schism between America and Communist China; we were prescient about the powerful anti-Bibi protests in Israel; and we even knew in advance that a critically acclaimed British television series, “Slow Horses,” would have a third season. Truth be told, our other predictions for 2023 were mostly erroneous, so let’s move on: We’re confident that even if some of our crystal ball gazing for 2024 sounds zany now, it will all come true.PoliticsAfter winning their parties’ nominations, Presidents Biden and Trump will drop out of the 2024 race, the former following an unforeseen medical complication, the latter due to legal entanglements. Vice President Harris will decline to run. Ambassador Nikki Haley will succeed Mr. Trump as the Republican nominee and will proceed to narrowly beat Governor Newsom in November, becoming America’s first female president. MideastHezbollah will introduce a new rocket capable of eluding Israeli air defenses. After killing Hamas’s military commander, Mohammed Deif, and Gaza chief, Yahya Sinwar, in mid-winter, the Israel Defense Force will invade Lebanon. A direct hit on an American carrier in the Red Sea will force Mr. Biden to send the Marines to Yemen. As the region calms by year’s end, Saudi Arabia will sign a peace treaty with Israel. IranAn Israeli assassination campaign against the Islamic Republic’s military leaders will intensify, as will assaults on Israel by Tehran’s proxies. Early in the year Iran will leave the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Following Supreme Leader Khamenei’s death due to old age, the ayatollah regime will be successfully overthrown. UkraineOnce the Ukrainian army successfully eliminates Russia’s Black Sea fleet, the Kremlin will unsuccessfully attempt to assassinate President Zelensky during a London visit. Britain will then suspend diplomatic relations with Russia. Following a winter lull, a Ukrainian spring offensive will be more successful than the 2023 model. Yet, as the West tires of war, Washington will force a Moscow-favoring cease-fire. Communist ChinaFor the first time in decades the Chinese economy will suffer negative growth, forcing President Xi to intensify his grip on a restive population. The People’s Liberation Army will then escalate assaults on maritime territories claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Japan, and others. Mr. Xi will nevertheless lean on the PLA to forgo plans to invade Taiwan, where Vice President Lai Ching‑te will decisively win the January presidential election.United NationsFearing Washington’s retribution, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will rebuff angry staffers demanding condemnation of America’s support of Israel in Gaza. In-house tensions will lead to mass resignations at Turtle Bay. By spring, the secretary-general will relent, but his mild American rebuke will be widely ignored.MexicoAn easy prediction: Following the June election, the country will get its first woman president. More surprising: In a stunner, Senator Xochitl Galvez, leading an alliance of opposition parties, will edge out Mexico City’s mayor, Claudia Sheinbaum. Hand-picked by President Lopez-Obrador to succeed him, the mayor currently leads polls by sizable margins. Taking over at the Los Pinos presidential palace, Ms. Galvez will at first attempt to help Mr. Biden ease America’s border pressures, but will soon realize that Washington prefers partisan bickering to seriously addressing emigration. New York SportsCoaches Brian Daboll and Robert Saleh will be fired by the Giants and Jets, respectively, before the Super Bowl. The Yankees will unsuccessfully attempt to re-sign some of the pitching prospects they traded to San Diego. The Mets will shine in the first half of the season and falter in the second. The only local team worth rooting for, the Knicks, will do well in the NBA postseason, but will fail to win a championship. Moneyball The Dodgers’ $1 billion investment in Japanese prospects will fail to propel the team to the World Series. A disappointing season will turn Angelenos against their team. An unknown Irish digital currency investor named O’Malley will buy the team and quickly move it to Brooklyn. MusicA new jazz genre marrying sophisticated 1940s big band sounds with hip-hop-inspired lyrics will emerge and become a favorite of teenage listeners.TelevisionA series glorifying Osama bin Laden will move to Netflix from underground distributors, becoming the network’s most watched entry. As noted previously, if even one of these 2024 predictions does come true, please credit the author for his exceptional far-sightedness. Otherwise, forget the whole thing.

President Haley? Revolution in Iran? Dodgers Back to Brooklyn? What To Watch For in 2024

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