Page 22 - SA Chamber UK MONTHLY NEWSLETTER - March 2024

I wrote an article in early July last year around the flags I had picked as the most important to
follow for the world at large and for South Africa over the next ten years. I would like to share

the update of my thinking on them in the remainder of this article.

The global flags

1. Here is what I said in July 2023 about the number one flag I asked people to watch at the
time: “The religious flag resulting from the major religions of Christianity, Islam and
Judaism competing more intensely with one another. This flag led to 9/11 in September

2001 and is now focused on the current unrest in Israel and the likelihood of Iran
developing a nuclear bomb.” Tragically, with the brutal attack by Hamas on Israel on
7th October last year, this flag has developed into a full-scale war with many regional

spillovers. Nobody knows how it will end or what the chances of a long-term peaceful
settlement are. It is a very cloudy flag. Importantly, it is unclear when the lives of ordinary
Israelis and Palestinians will return to some degree of normality so that they can work

productively alongside each other.

2. The leadership flag measuring the quality of world leaders, and whether their relationship
is positive or negative with one another, can only be described as thoroughly uninspiring

at the moment. There is no hint of any negotiation between them to eliminate the risk
of our divided world descending into another world war. Nor are we seeing the level of
co-operation required to halt climate change. All in all, this flag may only turn positive

when a new generation of younger world leaders take over from the current lot. It

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SA CHAMBER UK NEWSLETTER MARCH 2024