On January 20, 2025, the United States will observe Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a federal holiday honouring the life and legacy of a man who championed justice, nonviolence, and moral courage. This year, the holiday coincides with the presidential inauguration, an event often marked by political division and controversy.

When former U.S. President Richard Nixon declared, “When the president does it, that means it is not illegal,” Americans recoiled in horror. Today, that shocking claim is inching closer to legal reality.

In January 2025, Donald Trump will take office at a time when the GOP sweep of the House and Senate and a super-majority in the Supreme Court have severely weakened the institutional guardrails built into the United States constitution.

The decade of the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has seen a blitz of such grave onslaughts that many feared India had already transformed in practice into a religious state, a Hindu Nation.

The departure of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in early August thrust Bangladesh into an uncertain political period, where questions about governance, legal frameworks, and future reforms dominate discussions.

The recent U.S. election, which delivered a decisive popular vote and Electoral College victory for Donald Trump, signals a pivotal shift that could have profound implications for the United Nations and its capacity to uphold democratic norms and tackle pressing global challenges