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As calendars turn and one year yields to the next, a distinctly human pattern unfolds across the globe — one that transcends borders, cultures and traditions. It is the eternal dance between soaring hopes and sobering realities, a phenomenon that plays out in countless lives, regardless of nationality or circumstance.
Yet, as the celebratory confetti settles and the warmth of holiday lights fades, reality begins its steady return. Those hastily made choices, carried away by inflated expectations, often lead to swift regret. Week by week, month by month, these inflated hopes meet their match in the cold light of everyday reality. The result is a shared human experience — the subtle ache of disappointment.
As the celebratory confetti settles and the warmth of holiday lights fades, reality begins its steady return
Bakir Oweida
This pattern of hope and disappointment plays out across the global stage, but perhaps nowhere more poignantly at the start of 2025 than in Gaza. The devastating toll of the Al-Aqsa Flood conflict has left Gazans paying an unimaginable price in lives and infrastructure. With 2024 ending without even minimal progress toward a sustainable ceasefire or the return of displaced residents — or what remains of them — to their homes, the temptation to embrace heightened expectations for the new year becomes a form of psychological refuge against overwhelming suffering, which international organizations unanimously report has exceeded all tolerable limits. However, aspirations divorced from realities on the ground risk becoming mere illusions and serve no purpose. This applies to both the Palestinian and other situations, such as Syria’s case.
Calls for optimism regarding Syria’s potential transformation in 2025 raise a familiar dichotomy: the undeniable need for change versus the practical challenges of achieving it. While hope for improvement remains essential, history suggests caution against emotionally driven expectations. The outcomes of the so-called Arab Spring uprisings serve as a stark reminder: except for Egypt and Tunisia, the nations that experienced these movements faced profound destabilization. The success stories emerged when countries managed to preserve their civil society frameworks while preventing the dissolution of state institutions.
The pattern extends beyond the Middle East. As the US prepares for its latest political transition, with Donald Trump due to return to the White House on Jan. 20, global leaders and politicians craft strategies based on expected outcomes, anticipating decisions that align with their interests. Are they risking building their plans on assumptions that may prove as fragile as they are ambitious? The coming days will provide the answer.
- Bakir Oweida is a Palestinian journalist who pursued a professional career in journalism in Libya in 1968, where he worked at Al-Haqiqa newspaper in Benghazi, then Al-Balagh and Al-Jihad in Tripoli. He has written for several Arab publications in Britain since 1978. He worked at Al-Arab newspaper, Al-Thadamun magazine and the international Arabic newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat. He has also worked as a consultant at the online newspaper Elaph.
This article first appeared in Asharq Al-Awsat.