Opinion New Year resolutions for the powerful

The season to be jolly, to eat, drink, and make merry, is coming to a close. Soon, bloated and exhausted from the excesses of the festivities marking the end of another year, the promises of change and the burden of new beginnings will make themselves felt. Ordinary folk have ordinary resolutions — quit smoking, lose weight, try and make more money, spend time with family and friends… But what of the extraordinary? The high and mighty who run the world? What could they wish for, the rich and powerful who have everything?

For the “most powerful man in the world,” perhaps it’s time to do less. Between tariffs and trade deals, the hot-and-cold vibes with his counterparts in Russia and China, and threats of invading South America — all the while ensuring the family business benefits — every action by Donald Trump has an outsized reaction. So, maybe, just for a few months, let the news cycle hum along without hinting at ending the global order. If Trump needs to work less, his one-time buddy and former DOGE chief needs to work more. Elon Musk, king of the Tech Bros, should perhaps focus more on the tech (the EVs from China are now more than a match for Tesla) and less on being a bro. Enough on manhood, reproduction, and race relations. Just run the companies.

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Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron need to figure out how to talk to people within, before they start talking of leading “Europe” and the “Anglosphere”. And Putin and Xi, will — like so many jaded couples — hope that the other isn’t playing footsie outside the friendship. And what about here, in India? 2025, like so many years before it, saw uncles giving unsolicited advice: Work seven days a week, have four kids for the “nation”, be more insular. For them, the resolution is the simplest of all. Chill, please.