November 13th 2022

Hello from London,

Take a deep breath, because you won’t have a moment to catch another one this week.

Start with the biggest picture: from November 15th you’ll officially be sharing this planet, says the UN, with 8bn other humans. I’m looking forward to meeting the new neighbours, but perhaps you fret about the demographic shifts? If so, have a read of our piece on it (spoiler: you shouldn’t be worried).

Then there’s America. The Republicans flopped in the midterms. They failed to flip the Senate and it remains unclear if they’ll get control of the House. The big loser was Donald Trump. He’s got a rotten electoral record—falling short when the Republicans would otherwise expect big triumphs. The candidates he backs generally do poorly, too. Will that stop him from announcing a presidential run? I think he’ll go for it.

What about his potential nemesis, Ron DeSantis? On the back of the Floridian’s big victory in the governor’s race last week, he may be getting ready for a presidential run, too. Some media groups that used to favour Mr Trump are cheering him instead. Get the popcorn: this could be a bruising contest.

Then there’s the schedule of the actual incumbent at the White House. Joe Biden has pulled off some remarkable feats in his two years as president. Nonetheless, there’s a strong case, made by our Lexington columnist, that he should call it quits and say he won’t be running again.

Mr Biden has plenty to do this week. There’s his meeting with Xi Jinping, at the G20. They have lots to discuss, from climate change, to Taiwan, to Russia’s aggression in Ukraine. What’s most important, however, is to establish better communication between America and China. That this is their first in-person meeting as presidents is shameful.

The G20 itself is a meeting that matters. Our editor-in-chief spoke to Joko Widodo, or Jokowi, Indonesia’s president, ahead of the global gathering. Take a look at our curtain raiser on the event.

After that, we’ll focus afresh on climate change and the COP27 meeting in Egypt. Keep an eye out for what I hope will be a big deal to help wean Indonesia off from burning coal.

Meanwhile my colleagues covering business and economics are having a hectic time of it. The bankruptcy of FTX, declared on November 11th, was the latest example of how the world of crypto is falling to bits. Read our piece on that, and look out for more in the coming week. Markets, in contrast, are more hopeful at the moment, after some relatively encouraging inflation figures in America. It might be premature to talk of being past the worst on inflation, but investors’ gloom may be lifting.

Then there’s the ongoing drama in Ukraine. Cheer the fact that the Russians have fled from Kherson, the only regional capital they’d managed to capture during the war. Ukrainian forces are steadily retaking their country. Vladimir Putin’s needless, utterly reckless invasion of Ukraine in February has been a disaster all round for Russia. His actions have killed tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians, and now he watches his army in retreat. May he pay a heavy price.

Finally, we’ll be watching as Britain’s government unveils its delayed “autumn statement” later in the week. In brief, this is when Britons learn by how much our taxes are set to rise—and by how much public spending on services will fall—to plug a massive hole in public finances.

As always, thanks for your many messages. Branden Allenby says that I overstate things by calling climate change the biggest threat to our planet, arguing that a nuclear conflict is an even more serious worry. Maybe so, Branden. One is a steady, creeping and certain threat; the other a potentially huge and dramatic one. I’m not sure how to go about weighing one against the other. Mohammed Dore, at Brock University in Canada, writes that he is perplexed by our reporting on Ukraine and doubts there has been “any attempt at independent verification” when we talk of Ukrainian forces pushing back the Russians. I think that’s deeply unfair, Mohammed. I trust the reports of my colleagues who risk their lives on the ground in Ukraine, often very near the front line, in addition to the widespread evidence that the Russians are pulling back.

Adam Roberts
Digital editor

Recommended reads

Beware a head fake

Markets are suddenly exuberant. Are they right to be?

Underlying economic conditions suggest reasons to be wary

Midterm results

The Democrats keep control of the Senate

Late victories in Nevada and Arizona deal another blow to the Republicans, and to Donald Trump

Foreign policy after the midterms

Joe Biden will have a harder time dealing with the world

Despite some bipartisan support, his policies on Ukraine and China are likely to run into obstacles as Republicans make gains

Superpower rivalry in Asia

The dynamics of distrust around the G20 summit

As Joe Biden and Xi Jinping prepare to meet, South-East Asia contemplates with alarm a deterioration in relations between America and China

Straps around the barrel

Strategic Command wants to bind Britain’s armed forces

The way armies, air forces and navies collaborate has never been more important

Demography

The world’s population has reached 8bn. Don’t panic

Fears of overpopulation and underpopulation are both overblown

It is over

Sam Bankman-Fried’s crypto exchange files for bankruptcy

Now begins the blame game

Dunkirk on the Dnieper

Russia claims to have completed its withdrawal from Kherson

Ukrainian forces are in the city centre

Britain’s economy

The best ways to fix Britain’s budget

Controlling pensions spending and taxing property are the right answers

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