Last year was certainly eventful. 2023 brought spy balloons, Donald Trump’s indictments, the coronation of a king, the fall of a crypto prince, and no shortage of chaos in Washington, from the ousting of Kevin McCarthy to the farcical George Santos scandal. Oh and then there’s the small matter of two major wars, one in Gaza and one in Ukraine. Plus, ongoing tension between the U.S. and China. On a cheerier note, 2023 was also the year of Barbenheimer, the year when it felt like AI really arrived, and the year when the 90s were finally cool again.  

But, as crazy as last year was, will the next twelve months prove that it was actually just the calm before the storm? 

For many of us, 2024 begins with a distinct feeling of dread. 

The Middle East grows increasingly unstable, the war in Ukraine is not going Kyiv’s way, and Xi Jinping’s rhetoric gets more bellicose by the day. Here at home, there’s the small matter of the election from hell, in which American voters face the unappetizing prospect of once again having to choose between Donald Trump and Joe Biden. 

To try and figure out whether things will really be as terrible as we fear, today on Honestly Bari Weiss and FP editor Olly Wiseman are calling up some of our favorite experts to get a better sense of what’s coming down the pike. 

The great Tyler Cowen looks into the economic crystal ball. Leandra Medine clues us in on fashion trends in 2024. Our very own Suzy Weiss talks through the cultural year ahead. Linguist John McWhorter looks at language. Doctor and longevity expert Peter Attia tells how to start the year healthy. Eagle-eyed political observers Nate Silver and Frank Luntz try to forecast the election. And the historian Niall Ferguson tells us whether we’re right to be having nightmares about World War III. 

Some guests cheered us up, others freaked us out. All of them were a pleasure to talk to. Welcome to 2024!

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