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The World in 2013

Latin America

Latin America's new normal

Latin America will stand out as a relatively bright spot—but not as shining as it should be. In a year of few big elections, governments will have an opportunity to push on with reform. 1

Where to be born

The lottery of life

A quarter of a century ago, The World in 1988 light-heartedly ranked 50 countries according to where would be the best place to be born in 1988. In The World in 2013, the Economist Intelligence Unit takes a more serious look at which country will be the best for a baby born in 2013. 213

China

Over to you, Mr Xi

China's new leader faces a question of continuity as he consolidates his grip over an 80m-member Communist Party amid growing frustration in China over the lethargic pace of economic and political reform 0

Media

Media pressures

British newspapers are not the only organisations that will face testing times in 2013, which may well prove to be a time for repentance and new ideas for the country's media. 0

Climate change

Warming up

What to expect from the next big report on climate change 4

Lead is tantalisingly close to death 3

Spain

The good fight

In 2013 Spain will be centre-stage in the fight to save the euro. The Greeks may yet shake the euro zone but what happens in its fourth-largest economy poses a larger threat—not least since Spain itself faces a rising threat of break-up from Catalonia, its biggest economic region. 1

United States

To the victor, the spoilers

Barack Obama's second inauguration will be freighted with inertia and foreboding 1

The World in 2013

The prediction games

Our medals and booby prizes from 2012 3

Beware of the globalisation of superstition 1

The Middle East

The cycle of history

The Arab summer will be delayed 6

Multimedia

Keep checking our multimedia page over the coming weeks to find out what predictions and hopes people from London, Beijing, Athens, Berlin, Delhi and New York have for 2013 along with predictions from contributors to The World in 2013

Cassandra

Our Cassandra blog accompanies The World in 2013, our almanac of predictions for the year ahead. The blog is named after the mythological Cassandra, who was cursed by Apollo to make prophecies that were accurate, but disbelieved More »

What business thinks

Are global business leaders more or less optimistic about conditions for 2013? The latest Economist/FT Global Business Barometer finds some cause for optimism—although possibly not for makers of neckties. More »

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