2016 HAS been a year of turmoil.
We witnessed the lowest of lows in American politics, fighting continued unabated in the Middle-East and along the way, we lost many a good friend.
The 2016 presidential election again exposed the concept of American democracy as a myth and the aftershocks of this event are yet to be experienced.
Going into the Donald Trump presidency, the world is uncertain as to how US will operate in the global village.
However, I doubt there will be any changes in US foreign policy for the better.
The US has always thrived on predatory foreign policies that benefit its citizens at the expense of global peace and harmony.
It also turns out the so-called revolution in Syria was again nothing more than another of US’ excursions in the Middle-East to shift the balance of power.
For over five years Western media houses have framed the war in Syria as being fought between soldiers who support President Bashar al-Assad and a group of fighters known as rebels, who do not want him to be in power anymore.
The US first supplied the rebels of the Free Syrian Army with non-lethal aid (including food rations and pickup trucks), but quickly began providing training, cash and intelligence to selected Syrian rebel commanders.
Over the past five years, US military action in Syria has increased.
As of last week, Secretary of Defence Ash Carter reported that the US is sending 200 more US Special Operations personnel to Syria, joining the 300 US Special Forces already in the country.
The troops would include special forces trainers, advisers and bomb disposal teams and they will ‘continue organising, training, equipping and otherwise enabling capable, motivated, local forces’ to take the fight to ISIS.
In particular, the troops will assist SDF forces in the Raqqa offensive.
As far as exposés go, the leaking of the Panama Papers was a boon for investigative journalists.
Around 11,5 million leaked documents disclosing financial and attorney–client information for over 214 488 offshore entities were released to the media.
Prepared by Panama-based law firm Mossack Fonseca, the documents revealed, among other things, the widespread use of shell corporations for fraud and tax evasion.
Reporters from 107 media organisations and 80 countries carefully analysed the documents before releasing the initial reports on April 3 2016.
The list implicated or named hundreds of prominent businesspeople, retired and sitting politicians as well as other well-known personalities from across the globe for the liars, cheats and fraudsters they are. 
Brexit is an abbreviation for ‘British exit’, which refers to the June 23 2016 referendum whereby British citizens voted to exit the European Union (EU).
The referendum roiled global markets, including currencies, causing the British pound to fall to its lowest level in decades.
The Centre for Economic Performances (CEP) director, John Van Reenen, gave his final assessment of the likely impact on the UK economy of a vote to leave the EU.
This was after CEP researchers had been analysing the long-term effects of Brexit.
He concluded that the Brits will be even worse off than the short-term damage.
The CEP’s best estimate is that GDP per capita will be 6,3 – 9,5 percent per year lower than it would be if Britain were to remain in the EU.
At the mid-point of this range, this means an eight percent real pay cut: about four years of ‘normal’ wages gains wiped out in a deliberate act of economic self-harm.
It is also likely to mean an eight percent cut in the real value of pensions and public services – fewer teachers, police and nurses.
This will not happen overnight of course, but gradually the UK will become poorer than it would have been had it remained in the EU.
On a more positive note, President Barack Obama became the first sitting US President since President Calvin Coolidge in 1928 to make an official state visit to Cuba.
Cuba had been subject to extensive economic sanctions from the US since its official legalisation of the Communist Party following Fidel Castro’s 1959 revolution.
President Obama met with President Raul Castro, brother to Fidel, and continued with plans to reopen full diplomatic ties between the two countries.
Still on Cuba, that country and the developing world lost a friend, a comrade, a true patriot and a true brother in Fidel.
His passing saw political leaders, celebrities and people from all walks of life who had been touched in one way or another by Fidel coming together to honour and celebrate his life.
Few other world leaders in history could boast the longevity or influence of Fidel.
The world also lost a great social activist, Muhammad Ali. Ali’s prowess in the ring and his personality and social activism made him one of the most recognisable sports figures of the last century.
As part of The Patriot’s family, we also lost a great man, a mentor, a friend and a revolutionary, Cde Alexander ‘Gora’ Kanengoni.
He was a man who nurtured and polished raw talent and always had time for a word or two, to teach and instil a sense of being into young minds like mine.
Truly he was one of a kind.