The Monocle Minute

If 2024 was the year of elections, what will this year be? In quieter times, 12 months of frenzied democratic activity would be followed by a relative lull. But these are far from quiet times and the past year’s most seismic result – the return of Donald Trump to the US presidency – will ensure that neither commentators nor voters will be allowed much time for a gentle breather.

Though the rest of the world watched November’s US election with anxious anticipation, especially in Europe, it is a truth almost universally acknowledged (at least Stateside) that foreign policy has little bearing on who wins the race to the White House. And yet US foreign policy has a significant bearing on how the rest of the world will experience the next four years at least. Trump’s success, or indeed failure, will depend massively on whether he can end the attritional bloodshed in Ukraine – next month marks three years since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, an event that heralded a bravura piece of diplomacy by outgoing president Joe Biden. His ability to revive the Atlantic alliance and direct both an unprecedented number of sanctions towards Russia and huge arms supplies to Ukraine could well be seen as the last hurrah of Washington’s post-1945 role as the world’s policeman.

But then, on the other hand, it could well not. The only thing predictable about Trump is his unpredictability. Once he takes his place in the Oval Office he will have the full force of the nation’s behemothic military-industrial and diplomatic apparatus vying for his ear. Biden’s reputation was severely dented by the US’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan. Trump would hate to have a similar stain on his record. Will the 47th president escalate to de-escalate in Ukraine? Force Israel to stop fighting in Gaza and Lebanon? Even deter China from its aggressive posturing towards Taiwan? Might, indeed, 2025 come to be known as the year of peace? Here’s hoping.

Alexis Self is Monocle’s foreign editor. For more opinion, analysis and insight, subscribe to Monocle today.

With top-floor views of Florence’s Duomo, the headquarters of Italy Segreta feels like a daydream. The magazine, however, is not interested in fairytales but rather the depiction of real life in Italy. Marina Serena Cacciapuoti, the magazine’s co-founder, grew up in Florence but moved to New York in 2014 to pursue a career as a photo editor. “I missed Italy,” she tells The Monocle Minute. “And I hated how one-dimensionally it was perceived abroad.” Cacciapuoti was only 28 years old when she left New York. “I was thriving,” she says. “But all I was building was myself.”

Returning to Italy, she envisioned a space that would give a platform to young writers and photographers. After launching in 2020, Italy Segreta quickly exploded, highlighting often-overlooked details of the country. The brand now publishes a digital issue every month and, since 2023, an annual large-format print issue packed with articles on everything from essential pasta dishes to Sicilian ceramics. “Many Italians think of their country as dysfunctional,” says Cacciapuoti. “It’s partially true but we’re showing that it’s possible to create something that works here.”

For more agenda-setting stories on culture and unlikely finds from our global network of reporters, pick up a copy of Monocle’s December/January issue which is out now.

Residents of Sapporo in Japan are already gearing up for the city’s famous Snow Festival, which annually transforms Odori Park into a frosty gallery of skill and creativity. This year’s 75th edition of the eight-day event will start on 4 February. As always, among the highlights will be the citizens’ competition, in which 78 amateur teams will compete for public votes on snow sculptures ranging from pop-culture icons to local legends.

In 2024, Toko Electrical Construction Co’s team won its second consecutive title with a sculpture of Yubaba, a character from Hayao Miyazaki’s animated film Spirited Away. Outside the competition, Japan’s Self-Defense Forces also tend to take on monumental projects, including the past year’s recreation of old Sapporo Station. By night, illuminated sculptures and bustling food stalls will draw record crowds of about two million people from across Japan and beyond, providing a welcome boost to the local economy. Amateurs may win votes but the real victor of the show might just be the hot saké that keeps everyone warm.

Read more about Sapporo Snow Festival in Monocle’sDecember/January issue, which is out now.

January is the perfect time to start jotting down some trips for your cultural calendar and Monocle is here to help. This picture, named November 14, 2020, 7:32 is part of the upcoming Under The Sun exhibition by US photographer and filmmaker Sam Youkilis. The showcase, which opens on 1 February and runs until 7 May at Berlin’s C/O space, will host a series of photographs taken from the artist’s mobile-phone archive. For more recommendations on what to visit this year, see our list below.

1
Ugo Mulas: The Photographic Operation, Palazzo Reale, Milan
On now and runs until 2 February

2
Weegee: Society of the Spectacle, International Center of Photography, New York
From 23 January to 5 May

3
Under the Sun, Sam Youkilis, C/O Berlin
From 1 February to 7 May

4
American Photography, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
From 7 February to 9 June

5
Prix Pictet, Victoria and Albert Museum, London
From 26 September to 19 October

Currently serving 250,000 drinks a day, Tao Bin has become a staple in Thai malls, hospitals and offices since the brand launched in 2021. The machines boast freshly ground coffee, fizzy lemonades, protein shakes and more. Monocle Films travelled to Bangkok to see them in action.