It’s that time of year—when every organization knocks their holiday greetings off the laundry list. So here are mine:
To all of those celebrating—a very merry Christmas, whether that means presents with family around the tree or, my people’s ancient custom, Chinese takeout and a trip to the movies.
To those of you observing Hanukkah, chag sameach! May the light of the menorah brighten your days and fill you with warmth.
And for all of the other end-of-year traditions, secular, religious, and in between—I wish you all the best! Although to those of you college football fans gearing up to celebrate bowl season… honestly I’m not sure the proper greeting for you… but I hope your team wins! Really.
Once the holidays pass and the lights come down, the end of the year always tends to evoke mixed emotions. That’s especially true of 2024. I know some of you are cautiously optimistic about what the new year will bring (consider me jealous). Others are deeply anxious (count me among this group). And then some have peaced out to prioritize self-care (consider me jealous here as well!).
Everyone will be trying their hand at New Year’s resolutions, so here is RDI’s: put a match to parts of the status quo without burning down the house.
The lesson of this past year is that we can’t be content with what used to be par for the course. In 2016, we might have been forgiven for treating a seemingly paradigm-shifting election as a fluke. We don’t have the luxury of ignorance today.
In 2025, responsibility and stability will remain virtues, but extreme risk aversion will be a terrible vice. We can’t indulge fear of change, whether on the battlefield, in the board room, or in Washington.
The outgoing administration missed significant opportunities to support our allies in the fight against authoritarian aggression out of misplaced fears of escalation. Yet the wars in Eastern Europe and the Middle East still expanded—with Ukraine and Israel taking the fight to Russia and Iran, respectively. In America, supporters of classical liberal values responded sluggishly to domestic threats of authoritarianism.
Change is going to come, whether we like it or not. The question is whether we are behind the wheel or just passengers.
Yet there are many elements of the old order that we need to keep—the rule of law and the checks and balances that come with it must be respected as we move into a new political era. Now, there are those who reject the status quo who are not our allies. Authoritarian extremists on the far-right and the far-left. They reject the system wholesale. These radicals uproot everything, leaving destruction in their wake. Moderates adapt strategically to protect, preserve, and renew. (You see what I did there?)
That is my firm conclusion after a year of ups and downs. It’s one that all of us at RDI will be taking into the new year. We’ll be aggressively working to elevate the work of our Frontlines of Freedom dissidents, as they expose dictators, their imitators and their collaborators. We’ll continue to support communities of frontline democracies. We’ll be rolling out more innovative digital media to pierce partisan shields and help Americans see what we have in common despite our many differences.
And, of course, we’ll be bringing you more (balanced) hot takes like this one here in the Democracy Brief.
Here’s to all the risks and opportunities that 2025 will bring. May we approach them with clarity and resolve.
Happy Holidays from all of us here at RDI!
Uriel Epshtein
CEO, Renew Democracy Initiative
P.S. Our work depends on you. I encourage you to share the spirit of this season by supporting RDI and safeguarding freedom in the year to come
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