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Commentary
Wall Street Journal

Brazil’s Bolsonaro Is 2018’s Biggest Winner

Also: Italy’s Salvini, Turkey’s Erdogan, Syria’s Assad, and Ethiopia’s Abiy Ahmed.

walter_russell_mead
walter_russell_mead
Ravenel B. Curry III Distinguished Fellow in Strategy and Statesmanship
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro delivers a speech during the appointment ceremony of the new heads of public banks, at Planalto Palace in Brasilia on January 7, 2019. (EVARISTO SA/AFP/Getty Images)
Caption
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro delivers a speech during the appointment ceremony of the new heads of public banks, at Planalto Palace in Brasilia on January 7, 2019. (EVARISTO SA/AFP/Getty Images)

2018 was a disquieting year. Although capitalism continued to raise living standards almost everywhere, the geopolitical outlook dimmed. An antimarket backlash gained strength in many countries, and relations between the U.S. and China continued on a downward trajectory even as global defense spending hit a record high.

Some leaders thrived in this environment—either despite the geopolitical headwinds or because of them. Here are the five men who, for better in some cases and worse in others, were the biggest winners in world politics in 2018.

Read the full article on the Wall Street Journal's website "here":https://www.wsj.com/articles/brazils-bolsonaro-is-2018s-biggest-winner-…