Hard Numbers

55: Some 55 percent of respondents in a recent French poll said it was time for the gilets jaunes demonstrators who have taken to the streets since November to go home. It was the first time a clear majority have sided against the yellow vests, and comes as French President Emmanuel Macron's approval rating has been recovering.

25: Ukrainian comedian Volodymyr Zelensky has shot to the top of the field of candidates in the country's March presidential election, attracting support from up to 25 percent of voters. Incumbent President Petro Poroshenko has been polling closer to 19 percent.

3 million: At last count, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari is on track to win re-election by more than 3 million votes. That's probably a big enough margin of victory to head off any attempts to stir up unrest after a delay in the polls roiled voters in Africa's biggest economy two weeks ago.

65: Kim Jong-un spent 65 hours traveling from Pyongyang to Vietnam for his summit with President Trump this week. The North Korean leader made the 2500-mile journey on his personal bulletproof train before being driven the last 100 miles from the Chinese border to Hanoi by car.

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A satellite image shows a Russian, Gorshkov-class frigate offshore in Tartus, Syria December 10, 2024.
Maxar Technologies/Handout via REUTERS

The fall of the Assad regime erases a decades-long ally of both Moscow and Tehran -- but one of those two countries has lost way more than the other.

A protester wears a South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol mask while holding a representation of prison bars, during a rally calling for the impeachment of the South Korean President, who declared martial law, which was reversed hours later, in front of the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, December 11, 2024.
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The lead prosecutor in South Korea’s criminal investigation into last week’s brief declaration of martial law said Wednesday he would arrest President Yoon Suk Yeol if warranted.

Romanian independent far-right presidential candidate Calin Georgescu gives a statement outside his voting station after the annulation of the presidential elections, in Mogosoaia, Romania, on Dec. 8, 2024.

REUTERS/Louisa Gouliamaki

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Michael Kappeler/dpa via Reuters Connect

Faced with a political impasse preventing action on acute economic and geopolitical challenges, the German parliament will hold a vote of confidence in Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government on Dec. 16. We asked Eurasia Group expert Jan Techau to explain what set off this chain of events and where it is likely to lead ahead of February's snap elections.

- YouTube

With all of the millions of Syrian refugees that you find in Europe, what's got to be the consequences for them of the fall of the Assad regime? What's the nature of the big agreement that is now being concluded with the European Union and the Mercosur countries of South America? Carl Bildt, former prime minister of Sweden and co-chair of the European Council on Foreign Relations, shares his perspective on European politics from San Francisco, United States.

What will be the #1 concern for the year ahead? Join us January 6 at 12 pm ET for a livestream with Ian Bremmer and global experts to discuss the Top Risks of 2025 report from Eurasia Group. The much-anticipated annual forecast of the biggest geopolitical risks to watch in 2025 will be released that morning. Evan Solomon, GZERO Media's publisher, will moderate the conversation with Ian Bremmer and Cliff Kupchan of Eurasia Group, along with special guests.
Watch live at https://www.gzeromedia.com/toprisks