The world in November 2025: hangover, consumer frenzy, and the harsh reality.

The quiet winner of the week: How Beijing is ruthlessly exploiting the power vacuum after the G20 summit

The last week of November 2025 marks a noticeable break in the global rhythm. After weeks of the world's attention being glued to the diplomatic stage – first at the COP30 climate summit in Belém, Brazil, then at the G20 summit in South Africa – a sobering silence descended during the week of November 24-28. It is the classic "week after": the diplomatic circus has moved on, the spotlights have gone out, and what remains are unpaid bills and vague promises.

While the United States retreats into its cultural shell for Thanksgiving and celebrates Black Friday with a frenzy of consumerism, Europe and Asia are awakening to a changed reality. The EU, once a pacesetter for global standards, finds itself on the defensive, caught between Washington's disinterest and the confident pragmatism of the Global South.

Particularly in Germany, the optimism following the spring elections is now giving way to the harsh realities of winter. The new federal government faces its first real test: the 2026 budget debate forces it to reconcile international commitments with national austerity measures.

This analysis sheds light on a world in transition: from the grand stage of diplomacy to the realities of everyday life, where it will be decided whether the decisions made in Belém and South Africa are worth the paper they are written on – or whether the world's regions will continue to drift apart.

America First, Europe Last? What the silence after the summits reveals about the new world order

This week was marked worldwide by the "hangover" after the summit marathon (COP30 in Brazil and G20 in South Africa), which transitioned directly into the quieter period around Thanksgiving.

The world in the week that followed

The week was overshadowed by two recently concluded major events: COP30 in Belém (ending November 21) and the G20 summit in South Africa (November 22–23). While public life in the US came to a standstill due to Thanksgiving (November 27), Europe and Asia grappled with implementing the summit decisions. In Germany, the first harsh reality check for the new federal government, in office since spring, dominated the discussion surrounding the 2026 budget.

Expert Analysis: What is currently considered 'important' often depends heavily on which continent you open the newspaper on in the morning. To make these different realities tangible, we have selected topics that are viewed strictly from the perspective of their respective regions: What moves people in the USA? What are the topics of discussion in Brussels and Berlin? Which headlines dominate in Asia, and specifically in China?

Our goal is to provide outsiders with an authentic insight into the regional discourse. This overview should help to step outside of specific 'media bubbles' and understand which issues are currently of the highest urgency in the respective societies.

USA: Thanksgiving & “America First” mood

• Focus: Domestic politics, consumption (Black Friday), disinterest in multilateral agreements.
• Perception: In the US, this week was almost exclusively dominated by domestic politics. After the G20 summit at the weekend, which was often portrayed in US media as “ineffective” or “far removed from American interests,” everything revolved around Thanksgiving from Wednesday onward.

Topics:

• Black Friday (November 28): The week ended with Black Friday, considered an important indicator of the US economy under the new administration. Analysts took a close look: Is money flowing freely despite inflation?
• Post-summit silence: The results of COP30 in Belém played almost no role in the wider US public discourse. The political debate in Washington focused on which international climate commitments would be either not met or renegotiated.
• Artemis II delay: The disappointment over the postponement of the lunar mission to February 2026 (announced earlier in the year) was still lingering, as a launch in 2025 had originally been hoped for.

European Union (EU): The search for sovereignty

• Focus: Implementation of the COP30 goals, strategic autonomy, concern for transatlantic relations.
• Perception: Disillusionment prevailed in Brussels. The EU had attempted to position itself as a "bridge builder" at COP30 and the G20 summit, but encountered the harsh reality of a multipolar world.

who dictated the agenda to the “Global South” (led by Brazil and South Africa).

Topics:

• Climate finance: The main topic in the EU capitals was how the funds pledged in Belém for forest protection (Amazon Fund) should be reflected in the EU budget.
• Trade: The protectionist stance of the US was a cause for concern. The EU Commission worked intensively this week on contingency plans for possible new tariffs expected in 2026.

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Germany: Reality check for the new government

• Focus: Federal budget 2026, energy prices, the “first winter review”.
• Perception: Germany was heavily focused inward this week. Following the snap federal election in February 2025 and the formation of the government in May, this is the first winter for the new coalition (presumably led by the CDU). The honeymoon is over.

Topics:

• Budget week: Traditionally held at the end of November, the debate surrounding the 2026 budget was in full swing. The government had to explain how it would reconcile its election promises (economic stimulus) with the debt brake and new international financial commitments (G20/COP30).
• Energy: With the falling temperatures at the end of November, security of supply once again came into focus. The media intensively discussed whether the new energy partnerships (e.g., with African states, which were strengthened at the G20 summit) would bear fruit quickly enough.
• Economy: German industry eagerly awaited the impetus. The focus was on the question: Can Germany benefit from the EU's "Green Deal" successor, or will companies continue to relocate to the USA/Asia?

Asia (General): Pragmatism and regional stability

• Focus: APEC aftermath, economic integration, balancing act between the USA and China.
• Perception: Asia was still focused on the APEC summit in South Korea (late October/early November), the results of which were now being translated into concrete trade policy. This week, the region appeared to be the most stable pole of the global economy.

Topics:

• South Korea's role: Following the successful hosting of the APEC summit in Gyeongju, South Korea solidified its role as a technology hub. Several major semiconductor collaborations were finalized this week.
• Reaction to G20: Many Asian emerging economies welcomed the focus of the South African G20 summit on the global south, but this week called for “actions instead of words” in the reform of the World Bank and the IMF.

China: The “quiet” claim to leadership

• Focus: Technological leadership, climate diplomacy, year-end economic rally.
• Perception: China used the week to present itself as a reliable alternative to the volatile United States. After China assumed a key role in the negotiations at COP30 in Brazil, state media celebrated the “victory of multilateralism with Chinese characteristics.”

Topics:

• Economic objectives: At the end of November, the final push began to achieve the growth targets for 2025. The focus was on domestic demand and high-tech exports (EVs, solar), regardless of Western tariffs.
• Diplomacy: Beijing emphasized “South-South cooperation” this week. The absence of some top Western politicians from certain events was used to deepen relations with Africa and Latin America (BRICS+).

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