Through murk and tumult of a chaotic 12 months has come a staggering result. Donald Trump, Xi Jinping and Boris Johnson are ending the year on a surprising high. One that sets the scene for the coming year and decade in a way few critics saw coming.

It’s happened in spite of the severe admonishment of impeachment, a bruising trade war, street battles in Hong Kong, and the sheer wrenching agony of Brexit. The wisdom of their actions may be questionable, destructive and often inexplicable. But the trio have come out on top.