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10 GOOD THINGS THAT HAPPENED IN 2025  
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Medea Benjamin
December 31, 2025
LA Progressive
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_ I hope you can look back on 2025 as the year movements for peace
and justice freed political prisoners, slowed the war machine, and
helped turn the public against endless wars. _

, Clay Hensley/Flickr

 

It’s true — 2025 has been a hard year. It’s easy to focus on the
disasters, and there have been many. But we also had real victories
that moved us closer to a better world. Here are some of my highlights
from 2025:

1. ISRAEL WAS FORCED TO NEGOTIATE A CEASEFIRE

In October, a ceasefire agreement was reached in Gaza, though it would
be a lie to call it an end to the genocide
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we’ve all been witnessing for over two years. Still, the pause
matters because it reveals what Israel could not achieve. Israel
failed to break the Palestinian people or erase them from their land.
It was forced to negotiate. It also gave us one of the rare moments
where we saw videos coming out of Gaza with Palestinians celebrating
in the streets, and feeling a little bit of relief for the first time
in a long time. Yes, the Israelis are violating the ceasefire every
day, Palestinians continue to suffer, and the “Peace Plan” passed
by the United Nations is a sham. But the fact that Israel was unable
to accomplish its goal of defeating and expelling the
Palestinians--and instead had to negotiate--is in itself a testament
to the power of both the Palestinians and their supporters throughout
the world.

2. MAHMOUD KHALIL IS FREE

In June, after months in ICE detention, Palestinian activist Mahmoud
Khalil was freed! We got to see him at the People’s Conference for
Palestine and he’s been in action ever since. From the moment he was
first detained, the Palestine solidarity movement never stopped
demanding his freedom. We knew that if we allowed this to happen to
Mahmoud, it could happen to any one of us. His freedom is a testament
to the power we all have when we stand together and have a clear
demand. The same goes for Turkish student Rümeysa Öztürk,
Georgetown scholar Badar Khan Suri, Palestinian student Mohsen Mahdawi
and British Journalist Sami Hamdi – all were freed from ICE’s grip
due to mounting public pressure.

3. MAJORITY OF AMERICANS ARE AGAINST WAR

Polls came out all year in the U.S. that proved that people inside the
belly of the beast are becoming more and more anti-war! Whether the
conflicts are in Ukraine, Gaza, or Venezuela, the people of the U.S.
are sick and tired of their country going to war. This, if people take
action on their beliefs, this will have huge implications for the U.S.
war machine! The anti-war movement is growing, and we have the power
of the people behind us!

4. PEOPLE CAME TOGETHER TO PROTEST ICE RAIDS AND SUPPORT IMMIGRANTS

From Washington, D.C. to Chicago to Los Angeles, people across the
country have been rising up to reject the unjust and illegal ICE raids
ripping through our communities. As ICE agents terrorized grocery
stores, elementary schools, and neighborhoods, communities responded
by forming rapid-response networks to document abuses, provide legal
support, and protect those being targeted. This collective resistance
has been an inspiring expression of humanity in action — proof that
when Trump’s administration pushes fear, racism
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and a fascist agenda, people come together in solidarity to defend one
another and fight back.

5. ZOHRAN MAMDANI WILL BE THE MAYOR OF THE LARGEST US CITY

Zohran Mamdani’s victory in the NYC mayoral race was fueled by the
Palestine movement and the collective mobilization of hundreds of
thousands who are unwilling to be swayed by centrist
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big-money interests and are ready for a new system. His win has
already inspired others to run for office on a similar platform,
showing how campaigns that speak to people’s needs can break
through. Mamdani now inherits a seat at the heart of the war economy
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— presiding over the largest police department in the country and a
city with deep political and financial ties to Israel. That reality
makes his victory not an endpoint, but an opening: a chance to push
demands for divestment and a peace economy to the center of city
politics, and to turn the energy of his campaign into sustained,
collective action — in the streets, in organizing
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spaces, and at the ballot box.

6. GLOBAL SUMUD FLOTILLA TO GAZA MAKES HISTORY

For the first time in recent history, the Global Sumud Flotilla sailed
into Gaza’s waters and came close to breaking the blockade! I was so
inspired by the selfless activists, including my friend Adnaan Stumo
and his brother Tor, who set sail to Gaza despite great personal risk.
The Global Sumud Flotilla was the largest flotilla in history, and
even though Israel arrested and detained dozens of brave
humanitarians, their souls weren’t shaken. Another Gaza flotilla
will soon set sail again, unintimidated by Israel’s threats!

7. AIPAC IS LOSING POWER

AIPAC
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grip is starting to crack, with a growing number of candidates openly
rejecting its money. Even more striking, some AIPAC-backed members of
Congress defied the lobby this year—voting against its positions and
infuriating a group long used to unquestioned loyalty. More and more
people are waking up to AIPAC’s influence over our government, and
are calling for a widespread rejection of it!

8. MEXICO’S WOMAN PRESIDENT SHOWS WHAT PRINCIPLED LEADERSHIP LOOKS
LIKE

Overseas, Claudia Sheinbaum, Mexico’s first woman president, has
delivered bold progress at home — expanding public education,
investing in clean energy, and strengthening labor rights and social
programs that put working families first. When Trump tried to bully
Mexico with tariff
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threats and demanded that Mexico play border cop, Sheinbaum defended
Mexico’s sovereignty with competence, dignity, and a refreshing
refusal to be intimidated. And when Trump blocked Venezuelan tankers
from delivering oil to Cuba, Mexico stepped in to supply its own oil
— a clear act
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of solidarity that showed what principled leadership looks like on the
world stage.

9. ECUADOR REJECTS U.S. MILITARY BASE
At a moment when the U.S. is openly reviving the Monroe Doctrine
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in Latin America, Ecuador held a national referendum — and nearly
60% of voters said no to reopening a U.S. military base on Ecuadorian
soil. By rejecting a foreign base, Ecuadorians asserted their
sovereignty and made clear they refuse to be a launchpad for U.S.
wars. Even amid a rightward political swing across the region, this
vote shows that organized people can still block militarization and
defend their self-determination.

10. U.S. AND CHINESE CITIZENS CHOSE CONNECTION OVER FEAR. 

This year offered a rare and hopeful reminder of how quickly walls can
fall when people are allowed to meet one another as human beings. From
the warmth and curiosity circulating on RedNote to iShowSpeed’s
unfiltered encounters, a wave of everyday, people-to-people exchanges
cut through political fear-mongering and brought Americans and Chinese
together around shared humanity. In these small but powerful
connections, the image of China as an “enemy” began to fade,
replaced by curiosity and connection — and for the first time in
five years, the number of Americans who consider China an enemy has
dropped by nearly 10%.

Ihope you can look back on 2025 as the year movements for peace and
justice freed political prisoners, slowed the war machine, and helped
turn the public against endless wars. Even in the hardest moments,
that’s how I’ll choose to remember it. And I hope 2026 brings us
closer to the world we all want to see.

_MEDEA BENJAMIN is a cofounder of both CODEPINK and the international
human rights organization Global Exchange. She has been an advocate
for social justice for more than 30 years._

 

* Good Things in 2025
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