The year ends as it began: with the eyes of the world on America and Russia. Some things have changed these past 12 months, of course. Few guessed that Britain would have voted to leave the EU the same year as Donald Trump was elected president of the United States. It has been an annus horribilis for pollsters. But an exhilarating, extraordinary year for many voters. We enter 2017 with new leaders – tackling, alas, many of the same old problems.

Those problems overwhelmed the West’s political establishment. David Cameron, for instance, tried to placate rising Euroscepticism by holding a referendum that he assumed he would win. It turned out to be a referendum primarily on Europe, yes, but also on political correctness, mass migration and every other facet of the liberal consensus. The belief that people could be pandered at election time but ignored once in office was rejected: the British voted for real change. Now moves are afoot to deny it to them by militant Remainers. Thankfully, we have a new Prime Minister who understands that her own future depends of delivering the kind of reforms that Mr Cameron ducked away from.

Hillary Clinton made a similar miscalculation to the Remain campaign. She also hoped that a combination of expert endorsements and negativity could give her the White House – and turned out to be wrong. Whatever the strengths and weaknesses of Donald Trump, his victory does represent the rejection of eight years of liberal drift that failed to make a compelling case for its re-election. Now he inherits a row with Russia over the country’s alleged hacking of the presidential election. Barack Obama’s sudden transformation into Ronald Reagan comes too little too late. Having failed to stop Russian advances in Ukraine and Syria he has suddenly decided that Moscow must be humiliated. 

What has he done? Expelled a few diplomats. Either Russia did pull off the crime of the century in November, in which case this response was weak, or Mr Obama is trying to turn a scandal into an international crisis with which to bind Mr Trump’s hands. Fearful of Mr Trump allying with Mr Putin, he perhaps wants to establish Russian guilt and force Mr Trump either to uphold diplomatic sanctions or drop them. Unfortunately for Mr Obama, Moscow has decided not to engage in tit-for-tat. That probably leaves Mr Trump greater wriggle room after inauguration.

Observing all of this from afar, Mrs May must be ready to play her part. Mr Trump admires the UK because of Brexit, which gives us the opportunity to help shape his administration. He must be discouraged from thinking that Russia is a potential friend. Its strategic interests run counter to the West’s; it has allied with thugs. Britain can also make the case for free trade and positive engagement with the developing world. If Mr Trump fulfils his promise of an epoch-defining tax cut, growth with be immense – and its benefits should be felt as widely as possible.

Ultimately, whatever the West’s divisions, it will have to unite against terrorism. Today we report that one aspect of life in 2017 will be different: armed police will now regularly patrol the London Underground. The difficult task of this coming year will be, as always, balancing freedom and security. In 2016, we saw British democracy functioning at its best. It must be protected for future generations to enjoy.