This Week's #Winners and #Losers

My weekly look back at who won and lost around the world.

War and peace
Winner:  Colombia – The Colombian government and the country’s largest rebel group have a deal to end the insurgent war that has killed 220,000 people and forced five million from their homes over the past 50 years. #AbsoluteGood
 
Loser: Syria – A senior UN official this week referred to the city of Aleppo as the “apex of horror.” The ongoing siege of that city has left at least 275,000 people without food, water, and medicine. #SyriasChildren
 
Victory and defeat
Winner: US female Olympic athletes – In Rio, American women won 61 medals, including 27 golds. Had they been their own team, they would have finished third in the medal count. And soccer goalie Hope Solo’s comment that the Swedish women who defeated Team USA were “cowards” made clear that she’s almost as big a meathead as swimmer Ryan Lochte. #ProgressOnAllFronts
 
Loser: Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov – Turkmenistan’s president is clearly upset that his country of five million people has never won an Olympic medal. On state-run television this week, the president told his Olympic committee chairman that “It’s disappointing that even with all the facilities provided, you could not justify the trust of the motherland.” #HowYouPlayTheGame
 
High and low
Winner: Italian culture – To ensure that teens choose art over jihad, the Italian government has announced a plan to provide every 18-year old Italian with €500 to spend at theatres, concerts, and museums. #HighOnHighArt
 
Loser: Ben Hur –This big-budget Hollywood remake has opened with a resounding thud at the box office. Chariot races were more impressive before they could be digitally enhanced. #CasablancaTooFastTooFurious
 
Beauty and a beast
Winner: Koyu Osawa – A Buddhist nun won an “inner beauty contest” sponsored by a funeral services company by leading 40 people in group meditation. #ZenAndTheArtOfBeautyPageants
 
Loser: Aigen Yokoyama – This Buddhist monk tried to win that same contest by splitting 10 layers of cement tiles with his hand. Because nothing says “inner beauty” like thrusting your fist through cement. #PeaceOut
 
Awesome and ordinary
Winner: Shinzo Abe – To formally accept the passing of the Olympic Games from Rio to Tokyo, Japan’s prime minister dressed up as the Nintendo character Super Mario. Why? What difference does it make? #AbeAwesome
 
Loser: Angela Merkel – Germany’s Chancellor is touring Europe at the moment to meet with heads of state and other important people across the continent. Not once has she dressed as Super Mario. #MissedOpportunity

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Ian Bremmer is president of Eurasia Group, foreign affairs columnist at TIME and Global Research Professor at New York University. You can also follow him on Twitter and Facebook.