The New Year may look like the old year at outset – persistent trends though may start to manifest themselves in new ways from economic crisis to environmental calamity: I. “Occupy Wall Street” will not fade but take a more institutional form as more people continue to feel the pain and/or inequality of wider wealth gaps. II. “Arab Change” will broaden geographically but more likely bring to greater realization the not yet complete revolutions in states as Egypt, Yemen and Syria. Iraq will walk along edge of implosion. III. Eurozone economic malaise will not necessarily become much worse but rather persist/mutate in a prolonged bout with stagflation. IV. EU/Eurozone (European Monetary Union) political efforts will be a bit of “Groundhog Day” – what appears the same conversations and efforts at remedy being recycled. V. Climate change evidence/symptoms will accelerate as environment has fallen in global focus/priority - whether floods in SE Asia or Latin America or drought in belts from Central Asia/Russia to Africa to America’s, it is not possible to pin point the new weather pattern but extremes will come to dominate as in 2010 and 2011 with unfortunately more victims, human and nature. VI. Russian citizens will quietly acceded to the choreographed return of Vladimir Putin to the Presidency. VII. China’s human rights record will become more of a problem for its citizens and greater embarrassment for its ruling elite. VIII. Developing countries will see a bit of pause but not significant downturn in their economic growth as Eurozone malaise gives globe a bit of sniffles. IX. BRICS countries will look to reincarnate the “non-aligned” movement, but in reality based on the fundamental objective of stemming Washington at the UN and various international forums. X. Palestine/Israeli conflict will begin to further unravel as potential peace initiatives continue to be frustrated (especially as US election period continues). Palestinians will react to ongoing Israeli settlements and Washington’s opposition to realization of their statehood status. XI. Trouble spots as Korean Peninsula, (old order will seek to consolidate power under new face), and Iran, (old revolution will be increasingly challenged by new evolution of region), will continue to simmer but not necessarily boil over. XII. The International Criminal Court (ICC) will continue to gain momentum in members and influence after the dramatic impetus/changes in 2012. XIII. Persons with disabilities will rightfully become more center stage in addressing human rights and most critically re-empowering. XIV. The NGO will have to assume even more responsibility for global issues, from human rights to environment to peace to humanitarian as governments will be more marked by inadequacy and self-delusion of those are elected, appointed and/or installed. XV. Africa will unfortunately only see more rather than less conflict – South Sudan, Sudan and Horn of Africa will be new/old eruption points while West and Central Africa see some stabilization perhaps in part due to effect of the ICC. XVI. Central Asia will face its moment of political dynamism with winds of change blowing inward from the South and North. XVII. Afghanistan will not get better. Pakistan/India may find detente or turmoil as relationship is at key marker point critical for regional and perhaps global peace. XVIII. Lady Gaga will narrowly escape death as she is attacked by a pack of vultures when she decides to embrace fashion recycling, takes out of her hatbox a former inspiration and wears her old stake hats gone rancid. XIX. Justin Bieber will be again accused of fathering a child out of wedlock but rather than admit the baby, he will opt to preempt more such paternity claims by coming out of the closet. XX. Some mega-star will be caught with a hooker met on the internet, but we will not care. Rather, even techies will be surprised by how the web continues to expand, like the universe ever more accelerating in multidimensional directions. XXI. We will witness the functional extinction of even more species and bio-diversity will become the new crisis point. I fear for the orangutan, the rhinoceros and thousands of plants and animals that we may have never seen or heard off – and now will witness their passing without even the benefit of their inspiration. Above photo was from Daily Mail – end of 2010, and for 2011 it only got worse for orangutan as they were targeted for extermination by some palm oil plantations. May the Force be with us - if there is no God, we will need Him/Her more than ever. But until the case for or against the Supreme Being is proven, we better make certain that we more than ever see empathy and rationality as our higher capacity and responsibility, moral and functional. God, real or not, has not tied our hands. Our eyes are wide open - technology has provided us unprecedented historical perspective, as well as diversion. Do we have the vision, the will, the courage and the unselfishness to alter a destiny that does not have to be? By Ambassador Muhamed Sacirbey



 Facebook-Become a Fan at “Diplomatically Incorrect”



 Twitter-Follow us at DiplomaticallyX