All this in the context of North Korea's totalitarian self styled monarchy now being headed by a child and Iran apparently ever closer to acquiring a nuclear weapon; something the US and Israel will not tolerate, and all that this implies. To boot, Israel's PM Bibi Netanyahu is a disingenuous player who has no interest in making peace with the Palestinians and so, akin to the Republicans in the US, will merrily subordinate the fate of his own people to his perennial political vanity.
Given all the above and the changes we have seen/are seeing in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Syria and Russia; the world is possibly at its most unstable than at any time since the height of the cold war. Add in the two wild cards of North Korea and Iran, plus an economic context that might, if the Eurozone does implode, be worse than anyone's greatest fears; and the Mayan prophecy for 2012 is perhaps something we should credit as more than just a fringe belief!?
I'd like to make the disclaimer that the author of this page is naturally an optimist!
Merry Christmas everyone and to misquote Shane MacGowan & Kirsty Maccoll - let's hope it's not our last!