Analysis: Why 2012, Could Prove, An Even Wilder Ride, Than 2011

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Analysis: Why 2012, Could Prove, An Even Wilder Ride, Than 2011, The ancient Mayans attached special significance to 2012, possibly the end of time. That has spawned a rush of apocalyptic literature for the holiday season.

But you don’t have to believe the world is about to end to realize that next year contains perhaps the widest range of political risks to the global economy in recent history.

The current year may yet carry a sting in its tail, with worries over the euro and jitters over a possible Israeli strike on Iran likely to keep financial markets and policymakers on tenterhooks all the way to the New Year.

More than three years after the collapse of Lehman Brothers prompted the worst financial crash since the Great Depression, economic turmoil looks to be driving political upheaval in what could become a particularly disruptive feedback loop.

Economic stresses -- from rising food prices to worsening economic hardship in the developed world -- were at the heart of many of 2011's political stories. As they intensify, political volatility, gridlock, confrontation and conflict -- whether domestic or international -- look set to worsen.