Happy New Year!

I apologize for the delay, but I have been on vacation. As we ring in the new year, I wanted to bring up some issues that I think will be of major importance in 2012.

Iran
Iran is just a smorgasbord of craziness. Tehran just announced that they have produced their first nuclear fuel rod. If this is accurate, the Iranian nuclear program is farther along than most experts believed. As politicians in America, Europe, and Israel debate exactly what they plan to do to prevent Iran from obtaining a stockpile of nuclear weapons, such developments certainly indicate that the last chance to act may be quickly approaching.

Aside from Iran's nuclear ambitions, recent activity in the Strait of Hormuz has many analysts concerned. The strait is a vital choke point for a large portion of the world's oil supply and is an easy pressure point for the Iranians to target. Iran's recent war games may be preparation to retailate against American aligned shipping in the event of a strike against Iran's nuclear facilities. Of course, that has the potential to spark a wider conflict between Iran and the Arab Gulf countries who would be most severely impacted by such a move.

Syria
The brewing civil war is spinning out of control. Bashar Assad's regime is cracking down on protesters with alarming violence, but Ghaddafi proved how ineffective that tactic can be. Monitors from a number of international organizations have come back with horror stories about the brutality. I anticipate that things will continue to detiriorate in Syria until the international community will step in to try to contain the mess. Now, that may be NATO or it may be a neighboring country like Turkey trying to prove their capabilities to the rest of the world. The Arab League has already taken a major role in monitoring the situation and could take a more active role in the near future.

Isolationism
This aspect can be found a little closer to home (to us in America, at least). As the rest of the world faces severe problems ranging from civil unrest to open war, there will be an increasing number of voices in the more stable areas of the world ("stable" being a relative term) who want to withdraw into a protective shell. Republican Presidential candidate Ron Paul has experienced a boon lately in the polls, largely due to Paul's position on economics and opposition to expanding government. With the Presidential election taking up such a major portion of media attention this year, you can bet that the idea of isolationism will be brought further into the eye of the public. As the American military tries to catch its breath after prolonged conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, the idea of abandoning the position of "world's policeman" will become increasingly popular. In a sense, too many people in America are growing tired of the responsibilities that come with being the world's only true superpower. What that means in terms of policy and election results is still anyone's guess.

These are only a few of the big issues that I think will dominate the headlines in the coming year. Of course, the future is unpredictable, and this year may be crazier than usual. Stay tuned here at The New Knighthood as the year unfolds. As usual, if you have any suggestions or concerns you can let me know in the Comments section below (click on the article if you are reading this on the main page).