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Expect The Unexpected: Global Politics In 2012

Anti-government protesters shout as they carry a banner with portraits of several prisoners during a rally organized by the Moroccan Arab Spring movement in Casablanca on Dec. 25. The banner reads, "We demand the release of all prisoners because of anti-terror laws."
Abdeljalil Bounhar
/
AP
Anti-government protesters shout as they carry a banner with portraits of several prisoners during a rally organized by the Moroccan Arab Spring movement in Casablanca on Dec. 25. The banner reads, "We demand the release of all prisoners because of anti-terror laws."

The world will see big political changes with leadership shifts in China, Mexico, Russia, Europe, Egypt and particularly the Middle East in 2012, says David Rothkopf, a contributor to Foreign Policy Magazine.

"We're halfway through the initial wave of these [Middle Eastern] revolutions," says Rothkopf.

But it is possible that one of the biggest political changes won't happen in a physical location, but on the Internet. Rothkopf says he thinks we could see a big escalation of cyberwars between nations.

He also predicts that a critical piece of U.S. infrastructure will be shut down by a cyberattack, bringing online wars to the forefront of politics.

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