(CNN)Its time once again for that most hazardous exercise: guessing what the next year will bring around the world. There will be surprises, just as in 2014 the sudden rampage of ISIS, the Russian annexation of Crimea and the collapse in the crude oil price were all unforeseen. The consequences of those events, and many others besides, will leave their mark on 2015. But emerging themes may also come of age, such as the Internet of Things and breakthrough trade deals that galvanize the world economy. But lets start with the bad news: ISIS is not going away No one is predicting a swift defeat of ISIS, the self-proclaimed Islamic State, which has proved resilient in the six months since its sudden sweep through Iraq to the fringes of Baghdad. The easy pickings are fewer, the challenge of governing sapping, air strikes debilitating. And a new Iraqi Prime Minister, Haider al Abadi, has begun to mend bridges with the countrys Sunni minority and reorganize the army.
Posted on: Sun, 04 Jan 2015 23:41:26 +0000