Judging from what analysts are saying, 2012 will be another bumpy year, a year of no havens. Elections everywhere where it matters, gigantic economic imbalances (to put it mildly), pretty nasty turn of events in Emerging Markets (including China), and a messy turning of the leaves of US geopolitical fortunes.
The Arab Spring looks less warm and rejuvenating today than it did half a year ago, and it is abundantly clear that we need to brace ourselves for a roller coaster ride. Things are not going as expected. Or perhaps they are. In any event, that’s just the way it is: change of the magnitude we are experiencing involves a contest of so many players, so many interests, so many points of view, at so many different levels of politics and society. The cost of freedoms and better societies is not cheap.
None of this makes life easier for a social media company in the Middle East, where all this topsy turvy accompanies the already turbulent landscape of what we used to call web 2.0. But coming from a career in trading financial markets, this constant of uncertainty is a familiar way of life. All the better for us to embrace it. After all, strong materials are forged under high pressure and heat, not sunshine and a polishing cloth. In all likelihood, 2012 is a crucible year. And so, we roll up the sleeves!
