2011 was a year in flux. The Arab Spring, Occupy Wall Street, the ongoing financial crisis, the turmoil in the European Union brought the world to the brink of major changes. The old rules no longer apply, and the world finds itself in a period of extended transition. Heading into the new year, the question on everyone’s mind is, “What comes next?” As the new year begins, The Takeaway begins a new series called “Flash Forward,” where prominent thinkers ruminate on the major issues facing the world in 2012. John Casti, author of the book “Mood Matters: From Rising Skirt Lengths to the Collapse of World Powers,” and senior research scholar at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis in Vienna, believes the world’s mood will dictate its direction in the future. He says the mood around the globe makes 2012 rife for change.