Can there be any doubt who was the big winner this year in the so-called Arab Spring that swept through the Middle East and North Africa?

From Egypt to Tunisia, from Libya to Syria, from Jordan to Morocco to right here at home, the Muslim Brotherhood made massive inroads and increased its influence, with an approving wink-and-a-nod from the Obama administration, to a degree that would have seemed unthinkable as the year began.

Look for more of the same in 2012. A few predictions:

1. If President Obama is reelected, his administration engages in direct dialogue with the Brotherhood's Palestinian branch, Hamas.

2. Jordan is rocked by Islamist forces and the regime of King Abdullah is threatened. At the very least, Islamists--i.e. the Brotherhood--are given a greater say in the country's affairs by an appeasment/survival-minded Abdullah. In fact, that process has already started.

3. If Bashar al-Assad is deposed in Syria, and I think he will hang on longer than many believe, Islamists will be the biggest beneficiaries.

4. Calls for the re-establishment of the Caliphate will become more frequent and gain traction.

With all this in mind, I'm linking to a special episode of the Stakelbeck on Terror show that was taped in September 2011 in which my panelists made several prescient predictions about the Brotherhood's rise. Click on the viewer (left) to watch.

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