The Middle East is filled with erratic state and non-state players who could easily set off a series of events, military and diplomatic, that would shut down much of the oil shipments from the Persian Gulf for some period.

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Dennis has worked with organizations in that smug, apathetic position that follows continued success, and companies in the erratic, frantic state caused by the constant rise of new threats and the continual shift of focus.

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Many Cambridge college admissions tutors say that the grade predictions for state- and private-school applicants seem equally erratic.

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