In the absence of some large, disruptive shock (a new war, serious scandal or the like), a Labour triumph next year seems implausible, and a Tory majority in Parliament very likely.

ECONOMIST: The vertiginous uncertainties faced by the Labour Party

O, starry spangled shock of mercy, the eternal war is here.

NPR: Birth of the Beat Generation: 50 Years of 'Howl'

After the first world war he was involved in research into shell shock, which he later likened to the condition of certain industrial workers.

ECONOMIST: Guru

As youngsters, these people were the shock troops during the golden period of Japan's post-war economic transformation.

ECONOMIST: Greying Japan

"Bad news would be a supply shock - if you did have a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz or a war in the Middle East, " Koll said.

CNN: Oil increases to highest level since 2008

The idea of Oslo not as a new era of peace but an interlude between two periods of war will come as a shock to many who witnessed the Great Handshake on the White House Lawn seven years ago.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Center For Security Policy

Once the first shock is over, insurers may try to duck claims, arguing that they do not cover acts of war.

ECONOMIST: The insurance bill