And some sort of long-sought resolution could not come at a more critical time when fundamental borders and governments throughout the Middle East are eroding, giving way to more violence, floods of refugees and the uncontrollable emergence of sectarian tension along religious lines.
If the combined fiscal, economic and banking crises weren't enough of a challenge, all of this is happening at a time when the fundamentals in the European Union have shifted dramatically.
Ivan Glasenberg, Glencore's multi-billionaire chief executive, said the company's $6bn£3.7bnbn) takeover of the Canadian grain company Viterra "transforms our already strong agricultural business at a time when industry fundamentals are the most positive they have been for some time".
He defines a bubble "as a time when prices exceed fundamentals, or when price exceeds value".
Some years, whether 1789 or 2001, are recognised in retrospect as times when fundamental shifts in established orders were exposed.
A second consecutive legal battle for the presidency would bring short-term uncertainty, and might erode Americans' faith in the legitimacy of their voting system at a time when America's economic fundamentals are already looking ropy.Given all this, it is little wonder that analysts are hoping for a "relief rally" if the result is clear.
"Should there ever come a time when Mr. Lopez is actually afforded the fundamental rights supposedly allowed everyone, the truth will finally be told," he said.
Ms. Hall was the target of scrutiny from the start; because she is not a parent, many people questioned whether she could effectively represent public school parents, particularly at a time when the educational system was undergoing fundamental changes.
"South Pacific" can stand as a symbol of a time when all could agree on the fundamental virtues that the country strove to represent to the world: a can-do spirit, a belief in self-improvement, the courage to fight for the collective good.
The European Parliament has consistently maintained that Internet access is a fundamental right, at a time when communications, commerce and culture are shifting into the digital realm.
We can't either, warns the WLGA, afford fundamental change at a time when everyone working in Wales' local authorities needs to be finding and making big cuts.
