A U.S. consulting firm has included North Korea on the list of top risks for 2012 threatening global stability.

The Eurasia Group ranked North Korea fifth in the Top Risks 2012 citing instability in the power succession process following the death of former leader Kim Jong-il.

The report warns against stories of how smoothly the power transition is proceeding in Pyongyang saying North Korea is the world’s most opaque regime and no one really knows what’s going on inside. It says that "things really are going smoothly" or maybe they have already derailed.

The consulting firm also notes that North Korea is a nuclear power and provocation is its traditional foreign policy tool of choice. It says a North Korean collapse is the likeliest way to bring American and Chinese soldiers face to face in a dangerous security environment.

The Eurasia Group said "the end of the 9/11 era" is the number one risk of the year in reference to jitters in global politics and economy. The Middle East, the euro zone and Pakistan were also named as regions threatening global stability.