Which seems bizarre at first blush, since the Candidates' tournament is going to be in Moscow. But the reason it's Levon Aronian and not the higher-rated Vladimir Kramnik is the sponsor, the Tashir Group. It is a Russian-Armenian real estate company headed by an Armenian-born billionaire, so there you go.
Aronian would normally be a great choice for a wildcard spot, and even now he's a very good choice. But for about a year and a half, almost two years, I think, he has had only one really top-class result - his recent win in the Sinquefield Cup. Even so, he's still #8 in the world and a worthy Candidate. As for big Vlad, he'll have to wait until the next cycle for a chance to regain the World Championship title - unless Giri loses a ton of points in the upcoming European Team Championship (starting in about a week).
So here's what the field looks like for the Candidates' (which will go from March 10-30 next year), barring Giri's total collapse:
Is it too soon to make pointless predictions? Let's do it! I'll start by claiming that Hikaru Nakamura will win and face his nemesis for the championship.