Joined: Jul 22, 2003
Posts: 1387
Location: The Deep-Fried South
Posted:
Wed Sep 17, 2008 6:38 am
I realize this forum is for discussing history, but I think this is the best place for discussing this topic. Based on as far as you'd like in history, what do you think the future is for the United States? For Europe? For the world as a whole?
To keep this from becoming a thread for baseless speculation, I ask that you base any predicitons you have for the future on historical facts.
I've got some ideas of my own, but I'll wait to see if this thread gets hot before I post any of them.
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MockingGods Philosophical Prodigy
Joined: Nov 14, 2002
Posts: 4039
Location: USA
Posted:
Wed Sep 17, 2008 7:06 am
I'm not sure our historical past will be an important indicator to our future as many of us might think. Human civilization is under pressures that it has never experienced before, mostly due to sudden and dramatic technological advancement. I find it reasonable to suggest this new paradigm will bring about a radical shift from our historical roots and these roots may not be the powerful indicator as they were in the past.
Cygnus Graduate Thinker
Joined: Mar 26, 2008
Posts: 549
Posted:
Thu Sep 18, 2008 1:26 pm
That is an incredibly complex question that no one can answer. I think that there will be a resurgence in radical Islam when Pakistan collapses and falls under control of the Taliban. The future of Iraq is uncertain- the US may retain a presence there depending on future decisions by the president. If left alone, Iraq would fall into deeper violence, most likely with Shiites oppressing Sunnis, and another dictatorship will arise or Al-Qaieda will gain more power in the region. Terrorism may increase, with violence increasing in Europe and fueling Islamophobia. But this is all speculation. It is currently not possible to draw any insight from the past because the world has so radically changed. The world has never seen radical Islam before recently, technology has changed the economy and everything related to it, and trying to predict the future is difficult. It is more tempting to think up scenarios like V for Vendetta.
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