It's Official! Russian Scholar(?) Predicts U.s. Collapse!

DeepGreen · March 4, 2009

I just hope that Texas is one of the six countries! Obama needs to send Joe Biden over to Moscow to set this Professor straight. After all, nobody messes with Joe.

U.S. Collapse

If you're inclined to believe Igor Panarin, and the Kremlin wouldn't mind if you did, then President Barack Obama will order martial law this year, the U.S. will split into six rump-states before 2011, and Russia and China will become the backbones of a new world order.

Panarin might be easy to ignore but for the fact that he is a dean at the Foreign Ministry's school for future diplomats and a regular on Russia's state-guided TV channels. And his predictions fit into the anti-American story line of the Kremlin leadership.

"There is a high probability that the collapse of the United States will occur by 2010," Panarin told dozens of students, professors and diplomats Tuesday at the Diplomatic Academy _ a lecture the ministry pointedly invited The Associated Press and other foreign media to attend.

The prediction from Panarin, a former spokesman for Russia's Federal Space Agency and reportedly an ex-KGB analyst, meshes with the negative view of the U.S. that has been flowing from the Kremlin in recent years, in particular from Vladimir Putin.

Putin, the former president who is now prime minister, has likened the United States to Nazi Germany's Third Reich and blames Washington for the global financial crisis that has pounded the Russian economy.

Panarin didn't give many specifics on what underlies his analysis, mostly citing newspapers, magazines and other open sources.

He also noted he had been predicting the demise of the world's wealthiest country for more than a decade now.

But he said the recent economic turmoil in the U.S. and other "social and cultural phenomena" led him to nail down a specific timeframe for "The End" _ when the United States will break up into six autonomous regions and Alaska will revert to Russian control.

Panarin argued that Americans are in moral decline, saying their great psychological stress is evident from school shootings, the size of the prison population and the number of gay men.

Turning to economic woes, he cited the slide in major stock indexes, the decline in U.S. gross domestic product and Washington's bailout of banking giant Citigroup as evidence that American dominance of global markets has collapsed.

"I was there recently and things are far from good," he said. "What's happened is the collapse of the American dream."

Panarin insisted he didn't wish for a U.S. collapse, but he predicted Russia and China would emerge from the economic turmoil stronger and said the two nations should work together, even to create a new currency to replace the U.S. dollar.

Asked for comment on how the Foreign Ministry views Panarin's theories, a spokesman said all questions had to be submitted in writing and no answers were likely before Wednesday.

It wasn't clear how persuasive the 20-minute lecture was. One instructor asked Panarin whether his predictions more accurately describe Russia, which is undergoing its worst economic crisis in a decade as well as a demographic collapse that has led some scholars to predict the country's demise.

Panarin dismissed that idea: "The collapse of Russia will not occur."

But Alexei Malashenko, a scholar-in-residence at the Carnegie Moscow Center who did not attend the lecture, sided with the skeptical instructor, saying Russia is the country that is on the verge of disintegration.

"I can't imagine at all how the United States could ever fall apart," Malashenko told the AP.

Edited March 4, 2009 by DeepGreen

BeanCounterGrad'03 · March 4, 2009

"I can't imagine at all how the United States could ever fall apart," Malashenko told the AP.

I think the lecturer has underlying motives to his "predictions", but I would also respond to this guy's quote by pointing to the Roman Empire, Ottoman Empire, British Empire, and any other country/empire throughout history that fell or became a shell of its former self.

I would expect the global influence of the U.S. to see a similar fate purely based on past historical patterns.

"Falling apart", though possible, is highly unlikely in my book.

Signed,

An amateur history buff :geek:

meangreendork · March 5, 2009

The scholar is forgetting two very important things:

The Roman Empire was large, even by current standards. The British Empire was also incredibly large AND separated from each other by great distance. Technology for both travel and communication wasn't as advanced as it is today. People also had fewer means by which to communicate and travel back then.

Nice attempt at trolling, kid.

I'm more worried about Russia splitting again. It seems to have deeper divides in it that go back centuries, and it hasn't been an economically stable country in decades. I'd hate to see the shakeup if they split again.

Edited March 5, 2009 by meangreendork

CaribbeanGreen · March 5, 2009

I KNEW it was the gays' fault!!!

eulessismore · March 5, 2009

All this talk of divorce; that's good, for divorce lawyers!

The parallel split thread.

eulesseagle · March 5, 2009

The world is destined for a one world government in years to come....could be sooner than later. Does it really matter if the world is controlled by a socialistic, democratic or republic form of government?? no.

We have seen signs of this control by, let us say, food companies. Smaller companies have been purchased by larger companies .... larger companies are purchased by even larger coglomerates. For example, look at Frito Lay. Owned later, I believe by PepsiCo and now this is owned by some other mega conglomerate in England, I think.

Take a look at the banking industry during the last 24 months. You need a score card to figure out who owns who. Bank One bought by Chase who was bought by WaMu. CountryWide bought by Bank of America who once bought out NationsBank.

Little by little the smaller fish get devoured by the bigger fish until there is only one fish in the pond. The blood sucker.

Internationally, the UN is gaining in power and influence over lnternational laws and regulations. Look also at the International Court. People have been brought to justice at the Hauge (sp?) for years. Milosovich (sp) for one. Died unexpectently while on or awaiting his kangaroo court trial. Crimes against humanity. Hummmm.....that was first brought up at Nurenburg. If it were not for British General Alexander comming to the defense of "Smillin' Jack" Kesselring the Brits may have hung him...but lucky for him the Italians were trying him in Italy. Believe it or not Kesselring was somewhat popular in the eyes of the Italians. I believe US Admiral Nimitz help pursuade the courts not to hang German Admiral Donitz. The list goes on. Crimes against humanity is a cover all indictment againt any crime in an international court covering anything. Coming soon to the US.

This ain't conspiracy anymore....it is blantently out in the open.

The US Constitution is slowly being usurped by international law. Some folks call it one world government.....because one world government is international law.

BeanCounterGrad'03 · March 5, 2009

The scholar is forgetting two very important things:
The Roman Empire was large, even by current standards. The British Empire was also incredibly large AND separated from each other by great distance. Technology for both travel and communication wasn't as advanced as it is today. People also had fewer means by which to communicate and travel back then.
Nice attempt at trolling, kid.
I'm more worried about Russia splitting again. It seems to have deeper divides in it that go back centuries, and it hasn't been an economically stable country in decades. I'd hate to see the shakeup if they split again.

Um...ok, buddy...I didn't realize I was attempting to be a troll (was my post that inflamatory?)...just throwing in my two cents on the article. Oh, and thanks for the kid comment...I was starting to feel old as I roll into my thirties.

The British Empire probably thought that because they had a technologically advanced navy and shipping capability compared to the Roman Empire that they would never decline. But specifics about how it happens are not the point I was trying to make. I was simply saying that throughout history you see a general pattern of rise and fall of world powers. Sometimes the cycle takes a decade or two (i.e. Nazi Germany) and sometimes it takes several centuries (i.e. the Roman Empire).

If I were to take a stab at what the remotely possible situation is that would cause us to fall from world power status, it would be something involving our growing national debt and the inability for us (individually and as a government - BOTH PARTIES) to "live within our means". But its just a hunch I have.

I agree with you on the Russian split, though.

Signed,

A trolling amateur history buff

Edited March 5, 2009 by BeanCounterGrad'03

eulessismore · March 5, 2009

Um...ok, buddy...I didn't realize I was attempting to be a troll (was my post that inflamatory?)...just throwing in my two cents on the article. Oh, and thanks for the kid comment...I was starting to feel old as I roll into my thirties.
The British Empire probably thought that because they had a technologically advanced navy and shipping capability compared to the Roman Empire that they would never decline. But specific about how it happens are not the point I was trying to make. I was simply saying that throughout history you see a general pattern of rise and fall of world powers. Sometimes the cycle takes a decade or two (i.e. Nazi Germany) and sometimes it takes several centuries (i.e. the Roman Empire).
If I were to take a stab at what the remotely possible situation is that would cause us to fall from world power status, it would be something involving our growing national debt and the inability for us (individually and as a government - BOTH PARTIES) to "live within our means". But its just a hunch I have.
Signed,
A trolling amateur history buff

Troll on, dude!