I just went on Da Russophile's blog and I see that he's planning to make 10 "Russophile predictions".

That's all well and good, but I am the competitive type so I must make my 10 Russophile predictions first !

This is on the fly, it's past midnight, and I'm tired, but here goes:

10. Russia's population begins growing again by 2014-2015 (this is pretty much a given, IMO)

9. Russia's economy, now number 7 in PPP terms but still well behind the leaders, continues to expand phenomenally. The United States, China, and Russia (and maybe India) have comparable economies by 2020. The European Union is ahead of all of them, but no individual European economy is even close

8. Russia becomes the first country to reach the moon in the Twenty First Century. Off to Mars

7. A lot of Eastern European / Caucasus / Central Asian states that showed signs of Russophobia begin to turn a corner as more practical governments get elected. Annoyed American officials will begin to question if these countries were ever on their team in the first place

6. The U.S. defaults on its external debt. Dollar hegemony ends. American way-of-life adjusts, but no humanitarian catastrophe or anything. After a few quarters, it's back on its feet again, albeit more humble and inward-looking

5. Peak oil is a reality and for a while the world frets until a Russian-led international team announces a major alt. energy breakthrough that gives the world a new lifeline

4. Peace in the Middle East. Signed, sealed, and delivered... in Moscow

3. In 2100, Putin is named Time's most influential person of the century

2. A new Russian strategic defense system, based not on missiles but on lasers. Hundreds of thousands of lasers, outflowing from land to space, making penetration of ICBMs impossible when activated. "Fortress Russia"

1. Russia becomes an ideal place to live for many. The quality of life of Scandinavia (but on a much wider scale), along with a unique and rich cultural heritage and history

This entry was posted by Colleen, on 5.05.2008. You can leave your response.