As If Things Weren't Bad Enough, Russian Professor Predicts End Of US

Wall Street Journal:

MOSCOW -- For a decade, Russian academic Igor Panarin has been predicting the U.S. will fall apart in 2010. For most of that time, he admits, few took his argument -- that an economic and moral collapse will trigger a civil war and the eventual breakup of the U.S. -- very seriously. Now he's found an eager audience: Russian state media.

In recent weeks, he's been interviewed as much as twice a day about his predictions. "It's a record," says Prof. Panarin. "But I think the attention is going to grow even stronger."

Read the whole story: Wall Street Journal

Comments

[Doofus]

You might wonder what the circumstances might be that would have
the US fall apart. Whether it would be in these particular pieces is a
different question entirely. It could be that most of New England and
other northern states bordering Canada might end up 'Canadian',
and the states of the south-west that used to be Mexican might be
Mexican again. The Old South could become the CSA again, and
the Rocky Mountain region might become the Newly Reconstituted
US of What's Left. But again, under what circumstances? Last time,
there was this big fuss. Maybe this time, from poverty & weariness, it'd
just be like, 'Oh, what the hell. Let's try something completely different.­'
And anyway, it would really confuse the armies of repossession troops
parachuting in from China & Russia.

[Chopin]

You don't quite get it. The same crowd that the people elected into congres and whitehaus voted to de-industrialize American manufacturing and transfer to China legally and without a shot being fired. This massive multi-decade-long project was carried out under the generally accepted comfortable label of "free trade". Modern empires, power, influence and wealth change hands under the most comforting and benign labels. What on earth makes you imagine the future change of power relationships would be done any differently -- right under people's noses, and with their full democratic consent !!!

[serindipity803]

Most of all the 'professor' is mentioned in cafes now, how grand to be a topic of conversation- so few academics are. Like all starlets he has found a way to be recognized and confined in print for his 15 minutes of fame. Congratulations!!

[MyLowell]

yup.

[jeg]

The US is headed for a bad time, yes... but if it didn't cause split in the 1930's, it's unlikely to now. We've also survived one civil war, and remained The United States, so even if there was likely to be a civil war (which it isn't) it doesn't mean the permanent breakup of the country.

Finally, the source of this theory seems to be stuck in the past. His credentials seem to be mostly classified, his basic model seems to be wild speculation.

[jeremiahos]

I completely agree with you.
The report says he made this prediction 10 years ago.

Come on, now...

[DakotaMinnesota]

We came close in the '30s as well. It's just never reported or taught. Research the congressional testimony of General Smedley Butler.

[jake106]

Close is a relative term. They made a proposal to Smedley, he turned them down and reported them to Congress. It ended there. That doesn't really meet the definition of close.

[jeremiahos]

This man has been predicting this for a decade.
However, I doubt this man saw that we were going to turn around before then.

If we had elected John McCain, I can see the US falling apart before then.
However, I trust Barack Obama.

This is a smart man, who has picked smart people.
The United States will not fall under him.

Grant it -- we do have a long way to go before we're back to where we were before Bush.
And we will all have to suffer in some sort of way.
But things will turn around eventually.

Didn't they say we were over right at the start of the Great Depression?

[Discomustachio]

I disagree. I think the election of Obama makes a Civil War way more likely then a McCain Presidency. As a matter of fact Republicans seem to be way more militant and subject to sheepish thinking than are Dems and liberals. I am not presuming that one side or the other is right-that is just my expereince. The idea that liberals would initiate some sort of truly violent civil unrest is a little far fetched-unless the government was imprisioning us or something. But for some on the Republican side they have "God" on their side and with so many convinced that Obama will destroy America they just might be apt to take up arms.

I do agree though that the way this professor splits up the "former US" is pretty nuts. New England and the South as one nation administered by Europe? Yeah right.

[Chopin]

Administered is a hard loaded word to swallow emotionally. How about "supplied through extensive bilateral or multilateral trade deals signed in Brussels, and approved and regulated by authority of the EU parliament"? What do you think what the WTO is, and what functions and powers it exercises OVER THE SOVEREIGNTY OF MEMBER STATES, INCLUDING USA? Your comment and reaction are based on emotions, and not on facts and recent historical trends in world politics and trade.

[stevebest]

Its about time. think of the lives saved if this hppened 8 years ago, and i can finally be canadian!

[MsCanadian]

Maybe the country won't split up, but I do foresee a revolution by 2010 if the economy doesn't improve and corruption in government and finance continues. When people get mad enough...

[ArabsRSemitesPeriod]

America is not going to fall apart ......it looks more and more like its going to the USSR style.

[MelodyCA]

America is not going to become a communist state. Socialism might be embraced more but there is a HUGE difference between socialism and communism.

[Knowitall]

I read many of the comments on this "prediction". Some actually think this could happen! Listen to me. This is Preposterous! As preposterous as all of the predictions about 1984 or Y2K. None of it happened, and It ain't going to happen now. This guy obviously knows very little about the U.S., and the strength of the Union. Seriously, do you think California is going to be part of China, or Texas is going to become part of Mexico, in one and a half years? If so, tell me how....

Relax, and pass the vodka.....

[DakotaMinnesota]

I share your faith in us, but we can't afford to be arrogant about our invincibility either. It is just plain prejudice to think that we value our unity more than Russia did, and history shows that they collapsed. And Britain collapsed before them. And the Holy Roman Empire collapsed before them. And the Roman Empire collapsed before them.

We owe a lot of money, and the people in control of us - not the American people themselves - could easily be sold out to our creditor nations.

Look at Dick Cheney. You think he'd hole up in a 21st century Alamo and fight for his country to the last bullet?? No, and that's why Halliburton now does business out of Dubai.

[jake106]

Actually it isn't all that preposterous. Many of the "states" that made up the Soviet Union were made that way by force. There was no real social-economic ties between them that would make them "want" to be Russian. That is why so many of the Baltic countries split as soon as the Soviet Union collapsed. Once there was no massive military presence forcing them to be Soviet, they left.
Americans may have their political differences, but we aren't being kept together by military force. Also, we have a 200+ year shared history, which is again more than can be said for the Soviet states that split.

[Dave01]

Please please please....­........ca­n we give Texas to Mexico?

[jivillasenor]

..And Alaska to Russia, so then Gov...Prim­ier Palin won't have to look far to see Russia.

[MyLowell]

what would any of these countries want with these areas anyway? they could make more from them by exporting their goods to these areas...th­e russians just want alaska for the oil...

[Soundofthunder]

That would mean Americans getting off of their fat a$$es and giving up TV. Not a chance.

SOT

[SmellyOne]

If America broke up into several different nations, there would be a World War.

[MyLowell]

neh...

[kstuff]

Alright, free health insurance for the midwest and great plains!

[DakotaMinnesota]

That's what I'm talking about!

[TruthHasSpoken]

Nothing new, the Mayans predict the world will end by 2012. If the most powerful nation on earth collapses that most of the rest of the world leaches on for exports, the repercussion would be wide spread and could be a world collapse.

[DeeElla]

Actually, they predicted the end of a cicle, not the end of the world.

[MyLowell]

really...

[loki]

well just look at the political comments by the Right and the constant "jokes" on their propaganda machines like Talk radio and Faux news , for people to rise to arms and take back the country.
You have Jeb Bush openly talking of traitorous actions of starting a shadow gov to disrupt and overthrow Obamas presidency as well as other well known and so called leaders in the Rethuglican party calling for outright rebellion against the new president and those who voted for him. I can agree with this prediction, and of course, I hope I am wrong. But this time, i would bet it is correct because we have seen 8 years of what republican s are capable of.

[teembee]

The guy has a point. The divide between libs and cons has grown so wide it might be beyond repair.
I would be very happy to divide the country in half. Let people decide if they want to live with lib culture or con culture. The country of Libusa gets free abortion on demand, electric cars, no pickup trucks, no oil whatsoever, government education, govt jobs, green everything, no prisons, no jails, no drug laws, and no military industrial complex, no big business, no banks, no Wall Street, no internal combustion engines, no wood products, no plastic, no coal, no nukes, and no plastic bottles.
The country of Conusa ..........­.......wel­l, you get the idea.

[prostock69]

You add "no religion" and I'm there!

[DakotaMinnesota]

Ha. Exactly. And we'll watch the conservs on the other side trying to make their society work with no creativity or ideas... and then they'll invade us and force us back into all the brain jobs.

[teembee]

How could I have forgotten religion? You got it........­no religion, of course that fits right in with the other attributes, doesnt it? One question. Who are you going to pray to when you are freezing to death?

[MelodyCA]

But what happens if the Con Culture wants everybody to be like them? Then we live in a state like 'The Handmaid's Tale'.

If you haven't read the book. I highly recommend it.

[ddanaan]

Both successor states would have to survive on imported oil as long as that lasts (20 years tops), gov't education vs no education is a tradeoff I'd take any day. Last time I'd looked the banks and wall street (New York) were all ours, of course we'd actually keep an eye on them. We'd get Silicon valley and Seattle so I guess that leaves you with an abacus. The only growth industry Conusa has had the last 8 years is religion and crony capitalism so I suppose you can devote your economy to building churches.

[teembee]

Nope. Conusa gets to develop the shale. At least 200 years worth. So after Libusa has frozen to death the Cons go in and get their stuff. Ha Ha.

[sandiaview]

http://www.elpasotimes.com/ci_11326744

Looks like our esteemed military industrial complex agrees with him.