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

[newdates]

My prediction is Russia will collapse first around 2030.

This Russian professor has dreamed in his utopia. He regrets to see Alaska is under USA control.
Sour grape talk.

[begabug]

the cubs in 2012.

[Agentprovokatur]

Interesting - Seems the Russians are now leading in the recycling of baloney.

From the full story:

"During an appearance on the state TV channel Rossiya, the station cut between his comments and TV footage of lines at soup kitchens and crowds of homeless people in the U.S."

When I was in Junior High decades ago I recall seeing a double propaganda film. Double in that it was a U.S. made Anti-Communism move - old style from the 1950's that we were watching mostly for kicks for a Civics class. It was describing 1930's Soviet Propaganda films and showed one they made with pictures of - people lined up at soup kitchens - with the tune of "Brother can you Spare a Dime" playing and predicting the fall of the U.S. and its conversion to Communism.

Wishful thinking then and and delusional dreaming now.

The U.S. will not collapse entirely and Communism has no chance.

Maybe an end to Laissez Faire Capitalism as our state Economic Religion perhaps.

[lovered]

Of course its going to get worse. We just elected someone who has NO idea what he's doing. South Chicago anybody?

[JohnJames]

South Chicago? It's only the home of Hyde Park and the University of Chicago - one of the most seriously intellectual places on the planet. W would feel very uncomfortable there, but we've now seen what proud anti-intellectualism can do to this country.

[bdaved]

He's been listening to "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown."

[AnalyzeIT]

What part of "civil war" do you not understand?

This has nothing to do with South Chicago, but everthing to do with people of your particular mindset.

[cjk002]

It just burns you up that Obama is doing a good job isn't it?

What exactly does the South Chicago reference mean? Do you mean the South side of Chicago? If so, what's your point?

[sonofdy1]

Obamas doing a good job? The guy isn't even sworn in yet!!!!

Obamabots are funny little creatures.

[Chatto]

What do you mean by "South Chicago?: Explain yourself.

[Knowitall]

Perhaps we should have kept the genius, Bush? Don't you realize that this guy is basing his prediction on the mess that Bush has left this country in, especially economically. Wake up!

[orangepetal]

Sounds like a Russian night dream. You know the ones you have that are about your subconcious fears.
Anyway, everybody should start being real nice to Sarah, just to make sure Todd keeps being proud to be an American (JOKE).

[LiberalIncarnate]

This theory is full of holes. It is obvious that this professor doesn't know much about the US. While it is possible that the US will split up. Our country is so divided now, but it may not be such a bad thing really.

The south may very well divide from the rest of us, but they will not be taken over, nor heavily influenced by Mexico. If they did break off, the most racist and ring-wing citizens would likely join them and frankly, they hate anyone with dark skin and an accent.

Although, Canada may like to have influence or take over a portion of the US... would it be more trouble than its worth? Also, Canada's population is so small... such a take over would be impossible.

Republic of California... possible, but please leave out Utah. Even as big and powerful as China is, they could not take over by force the western US. It would bankrupt their country. Too many mountains to traverse. It would end up being their own Afghanistan. The western US is more likely to be influenced by western Canadian politics than the Chinese.

As for the Eastern US, it is possible that they would seek a much closer alliance with the EU. That is the only part of his argument that is even modestly plausible.

All in all, this professor knows less than I do about the US and that is not saying much all things considered.

[Amalek]

I think you miss the point. This will not be a takeover by force.

This will simply be some friendly countries coming in to lend a hand to a bankrupt, destitute, homeless faction of the former great United States of America.

Marx predicted this. He said that capitalism would turn upon itself and destroy itself.

[dotmafia]

There is a huge difference between believing this will happen, and wanting this to happen. While he may think he has foresight into the ongoing trends and patterns, both inside and outside of America, it is quite apparent that Mr. Panarin wishes more than anything that this will happen so that it validates his rantings. It is for this reason alone that his words should be greeted with a healthy dose of skepticism. It's very possible that the U.S. may undergo drastic internal changes... any idiot can predict that, given the current dreadful state of affairs. However, I believe it would be a stretch to buy into Mr. Panarin's thinking that this is all going to occur for the benefit of Russia. Russia has nothing to gain from such a massive collapse, and indeed it seems that Mr. Panarin is just blatantly attempting to tap into the remaining anti-americanism in his country, brought on by 8 years of this "administration" from hell. Panarin must not like the hope and promise that Mr. Obama portents, for that would most surely be the end of the attention he's been getting with his so-called "predictions".

[voltaire11]

Intellectual absurdity as reported by the Russian state media. I think there is more proclivity to Russia splitting than the United States. I would invite this professor to investigate his own country splitting along religious and cultural differences. Here in the US, we are more united than ever--we voted out Bush.

[Shanti]

Well, when Russia takes Alaska back; at least we get rid of Sarah Palin!

[rubygreen]

We should just give it to them. Happily! Maybe they could understand her language better than us.

[Chatto]

Better than we. Get a grammar text, please, before you start diss' others. Not that I like Palin.

[Yermammy]

Yes! Then, she can see the Kremlin from her house :)

[67yrolfe]

“Around the end of June 2010, or early July, he says, the U.S. will break into six pieces -- with Alaska reverting to Russian control.”>>>>>>>>>This is great news if we can get it done without a civil war. Putin can deal with Sarah Palin and her Wasilla hillbilly clan. She won't have to look far to see Russia from her house!

[Aaryck]

It will be a cold day in hell before we ever break our country up into sections controlled or dominated by other countries....NEVER! I don't want to say what a ridiculous notion because one never knows what the future will hold but most of us in this country will fight that idea of breaking us up.

[LaMasMaja]

By now it should be clear that we are headed for rougher times. This should come as no surprise to anyone who has even only taken glimpses at the headlines. When Obama says that things will get worse before they get better - he is not kidding. And when Obama says that we have gone through worse and will ge through this one - he is not kidding. It seems to me that predictions such as these really say more about the author than it does the people he is predicting about. It also points to his state of mind. As a close witness to the Cold War, he is well aware of the resilience of the United States. That resilience has not faded rather is has become stronger.

[shengirl]

I see this as more a sign of Russia's weakness than ours. The Russian people have long had a mystical streak. They know, deep down, that their country is in serious trouble, the military is weak, most of their income comes from oil, now at less than $40 a barrel, and they have shed countries with the fall of the Soviet Union. The fact that the Russian leaders and media are so eager to believe this "prophecy" shows they are grasping at straws and falling back on some quasi-mystical salvation. The US will fail catastrophically and they will be the world's superpower again. It says a lot more about them than it does us.

[Hoelder]

Besides feeding into anti American sentiment, there are some good points to this. The GOP strategy of divisive politics has revved up again against Obama. The racist undertones would be so important if only 5% of the voters support it, but making songs of it and having a large junk of the electorate voting for that tone, makes you wonder whether the right wing subscribes to the notion: "if we can't have it, you can't have." In no other industrial country is the government declaring war on different segments of the population. The war on the poor as habitual drunks and welfare moms supporting a luscious welfare check in popping out kids or the no questions asked bail out of wealthy bankers while the homeowners were way over their head and intensionally did not read the fine print of the mortgage contract. The government made more difficult to file bankruptcy for individuals but left the corporations out. Raising taxes on those who have more than plenty becomes a moral question, but off shoring is a business decision to keep labor cost low. Countries usually implode from the inside. Sooner or later our children will not want to pay of the national debt. The exodus of intelligence has already started.

[NChooseK]

These kind of "America is going to split into pieces" ideas have been around for quite a while, at least since the 1970s. I don't put much stock in them.

If there is going to be a Mexican sphere of influence, it's much more likely to spread from Texas west to the Pacific than from Texas east to the Atlantic. Of all the parts of the U.S., the Southeast is much more likely than any other region not to get picked up by nay remaining major power, which is to say the Confederacy will rise again and become the third world nation it has always deserved to be.

[LiberalIncarnate]

I totally agree with you here.

[begabug]

the south shall rise again...again.

[cjk002]

What you seem to be missing is the fact that people of those regions will never allow it, especially if it's Mexico. That's why they cling to their guns. Besides that, where will Mexico get the money and the military to control an area of land larger than Mexico itself and with a population as least as large?

This guy doesn't know what he's talking about, he says the conflict will start when the states start witholding their monetary contributions to the federal government. What he doesn't seem to understand is that it works the other way around, The federal government taxes individuals and then redistributes it to the states based on population. If he doesn't understand the way our government works, then how can he predict it's demise?

[SmellyOne]

I'm going to say something dangerous here....

All you people who like this idea are "Anti-American".

[JohnJames]

I have little doubt we'd all pull together in the end. Our differences aren't greater than the glorious ideals that bind us together.

[SmellyOne]

Yes, but read what some Red-State Haters are writing... they would love to have the South removed from the Union.

They are "Anti-American".

[stevebest]

you would have to eithter believe bush or have no idea what is going on in the world to be pro american