NationStates Jolt Archive

This is a place to play soothsayer. What will the world be like in 20 years, or fifty? I'm not just talking about flying cars and comuter flights to the moon, but politics. Who will be the superpowers? Why them? Will comunism take oer the world, or will we all be ruled by a timocracy? Will we be one planet, or still a bunch of nations? What do you think will happen, can you support it or reason why? Feel free to have fun with this, but try not to be excessively offensive. Keep things civil, please.

The gulf stream will have stopped plunging the British Isles into Ice-Age like conditions; initially this will be bad however things get good again as Scotland becomes a premier skiing/winter sports holiday destination. The 'ageing' population problem is also solved by the cold weather meaning that less money is needed for pensions/care and as such our National health service becomes the envy of Europe.
Europe, and the rest of the world is in recession, causing the large economic powers to pull out of free trade agreements in order to subsidise their own intra-econimies. This leads to a growing humanitarian crises in both Africa and South America.
Also computers are twice as fast and so expensive that only the richest kings in Europe can afford them.

Hmmm...I'd say we're going to be seeing a lot more armed conflict over the next 20 to 50 years as we battle it out over the 'western imperialism' vs. whatever the other sides want to call themselves. I also suspect we will see more environmental-based problems arise as even if we all implemented Kyoto 100% it wouldn't be enough to reverse or even adequately slow environmental degredation. (that and larger populations putting strain on already strained environmental resources)

I see the world waking up to the fact that AIDS needs to be dealt with immediately within the next few decades...especially if new strains of HIV that evolve quickly in AIDS begin to spread. It will stop being an "African" problem and get dealt with somehow.

Life will also go on, and people will cope. I don't want it to sound all negative, but I don't think things are going to get better in terms of conflict for a while. We will, however, continue to have family, love one another and try to build community. Good/bad, like always...just with slightly different obstacles.

Also computers are twice as fast and so expensive that only the richest kings in Europe can afford them.

Quote from that one Simpsons episode, eh? ;)

I think it'll be a bit like Swansea.

Well, there's certainly going to be more conflict, be this a continuing stalemate position in Iraq, invasions of of 'evil' countries or more terrorism in the west.

Things will look more hi-tech, life will be easier, but deep down, nothing much will have changed.

Just out of interest for you lot:
Can We See the Near Future--Year 2025?
http://www.closertotruth.com/topics/technologysociety/106/106transcript.html
Fascintating series. Wish they'd show it here.

This was broadcast in 2000, before the current conflict. Yet they're already prescient:
One myth (of forecasting the future) is the assumption of military stability. It's now becoming cheaper to attack than to defend. I call this a smart war, and it's something new in military history...Maybe there won't be big wars, but one country could decide that it's easier and cheaper to launch a smart attack than to resort to diplomacy.

I think the world is heading to a system where the government sees everything and noone has any freedom as they know there being watched
What with ID cards and stuff we are heading that way already
:(

I hate to make you all feel bad about the fact that the world might not get better but we're running out of fossil fuels and if youve seen the film bladerunner. well I think its going to be very dificcult

I think the world is heading to a system where the government sees everything and noone has any freedom as they know there being watched
What with ID cards and stuff we are heading that way already
:(
Careful what you say. You never know who might be listening!

I hate to make you all feel bad about the fact that the world might not get better but we're running out of fossil fuels and if youve seen the film bladerunner. well I think its going to be very dificcult
On the plus side, there'll be pleasure replicants then!

According to this forum, we'll all be dead. That's right, dead. The US is apparently that bad.

The world has been taken over by the workers, commiepoower, there is no hunger, no poverty, all men are like brothers, but world stil suffers from nuchler waste of ww3, and yeah the US empire has gone down in history books............

I think perhaps in 20 years Social Security will bankrupt the US. It won't be able to cancel SS to save our economy because the liberals won't allow it. Then, when the US crashes, the entire world drops into the worst depression ever. Americans spread out around the world selling weapons and drugs, and killing those few hippies still in existence. The Democratic Nationsl Convention will still be held, even though the US will no longer truly exist in anything but name. Borders will become meaningless since governments will be unable to maintain their nations. Anarchy will reign, followed by attempts at authoritarian governments. However, the Americans, who have by now turned into a vast militia numbering in the tens of millions, will destroy each of these in turn, followed by setting up puppet governments which will rule only the building they are housed in. We Americans will probably then be making our living by selling fast food, while the Southerners such as my self will hunt and fish to sell live game. The Northerners will mostly die out, since none of them will know how to build a McDonald's. The McDonalds will all be destroyed, of course, in the great Atomic disaster of 2035, when all nukes in the world simultaneously go off, miraculously not destroying the planet, as some had expected, but the effects of so much radiation will transform the planet into a giant pumpkin pie, complete with almond clusters. And whipped cream. But the whipped cream will be poisonous essence of radiation, so you can't eat it. All the people of the world will be tranformed. The French will turn into talking flowers that will be called pansies. The Germans will turn into French, infuriating and humiliating them so much that they kill themselves. The Americans will transform into the greatest warriors the world has ever known, no matter that they are only 3 feet tall on average. The English will become good cooks, and will become the greatest American football players in the history of mankind, but their feet will be the size of clown feet, making it impossible for them to play soccer (or football). All Asiatics will be transformed into field mice, but they will be experts in the martial arts and will become the most desirable assassins of the New World. The Australians will sink beneath the ocean and turn into extremely foul-mouthed goldfish.

I like when people high on drugs write in the Forums, makes me happy :)

This is a place to play soothsayer. What will the world be like in 20 years, or fifty? I'm not just talking about flying cars and comuter flights to the moon, but politics. Who will be the superpowers? Why them? Will comunism take oer the world, or will we all be ruled by a timocracy? Will we be one planet, or still a bunch of nations? What do you think will happen, can you support it or reason why? Feel free to have fun with this, but try not to be excessively offensive. Keep things civil, please.
The United Nations will use the United States as its military arm, and war, to all intents and purposes will be a thing of the past. There will be periodic, brief tribal, regional and internal clashes, but these will be quickly ended through use of non-lethal means.

There will be a joint Earth Space Agency, and colonies being developed on Earth's moon and Mars, with others in the planning stages for some of Juipiter's and Saturn's moons. The first interstellar expedition will have been launched toward the nearest star found to have earth-like planets.

Robot and genetic technology will have progressed to the point where artificial intelliegnce and intelligent, biological constructs will be relatively common. As a result, mankind will be entering a new age where only those who want to work will do so. Most work will be performed by specialized robots or specifically designed biological constructs. The elimination of the necessity to spend most waking hours working will usher in a golden age of creativity. Hunger will be a thing of the past.

Due to the eradication of disease and the extension of human lifespans, one of the most pressing issues of the time will be birth control. Barring fatal, irreversable accidents, most humans can expect to live healthy, productive lives of well beyond 100 years.

Other issues which will continue to challenge mankind:

* How to deal with human tendencies toward laziness.

* Boredom.

* Illegal creation of unauthorized life-forms and biological constructs.

* Creation of and addiction to designer drugs, additction to illegal direct-brain stimulation, and sex between base-line humans and biological constructs.

* The problem of what to do with the few remaining addicts to NationStates, particularly the ones addicted to the direct mind link which enables them to experience being a national leader as an internal "reality." :D

Due to the eradication of disease and the extension of human lifespans, one of the most pressing issues of the time will be birth control. Barring fatal, irreversable accidents, most humans can expect to live healthy, productive lives of well beyond 100 years.

I think only the rich will be able to live long lives, as our health care system continues to deteriorate. In fact, I think there will be colonies of poor Americans where disease is rampant and the government and charities make only a token effort at keeping them healthy, especially when it's good for a photo-op during campaigning.

As our scientists continue to work towards cures for all diseases, the diseases themselves become smarter and harder to fight, mutating into superbugs that defy the best efforts of physicians and scientists. Of course, huge amounts of money will be poured into antidotes that only the very rich can afford. However, the unstable economy is no guarantee that even the richest will remain wealthy, especially should they need to expend large amounts of money to obtain a cure.

I think we will see an even greater divide between the "Haves" and "Have Nots", and the US will begin to resemble one of the 3rd world countries of today, with large magnificent palaces lying side by side with filth infested slums.

Something fundamental will happen in the Middle East, or related to the MidEast, that will disrupt the entire structure of the world. This will lead to chaos in the global economy. Simultaneously, the bottom will drop out of the U.S. Social Security plan and equities market (Probably about 2016.)

Much military posturing will occur between governments in and around Israel. Eventually, a "great dictator" will arise and lead a one-world government, which will force all citizens to have a chip with the mark of the beast implanted in their right hand or forehead to participate in the economy.

Anybody who refuses this chip (the implantation of which is a declaration of allegiance to the "beast" for lack of a better term) will be persecuted and, eventually, executed. Concerned individuals will mount a defense of the opressed in vain, and eventually a great civil war will cause all nations to descend upon the valley of Megiddo with whatever miliatry forces they can muster. Many things will get blown up. We could lose a lot of scientific advancement. Then (I personally believe) the one true God will come down and establish a theocracy.

Some speculation for purposes of chronological consistency, but mostly taken from the book of the Revelation of St. John.

I think this countries (USA's) obsession with thinness will become a thing of the past. People will continue to eat healthier to try and head off health problems, but as the possibility of tainted food supplies becomes a reality, there will be less food readily available as shipments need to be held up for inspection. Despite warnings from the government, food suppliers will be slow in developing an efficient way to check food for possible tampering, leading to empty shelves, some fresh foods going bad before they can reach the stores, and rationing of many food staples.

As a result of food shortages, the desirable thing will be to store a little bit of extra body fat, just in case. The top paid models will no longer be waif thin, but will be nicely rounded - a shape all women will strive for.

I like when people high on drugs write in the Forums, makes me happy :)

I think you're the highest one here, what with your commiepower and all.

Don't you know communism was tried and it failed?

-Whiile the US will remain a superpower, China will also be one. It will lead to a cooperative partnership, as China will be a peaceful modern democracy by then.
-Taiwan will be safely called a province of China. It will be peacefully absorbed.
-India will be the regional power that it is, but as it sticks with the caste system, socialism, and a balooning populatiion, iit'll be no farther than it is today.
-The Middle East will be a collection of democracies or constitutional monarchies. Due to the advance banking and trade industries, OPEC will be abolished, and oil will sell for market price.
-While the Russians struggle with regaining their former glory, it is fairly stable and prosperous. The Kremlin is occupied by semi-autocratic liberals.
-Article IX of the Japanese constitution will be repealed, adding political muscle to the economic might. US troops will withdraw from Japan, and the 7th fleet will relocate somewhere near the Straits of Mallacca.
-The EU is egging closer to one nation, but it is stiill many people. All the while, it calcifies into a giant musuem.
-My kitten will be dead by then :(.

Some one will propose a single world government, and fanatics will go crazy. A civil war will break out between christians and Athiests. A descendent of Bush will see this as an opportunity to completely wipe out all the "evil" in America and will use the military in the christians' favor. Outraged by this, European and Middle Eastern countries will rush to the Athiests' aid (France and Iraq). Still outnumbered the Athiests will flee to France and Iraq to regroup. From there, they will launch nuclear missles at Bush's HQ in Austin, Texas. Without their now "Holy Leader" the christians renounce their god and surrender. The Athiests then rule the country. (And Texas, without it's capitol, collapses and secedes from the union.)

Majority of Asia

Through a tight bond of connections, Asia will be a united allegiance with Russia, China, and India as the head nations. India and Pakistan will be at peace although some occasional extremist activities may go on between the borders.

Middle East

Iraq, Syria, Aghanistan, and Iran will all fall out of their democracies that the US set up for them. The Israel and Palestinian conflict will come to an either bloodly end or a diplomatic end. The Middle East will fall out of the picture for a while because of oil shortage (economy going down) but will rebound and play a role in the upcoming War War III.

The West

Canada's population will go up. The US will still be under Republican control. The Eagles will finally win the Superbowl. The US will be in cold conflict with Pakistan but Pakistan will have the support of the Asian Union, putting the US in a difficult position.

Europe

Europe will break out of their neutrality and assist the US. This act may be triggering a clash between the world's two superunions - America/Europe and The Asian Union.

Africa

Africa would introduce a continental currency like the Euro to try and help out the economy. It still wouldn't be worth much. More countries will be coming into a democratic or communist style government. Most civil wars will be at an end.

South America

Finding lots of oil. Asian Union and US/Europe fighting over oil.

Australia

Battleground country. Asian Union and US/Europe trying to convince Australia to join either of their sides.

WORLD WAR III!

older :rolleyes:

-Tony Robbins II will do a line of instructional CDs (for three easy payments of $9.99, plus S&H...call now ) which will get lazy people off their arses around the world. US poverty will be cut in half and world-wide poverty rate will drop about 10% overall. (this thing will reach about $1 billion in sales)

-As a result (or largely as a result), it will be generally realized that personal initiative and the willingness to take a job that isn't necessarily your dream job (to pay the bills) is the answer to defeating poverty... at the same time, taxes will be lowered on the rich and on companies so that they can afford to pay all these new employees. (of course taxes will remain fairly low for lower and middle classes)

-The death penalty will be off the books in all countries but the United Arab Jihadists and North Korea.

-China will win Misster Universe. (male/female pageant... hottest person alive.

-The United States, under the direction of Madam Queen President (insert Bush daughter name here) Bush, will attack the moon after becoming frustrated with the billions wasted on trying to colonize Luna. Madam Queen President Bush will be quoted as saying, "Our strategery didn't work out, we were losing bunches of dinero, and, uh, Saddam Hussein and Usama Bin Laden have been hiding there with their weapons of mass destruction since commie President LeBron Finkelstein let them get away from Camp X-Ray in 2019, so we've decided that the best way to solve all these challenges is to declare war on moon terrorism. The moon is now part of the Axis of Evil along with the UAJ and North Korea."

-People will begin giving a damn about Subway when Jared goes to McDonald's corporate headquarters and takes hostages by sitting on them with his 600-pound body. Of course, it will be telesynchvised.

-Tony Robbins II will do a line of instructional CDs (for three easy payments of $9.99, plus S&H...call now ) which will get lazy people off their arses around the world. US poverty will be cut in half and world-wide poverty rate will drop about 10% overall. (this thing will reach about $1 billion in sales)

-As a result (or largely as a result), it will be generally realized that personal initiative and the willingness to take a job that isn't necessarily your dream job (to pay the bills) is the answer to defeating poverty... at the same time, taxes will be lowered on the rich and on companies so that they can afford to pay all these new employees. (of course taxes will remain fairly low for lower and middle classes)

-The death penalty will be off the books in all countries but the United Arab Jihadists and North Korea.

-China will win Misster Universe. (male/female pageant... hottest person alive.

-The United States, under the direction of Madam Queen President (insert Bush daughter name here) Bush, will attack the moon after becoming frustrated with the billions wasted on trying to colonize Luna. Madam Queen President Bush will be quoted as saying, "Our strategery didn't work out, we were losing bunches of dinero, and, uh, Saddam Hussein and Usama Bin Laden have been hiding there with their weapons of mass destruction since commie President LeBron Finkelstein let them get away from Camp X-Ray in 2019, so we've decided that the best way to solve all these challenges is to declare war on moon terrorism. The moon is now part of the Axis of Evil along with the UAJ and North Korea."

-People will begin giving a damn about Subway when Jared goes to McDonald's corporate headquarters and takes hostages by sitting on them with his 600-pound body. Of course, it will be telesynchvised.

But Jared's thin now!

It would be cool actually if one of the Bush daughters was one of our first woman presidents. But that is a ways into the future because you're not allowed to run for president until you're forty something.

This is a place to play soothsayer. What will the world be like in 20 years, or fifty? I'm not just talking about flying cars and comuter flights to the moon, but politics. Who will be the superpowers? Why them? Will comunism take oer the world, or will we all be ruled by a timocracy? Will we be one planet, or still a bunch of nations? What do you think will happen, can you support it or reason why? Feel free to have fun with this, but try not to be excessively offensive. Keep things civil, please.

What is a timocracy?

I see the future as something like this:

The US, whilst still the world's most powerful nation, undergoes a crippling depression due to the government attempting to pay off a monstrous debt. US forces, suffering defeat in Iraq, Afghanistan and other parts of the world, get withdrawn back to their homeland. The US initially becomes isolationist due to its chronic depression and plays no part in world affairs.

Meanwhile, China, having finally overtaken the US as the world's most poweful economy, stretches its muscles and takes over Taiwan. Japan, breaking its ties with the US, forms an economic union with China, with South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and a reviving Vietnam all becoming part of a Greater East Asia Economic Sphere, dominated by China.

Europe will become more and more integrated, with all but a few small countries becoming part of the EU. Britain, renouncing all ties to is commonwelath, becomes a full EU member and the EU becomes a major world power again, dominating world politics once the US becomes isolationist.
Russia meanwhile, will go back to a system similar to the old Tzarist Empire, with lots of corruption and poor economic growth, high death rates, due to the fact the Ukraine and Belarus also end up joining the EU.

The Middle East will decline in important intially as the US withdraws from the area. Iraq becomes a shiite theocracy like Iran, or a sub-democratic regime with a nominal head of state. Israel finally gives into pressure and a new Palestine state is formed. Iran's theocracy might collapse and the country return to a semi-democratic rule.

Africa becomes even more plagued with wars and famine, as the schism between Northern Muslims and Black Africans erupts into open violence across all central African nations. Only a few nations will escape.

Australia will eventually break away from Britain and become a republic, but whether or it will move closer to the US, or establish a firm bond with Indonesia depends on how signifigant the US's depression is. NZ establishes closer economic ties with Australia.

All of these developments have a highly likely chance of leading to another World War between the failing US and the rising China, with the victor not to be decided until after the greatest slaughter in all of mankind has been played out.

China will continue gathering power for the next twenty years and will become the leading place of scientific devolopment being only comparable to United Europe and America. While this is happening the Soviet Union will be reformed and will basically come under the domain of China. Chine will invade Taiwan when the Taiwanese issue a formal declaration of Independance.

Pope John Paul will die and be replaced with a unexpected Pope.

There will be anuclear incident.

There will be an attack on the internet.

Robot wifes will be expensive and hard to maintain.

Mobile phones will be wrist watches with voice and face recognition technology. GPS will be standard and you can always get a signal. Africa will purchase more mobile phones than any other continent.

There'll be a coup in Australia
It'll be be a big failure

There will be combat in Antartica.

Hipsters are in.

Australia will start to become terraformed by a huge national project known as the Lake Eyre scheme, where a 200m canal will be built from the sea to lake eyre. Salinity will be a major problem, but will not be recognized until it is either too late or after it's too late.

Indonesia will split apart. Iraq will be split into two, the bottom half joining Iran, which will become a democracy.

Madonna will do "Sex on a stick" 2025 world tour. Tuppaware will be in, as well as pinstripes. The Hadjeb (sp) will become a fashion statement and even non-Muslims will wear it which will cause some Muslims to shun it.

I still won't have a fucking flying car. :mad:

We will try and send a man to Mars and succeed, alas he won't be alive to talk about it.

There will be reruns of M*A*S*H.

There will be a charismatic wolrd leader who is killed.

But Jared's thin now!

It would be cool actually if one of the Bush daughters was one of our first woman presidents. But that is a ways into the future because you're not allowed to run for president until you're forty something.


But he's still a big pain in the ass!

The minimum age for presidency in the US is 35, I believe.

Wow, I've only been here a few months and somebody's already copied one of my threads. :p

Nah think Fallout:

America annexes Canada so they can build a huge land based oil pipe system to feed their ever growing energy consumption.

Meanwhile Europe and her sister countries break apart and all out war occurs, coutries like Poland, Germany, France and Spain constantly fight one another for the measily remaining fossil fuel reserves.....

Meanwhile, the Chinese declare all out war on the USA, American troops are quickly dispatched with the new Powered Armour Mk 1, while the war in China is raging the Chinese respond with a world wide tactical nuclear launch, America and other countries fire off their nuclear arsenals as well.

The world is plunged into nuclear devestation.

One of the big-time posters on this board (my money's on TIN) will be ruling, if not then world, then at least a couple of continents.

If there isn't an ice age in 20 years, I'M LEAVING!

*Prepares his rocket ship*

One of the big-time posters on this board (my money's on TIN) will be ruling, if not then world, then at least a couple of continents.

If anyone from this board comes to hold any elected office of power, I'm jumping from the highest building.

China will continue to grow economically and militarily. Europe will integrate further in the face of stiff economic competition from both the USA and China. there'll be 3 superpowers, we'll have a war and we will all die.

world :confused: whar world?...i thik it will look like this in any case
http://www.nwrc.usgs.gov/world/images/mars.jpg

OR this
http://www.astro.washington.edu/weblinks/Earth/earth.gif

First Communism will not regin!

There will be a united States of Europe, maybe with a slightly more original name.
There will a muslim majority in this USE, more Muslim states will be in the USE.
Possibly Israel as well.
I'm gonna be supremely optimistic here and hope that the situation in N. Ireland will have eased off as one of several things will happen:

1)Either the Protestants or Catholics will populate enough to hold a majority, then demanding the return (in case of catholics) to the Republic, causing a walking disaster of a united Ireland.

2)The above won't happen, but Adams, Pasiely and the other feinds will drop dead and won't be followed by their crazy offspring

3) The British Monarch will all be wiped out in a mis guide flying grape fruit

4) The situation will stay the same.

Palestine may not be solved but will be loads better.

Iraq will still be very fragile, as will most of the middle east.

Australia will do something interesting other than promote cuddly tree bears

In accordance with Bush's dying wish democracy will have spread but will have destablised the region.

The same will have happened in Africa and it will become the new middle east.

Chelsea Clinton will be president..if her mummy has anything to do with it!

If anyone from this board comes to hold any elected office of power, I'm jumping from the highest building.


Then get ready I've already been elected to an office of power and doing many great things with it!

1. China will hit a period of stagflation. This will occur due to a combination of factors, including
a) no longer being an aid recipient
b) having to unpeg the Yuan from the dollar, thus setting off inflation
c) After an inital round of shopping, Chinese citizens start carrying debt.
d) The lack of raw materials at a cheap price will halt industry.

On the upside, China will have mostly completed it's "long-road" strategy towards Democratization.

2. Iran will have suffered a counter-revolution and will be a republic, albeit not likely a pro-western one.

3. White Russia (Belarus) will merge with Russia.

4. Ukraine joins NATO, much to Poland's relief and Russia's angst.

5. Western Europe & the Euro will be ground down by the preponderance of the welfare state; Germany especially will feel the pain of having too many pensioners and not enough workers.

6. The US will still be debating Social Security reform, while Medicare implodes.

7. The US and Mexico will set up a real border.

8. India will go through an outsourcing nightmare, as companies flee for Kenya or Nigeria.

9. There will be a major South American conflict in Columbia/Venezuela.

10. AIDS will continue to decimate southern and central Africa.

11. In second and first world nations, alternative energy will finally be having it's day, and new, fourth generation hybrid cars will be the norm, not the exception.

One of the big-time posters on this board (my money's on TIN) will be ruling, if not then world, then at least a couple of continents.
TIN?? pah! :rolleyes: meeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!1!!11!

It if this got started...

http://www.ipnsig.org/techinfo.htm

Play NationStates from Neptune! :D

Doom rained forth upon the earth from above (as oppose to raining from below) in 2033 and humanity was near extinction. Australia was forced to evacuate on September 3rd as the continent was consumed by an eternaly burning fire. The US became a hazardous zone as nuclear waste (from a mysterious fast food restaurant) turned most of it's citizens into demonic mutants which are at war with canada and mexico who sadly had no hope of victory. In 2034 there was a large migration to Great Britan to escape the mutants but unfortunately this alowed the poison to spread and the country was demolished in mere hours. Years later as the world approached it's end a new strain of virus was contracted in China and caused and whiped out the mutants in a few days which all of the worlds forces could not do in years. This led to a new source of food and with some help Brin Colgevitz became the sole vendor of mutant cabobs. However the prosperity was short lived as demons come from deep in the earth and ended all human life. All countries not forementioned were destroyed by the US in 2010... exept for Brazil, that was China's fault in 2009.

Also, I'm pretty sure a flying car and a computer flight to the moon were made at some point in that time period.