For the past ten years, a prominent Russian professor named Igor Panarin has been saying that the United States will tear itself apart both economically and morally by the year 2010. Up until recently, his claims were largely ignored. In light of recent events, however, the Russian state media has begun paying a lot of attention to what Mr. Panarin has to say.

While he may sound crazy at first, it’s worth noting that this guy is an accredited professor, a respected expert on U.S.-Russian relations, and he happens to be a former member of the KGB. There’s a full write-up on him in this Wall Street Journal article.

I’m not saying that I believe any of this. I do think it’s interesting, though.