GUEST VOICE: Oxblog Predicting 2005

Serious predictions for 2005 from Oxblog’s Josh Chafetz:

Only a fool would make definite, falsifiable predictions on a short time scale, but I’ll play the quasi-fool and make a few very general ones. I think we’ll see remarkable progress on the Israeli-Palestinian front, resulting from a combination of the Gaza withdrawal, the January Palestinian elections, and a general Palestinian weariness with violence. I think European-American relations will return to pre-2003 levels of friendliness. I think Putin will continue to consolidate power in an unhealthy way in the absence of an effective opposition. I think Iraq will continue to be a mess, but a mess that will begin showing some signs of improvement by the fall. I think social security reform will probably fail to happen. And I haven’t a clue who will be Chief Justice of the United States this time next year, but if you really forced me to bet on someone, the name I’d give you would be Michael McConnell.