I remember when I was considered somewhat of a doomsayer -- by our own Jerome -- for stating here that the major challenge of the early 21st century would be for the world to deal with the collapse of the American Empire.

And now, behold, a few years later, we're talking revolution here as if it were a garden party.

I still believe the American Empire will collapse; in fact, the collapse has already begun. But like the Colonial Empires of France and England in the early 1900s, or the Soviet Union in the late 1990s, I don't think a revolution is in the cards, although I'm not entirely ruling out a break-up of the Union by 2020 or 2030.

I think the near future of America will look something like today's Russia crossed with Brazil -- all analogies have limits, of course. No revolutions there.

Besides, when the elites have automated killer robots on their side, the prospect of an armed revolution looks bleak.