Yes, I will make the forecast that the future is not very solidly forecastable.
I was certainly totally surprised by what developed in terms of 9/11 and then the involvement in the Afghan mission that followed. I was totally surprised by the Arab Spring, surprised by the revolution and civil war in Libya, and surprised by a whole bunch of other events that are going on around the world.
If you ask somebody in the strategic studies business to make a hard forecast, you're going to get a very cold stare.