US will disintegrate into six blocs by 2010: Russian academic

Moscow, Mar.31 (ANI): A Russian academic has predicted that the United States will disintegrate into six blocs by the summer of 2010, and warned that world leaders attending the second G-20 Summit in London will not be able to reverse the global recession or halt the inevitable collapse of the US economy.

In his interview with Sky News, Professor Igor Panarin said he came up with his grim forecast back in 1998 while analyzing the parallels between the Soviet Union in its final years and the current situation in the US.

"Mr. Obama is similar to the last Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. Gorbachev was also making great promises for the Soviet Union, but the situation was only getting worse," he said.By next summer, according to Professor Panarin, the US will disintegrate into six blocs - and everyone will get their piece.

The "Californian Republic" will fall under China's influence, "the Texas region" under Mexico's while Alaska will revert to Russian control.

Hawaii will come under Japanese or Chinese rule, East Coast states should join the EU, while central northern parts of the US may gradually drift under Canada's influence.

Panarin is the dean of International Relations at Moscow's prestigious Diplomatic Academy.

His high-profile students have included parliamentary deputies, regional leaders, Kremlin officials and Foreign Ministry spokespeople.

When he presented his views in a public lecture earlier this month, the Ministry invited foreign diplomats and media to attend.

Panarin's controversial predictions have also been given a prominent platform in his country's state media. His interview to a Russian daily was translated by a state news agency into four languages.

He has appeared on state-controlled TV channels, his views broadcast to local and worldwide audiences in Russian, English and Arabic.

Panarin's predictions offer comforting words for Russians who have seen their economy hit hard by the economic downturn after the oil-fuelled boom years.

He sees Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin "as a leader who will reintegrate the post-Soviet space, create a Eurasian Union, modelled after the European Union. (ANI)