If the United States of America stays on its current course, which is tending toward socialism, the state of Texas will apply to secede from the union, followed soon by Arizona. In Canada, Alberta will be the first to attempt to secede from that nation, joined thereafter by British Columbia. The provinces will ask the USA to join as states.

Germany will be the first nation to pull out of the ever-weakening European Union, followed (of course) by France. Such a withdrawal will spell the end for the euro as a global currency with the reintroduction of the mark and the franc. The only way the union can stay alive is if a deal is made for Germany and France to control Europe; otherwise it will collapse.

The above are among many bold predictions for the near future by Tom Faranda, a global strategist who addressed the annual Converter Meeting of the Tag & Label Manufacturers Institute on February 23 in Naples, FL, USA. He gave the nearly 100 members present two hours of insight into what they can expect when conducting business with companies around the world. Some of his thoughts were stunning.

Economically, Russia is now in free fall, he said, but it will revive, stay dangerous, and become more so. “Don’t ever trust them,” Faranda advised.

The Middle East, he predicts, will melt down and will not recover. “This is a region with a uni-economy – oil – and terrible leadership,” he said. “The common people have nothing, the education systems are no good, and there is no plan beyond oil.”

Among Faranda’s other predictions:

• China has passed Germany to be the world’s third largest economy, and will pass Japan to become second by the end of 2010. Between 2012 and 2015, China will have an economic meltdown and will regrow. Right now, 30 percent of China’s banks are insolvent, and the nation is five GDP points away from a revolution. “The Chinese really don’t like to hear me say that,” he said.

• India will catch up to China, economically, “assuring that China’s meltdown is deep.” India’s model is to become the world’s knowledge center, an achievable goal (The country has more billionaires than any other.). Still, India has huge problems with its unwieldy bureacracy, corruption, severe class inequality, huge media and environmental problems, and the lack of trades people. “I think that India is the most difficult country to figure out,” Faranda says.

• Cuba wil become the No. 1 tourist destination in the Western Hemisphere, and the No. 1 convention destination anywhere.

• South Africa will become the best medical vacation destination, as well as for those seeking cosmetic surgery and accompanying safaris.

• The future will see the end of the Pax Americana: “There will be a new shared power in the world.”