Iraq George Bush will reveal that he was actually just kidding about Iraq; he never intended to invade Iraq after all. The entire "axis of evil" scenario and the threats against Saddam Hussein were all part of a master plan to eliminate sanctions against Iraq and re-establish normal diplomatic relations. "Saddam", Bush will say, "is actually a down-home kind of guy."
American and British physicists will make a startling announcement in June concerning the nature of the universe that will be widely interpreted as incontrovertible evidence for the supernatural. Religious acolytes and believers in the occult will be pleased.
Middle East After several months without a single terrorist attack, Palestinians will commit a mega-terror event in a large city in Israel bordering on the sea. The carnage will be so great that even Europeans will express sympathy. Israel will respond to the attack with the establishment of internment camps and the arrest of Arafat. After evidence mounts implicating the involvement of Arab countries, American, Russian and Australian troops will be forced to intervene.
Barbra Streisand, the Hollywood spelling champion of 2002, will start a campaign to become president of the United States. However, shortly after selecting the noted historian Woody Harrelson as her running mate and the pacifist Sean Penn as Secretary of State, her campaign will end abruptly when, in a rare candid moment, Barbra admits that she actually knows no more about politics, economics, or international affairs than Sally Struthers. The final blow will come when it is revealed that many younger voters are under the mistaken impression that Barbra Streisand is a toy made by Mattel.
Elian Gonzales will come back to the U.S. from Cuba, only to be deported as an undesirable alien.
Mt Etna will become dormant and remain so until its major eruption in 2017, followed by a more devastating eruption three years later.
Falunism begins The first meeting of the society that eventually will become the core of the Falunist Revolutionary Movement will take place in Vladivostok. The Juguang, another group destined to play a major role in reshaping eastern Asia, will carry out their first large scale covert mission in Japan in 2003 or 2004.
Canada will attempt to join the EU, but will be rejected because its government did not indulge in gratuitous America-bashing until 2002. Prime Minister Jean Chretien will vow to try harder in 2004.
Muslims will change the Islamic calendar. In the new calendar, the month of Ramadan will last for 11 1/2 months, thus making it a violation of their religion for Westerners to retaliate against terrorist acts committed by Muslims at any time except for the two weeks in July when they are all on vacation.