this section covers deals with lessons we can take from history to predict, prevent and understand the future.
- history has been plagued by epidemics/pandemics. what were the lessons from other outbreaks that were ignored in the handling of the covid-19 pandemic that we should learn from and how could they be implemented in future outbreaks?
- what does history teach us about national bullying? relate events from previous periods (crusades, sino-japanese wars, nazism in europe, north korea, etc) to current events (crimea, ukraine, etc) and predict their outcomes using historical justification.
- map the potential trajectory for a future china, using its history since the revolution as a starting point.
- select a country where populism is a significant issue (united states, united kingdom, brazil, germany, etc) and map its history, present and likely future path, offering potential breakpoints and outcomes if the trend continues.
- compare the history, present situation and potential future outcomes of queer policy in three countries of distinctly-different approaches to questions of identity and sexuality (for example, the united states, saudi arabia and south korea or canada, poland and india).
- in an age of nuclear weapons in the hands of frequent and unrestrained aggressors like russia, is it ever wise to fight back? discuss the history of armed resistance in a specific instance and a potential future scenario for a small country being invaded by a major nuclear power like russia, india or the united states.
- under what circumstances can israel continue to survive following the acquisition of nuclear arms by iran? discuss the history of israel in the context of survival and what options may exist for its continued existence surrounded by nations actively pursuing its elimination.
- map the linguistic history of a region of the western hemisphere and plot its potential trajectory and the impact of language revival on future relations with the current governing system in the area. (for example, does the continued use of nahuatl and its growing popularity in mexico have potential impact on mexican-american relations? does the expansion of awareness of maya change anything for local governments?)
- what is the historical impact of the ubiquitous internet on international relations between two distant countries? give specific historical background before, during and after the transition to internet connectivity between any two countries more than five-hundred kilometers apart.
- what is the future for a divided or unified korean peninsula? discuss its historical context and potential future.
- select a potential invasion scenario and discuss its historical motivation, potential flashpoint, cultural and social reactions from the world and its major governments and likely outcomes both in terms of territory and international relations. (some potential examples include china invading siberia, the united states invading mexico or the canadian prairies, iran invading israel, north korea invading the south, japan invading eastern russia and israel invading egypt or the reverse.)
- why are future viral outbreaks unavoidable? justify with historical examples and offer lessons to be taken from history about their management and avoidance.
- compare how the internet is changing government and its relationship to its citizens in two culturally-different countries in the same region (for example, china and japan or the united states and brazil) giving historical background and predictions for the future.
- describe a historically-informed approach to the rise of artificial intelligence using specific examples.
- map the past, present and future of fossil fuel dependency in any major developed nation using specific examples.
- under what circumstances, if any, is it justifiable for one country to occupy and annex another? justify your answer historically and predict its application to a future scenario including a discussion of international reactions to such an action.
- what is the impact of a shift away from the previously-significant print/press culture of previous eras? is there a historical precedent for this type of change? use specific examples to justify a prediction for its outcomes.
- why has the threat of nuclear conflict not ended war? justify your answer with historical examples.
- is global governance possible or are people historically-conditioned to fight?
- is there a benefit to self-determination or is that nothing more than a road to populism and self-harm on a national scale? justify with historical precedent.
- where are new terrorist threats likely to come from? compare this to how they have developed in the past.
- discuss the historical lessons potentially relevant to the future discovery of life on another planet.
- plot the rise of media corporations and their power to influence history in one specific geographic location.
- discuss the rise of populist, anti-education culture in the west from a historical perspective giving specific examples.
- is there a potential future time when race is no longer relevant? justify your answer using historical examples.
- trace the path leading to a second potential antisemitic holocaust. using historical examples, justify a plan to stop it occurring.
- discuss the future potential for global communism (a world of enforced equality without economic competition, markets or currency) using specific historic examples.
- is the elimination of gender as a discriminatory element in society possible? justify your position historically, focusing on a single geographic location.
- is there a potential human future without significant environmental destruction? justify your answer with specific historical references.
- explore the historical impact a truly global single currency could have and justify your predictions with specific examples.