Posted: 10 Worst Predictions of 2008

What seems like conventional wisdom one day, can be turned on its head pretty quickly. A first-term senator with an exotic-sounding name can defeat the biggest brand in Democratic politics. Decades of unprecedented economic growth can end with a bang. A multi-billion dollar industry can find itself at the mercy of a ragtag group of ...

By , a former associate editor at Foreign Policy.

What seems like conventional wisdom one day, can be turned on its head pretty quickly. A first-term senator with an exotic-sounding name can defeat the biggest brand in Democratic politics. Decades of unprecedented economic growth can end with a bang. A multi-billion dollar industry can find itself at the mercy of a ragtag group of pirates on inflatable rafts. The 10 wannabe Nostradamuses on our list of the “Ten Worst Predictions for 2008” went out on a limb by forecasting the events of a dramatic year, and came crashing dramatically down to Earth.

What seems like conventional wisdom one day, can be turned on its head pretty quickly. A first-term senator with an exotic-sounding name can defeat the biggest brand in Democratic politics. Decades of unprecedented economic growth can end with a bang. A multi-billion dollar industry can find itself at the mercy of a ragtag group of pirates on inflatable rafts. The 10 wannabe Nostradamuses on our list of the “Ten Worst Predictions for 2008” went out on a limb by forecasting the events of a dramatic year, and came crashing dramatically down to Earth.

And if you haven’t checked it out yet, our list of the "Top 10 Stories You Missed in 2008" is also live.

Joshua Keating was an associate editor at Foreign Policy. Twitter: @joshuakeating

Tag: Media

More from Foreign Policy

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping give a toast during a reception following their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow on March 21.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping give a toast during a reception following their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow on March 21.

Can Russia Get Used to Being China’s Little Brother?

The power dynamic between Beijing and Moscow has switched dramatically.

Xi and Putin shake hands while carrying red folders.
Xi and Putin shake hands while carrying red folders.

Xi and Putin Have the Most Consequential Undeclared Alliance in the World

It’s become more important than Washington’s official alliances today.

Russian President Vladimir Putin greets Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
Russian President Vladimir Putin greets Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

It’s a New Great Game. Again.

Across Central Asia, Russia’s brand is tainted by Ukraine, China’s got challenges, and Washington senses another opening.

Kurdish military officers take part in a graduation ceremony in Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s Kurdistan Region, on Jan. 15.
Kurdish military officers take part in a graduation ceremony in Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s Kurdistan Region, on Jan. 15.

Iraqi Kurdistan’s House of Cards Is Collapsing

The region once seemed a bright spot in the disorder unleashed by U.S. regime change. Today, things look bleak.