"God alone knows the future, but only an historian can alter the past."--Ambrose Bierce

"History teaches everything including the future."--Lamartine

"Whoever wishes to foresee the future must consult the past; for human events ever resemble those of preceding times. This arises from the fact that they are produced by men who ever have been, and ever shall be, animated by the same passions, and thus they necessarily have the same results."--Machiavelli

"History cannot give us a program for the future, but it can give us a fuller understanding of ourselves, and of our common humanity, so that we can better face the future."--Robert Penn Warren

While one of the most annoying habits of the media is that they are always asking historians to predict the future--as if historians don't have trouble enough with the past!--we thought it might be useful to find out what course our readers think the impending war with Iraq will take. (As of the posting of this page--March 10, 2003--it appears that war is inevitable unless Saddam is either captured, assassinated or forced into exile.)

Will the war be short? Are the Kurds and Turks likely to come into conflict? Will the Shiites in the South use a war to settle scores with the Iraqi overlords who have made their lives so miserable during Saddam's reign? Is a war likely to end in a democratic Iraq? Is a war likely to enhance the prospects of democracy in the Middle East? Is the United Nations going to emerge from this crisis stronger or weaker? What impact will a war have on the Bush presidency? Is a war likely to result in the re-election of President Bush?

In your responses please use examples from history to bolster your analysis.

You can provide your response below on HNN's discussion board. Next week we will publish a selection of representative responses as a separate article.

Please be sure to identify yourself by name and academic affiliation.