Map of the Day: Ex-KGB Analyst Predicts Balkanization of U.S.

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Those sneaky Ruskies. For those of us who love spy thrillers, the story of the sleeper cell (a.k.a. the Illegals Program) that spent the last 15 years infiltrating American "policy-making" circles is certainly fascinating and will only get more interesting as the details leak out.

While they were cozying up in America, a prominent Russian professor named Igor Panarin was making rounds in that country's policy-making circles, also doing his best to undermine America. The map below is his creation. Released in 1998, it predicted the breakup of the U.S. into six pieces by 2010.

He seems to suggest that each would be its own republic, but if not, that  the North would fall under Canadian influence, the South would fold into Mexico's sphere of influence, the West would go to China, the East to the E.U., Hawaii to Japan or China, and of course Alaska would be returned to Russia.

Crazy, right? Well, the Wall Street Journal reports: "Panarin is not a fringe figure. A former KGB analyst, he is dean of the Russian Foreign Ministry's academy for future diplomats. He is invited to Kremlin receptions, lectures students, publishes books, and appears in the media as an expert on U.S.-Russia relations."


06 29 Russian Panarin Map

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Patrick Ottenhoff has been writing The Electoral Map blog since 2007. A former staff writer for National Journal Group and project manager at New Media Strategies, he now attends Georgetown's McDonough School of Business. More

Patrick Ottenhoff attends Georgetown McDonough School of Business in the Class of 2012. He previously served as a project manager in the Public Affairs Practice of New Media Strategies and was a staff writer for National Journal Group. Patrick has been writing The Electoral Map blog since 2007. As the name implies, the blog covers news and commentary at the intersection of politics and geography, but it also analyzes the stories, people, culture, sports, and food behind the maps and the votes. Patrick is a native Virginian and graduate of Union College in New York. You can follow The Electoral Map on Twitter and Facebook, and follow Patrick on YouTube.
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