Mm.
I'm rather certain that within the next fifty years peak production in many critical resources (oil, uranium, basic foodstuffs,
water, coffee, etc) will be reached.
The powers of the day are shifting, and is nationalism on the rise or fall? Are people becoming more interconnected, is globalization liberating the poor farmer from his squabble?
Some places it is, others it is not.
Since the resources needed to keep the many sickly and diseased denizens of Africa scratching by won't exist then, a sudden die-out of a large percentage of the population of Africa will occur within this timeframe. No telling what this could mean.
Will war come? Probably. A world war? Competition over one of our last viable sources of water (Antarctica) will probably make it so. Meanwhile we'll see society run around in its same circles, the religious right will still try to apply their moral system to everything, and the talk-show hosts won't start thinking for themselves.
In any case, the world crumbles and it makes smashing good history. Enjoy mad consumerism while you can, or try to fix it. It doesn't matter which you do, only how well you sleep at night. Pull up a chair and watch or hide your head in the sand.
That being said, Rocky Horror anyone?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsoebjsZqI0&feature=related