In the winter of 2005 I invited an array of scholars to respond to a variant of the same question: What do you predict about some important political phenomenon or process over the next decade, and why? What leverage do political scientists' theories, evidence, or concepts give us in understanding a given situation, such that you have grounds for prediction beyond those of an informed journalist or political actor? I urged authors to “really go out on a limb and make a clear prediction that can be analyzed, argued with, and supported (or falsified!) after a decade.” I then wrote a specific query to each of the people invited, beginning “Ten years from now …”

Almost everyone accepted the invitation, some within a few minutes of receiving the e-mail from me. The results are before you. I am not an objective observer, of course, but I find the essays provocative, revealing, and simply fun to read. I promised the authors in the letter of invitation that “students will really appreciate it [your essay], faculty will enjoy it, and it might even make a difference in how some scholars do their work.” I hope that prediction, at any rate, comes true, and we invite readers' responses to any or all of these essays. We hope to publish some of your responses, and envision that Perspectives will return for a reality check ten years from now.