"Challenges facing the world in the 21st century"

I just caught a snippet - a sound-bite, really - on Countdown - something to do with former U.S. Presidents participating in a debate on the topic: "Challenges facing the world in the 21st century."

Suppose such a debate had been held in 1909 - the year of my father's birth, 100 years ago - on the topic: "Challenges facing the world in the 20th century".

In 1909, the Ottoman Empire ruled most of what is now referred to as the "Middle East" - including Arabia, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, and what would become Iraq (Mesopotamia) & Iran (Persia).

In 1909, the Austro-Hungarian Empire ruled central & eastern Europe.

In 1909, China was still ruled by its last dynasty, the Qing (Manchu).

In 1909, Russia was experiencing social & political unrest under the last Czar, Nicholas II. The Russian Revolution was eight years in the future.

In 1909, WWI was 5 years away. WWII? - a distant nightmare.
"National Socialism" had not yet been conceived.

In 1909, the airplane was still a novelty, as were automobiles - Ford's Model-T had been introduced in 1908.

In 1909, a "computer" was a person toiling over sums with a mechanical adding machine.

In the U.S.? Women didn't have the right to vote. Prohibition was 10 years away. Black Tuesday & the Great Depression? - 20 years away. African-Americans were second-class citizens; Plessy v. Ferguson, establishing "separate but equal", had been decided 13 years before. Laudanum (tincture of opium) and cocaine were still freely available - outlawed only in 1914 by the Harrison Narcotics Tax Act.

The point of this recitation?
It is unlikely that any collection of wise men today - even former U.S. Presidents! - will correctly anticipate the real "challenges facing the world in the 21st century"!!!