As of August 20th, 1999, almost exactly 500 days remain in this
century; that is, until December 31, 2000. All of us most certainly will
spend at least some of that time reflecting upon the past and making
resolutions for the coming years .
This magazine raised the "end of the century" issue exactly ten years ago,
suggesting that the upcoming years should be a time of reflection on the
significance and legacy of the entire century and to develop plans for the
twenty-first century (see Thinking of the 1990s in Issue
No. 191, dated September 1, 1990). Readers may well be fed up with my
repeated suggestions to think about these points. Yet, I must once again
urge them to do so as I have not seen any fundamental debate, analysis or
reflection concerning this significant time. Thus, the problem is not this
magazine, but a world that does not debate the critical issues we are
facing, not to mention making an effort to develop a vision for the next
century.
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