Information Related to "World News Review June 2000"
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In Brief... World News Reviewby Cecil Maranville and John SchroederSaudi Prince Invests Billions in Financial Markets It's a no-brainer to predict that the Internet will change the lives of every citizen of planet earth! How the Internet will affect everyone is not so easy to predict. Because the Internet is an American invention and Wall Street is perceived to be the economic engine that currently powers the world's economies, perhaps it's too easy to assume that both are under U.S. control. Recent reports from Reuters and AP challenge that assumption. A billionaire nephew of Saudi King Fahd, Prince Alwaleed bin Talal used some of his "discretionary funds" to make some investments in the depressed U.S. market on May 16. The prince has a little more than the average individual has to invest-his new investments are worth $1 billion! They're spread over 15 U.S. companies, including six Internet firms. His largest purchases were $200 million of WorldCom, Inc. stock and $150 million of AT&T Corp. stock, but he also picked up $50 million each of Priceline.com, InfoSpace, Inc., Doubleclick, Inc., Amazon.com, Internet Capital Group, Inc., and eBay.com. This recent $1 billion investment is in addition to another $1 billion that Prince Alwaleed has made over the past six months in technology, media and telecommunications companies. In addition to these recent investments, the prince owns approximately $8.5 billion in Citibank stock. In a prophecy focused across the ages, God forecast that the ancient nation of Israel could expect its wealth to be taken over and controlled by individuals from other nations. "The alien who is among you shall rise higher and higher above you, and you shall come down lower and lower" (Deuteronomy 28:43). This obviously undesirable turn of financial fortunes would come as a consequence of failing to respect and live by the Ten Commandments (Deuteronomy 28:15). "Should Women Preach?" No, Say Southern Baptists "Let your women keep silent in the churches...for it is shameful for women to speak in church," wrote the apostle Paul to Corinth (1 Corinthians 14:34-35). He mentored the evangelist Timothy with the instruction, "And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence" (1 Timothy 2:12). The leadership of the Southern Baptists agrees, but they may have difficulty convincing their 15.9 million members and 41,000 congregations. They issued the following policy statement on May 18: "While both men and women are gifted for service of the church, the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture." The new policy cannot be imposed on their membership, but it must be ratified at their upcoming annual meeting on June 13 and 14. The proposed policy reverses current policy, which has allowed approximately 1,600 women to be ordained into the ministry of the Southern Baptists. Approximately 100 of these women ministers pastor leading congregations. The new policy would not cause those women presently recognized as ordained ministers to lose their credentials, but it would prevent further ordinations. Comments from some of those women who are presently serving as elders indicate that opposition to the proposed policy will be strong, even if the measure passes. Statements of opposition are framed with words like "repression," as many see the new proposal as indicative of unjust treatment of women. How do opponents deal with the seemingly plain statements of the New Testament quoted above? They say that the biblical statements about women's service reflect the cultural setting in which they were written, and that these guidelines are not applicable in today's world. (AP) U.S. and Russian Arms Sales Make U.A.E. a Formidable Military Power Illustrating the strange twists and turns of Middle East politics, Russia and the United States have sold the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) enough military hardware to make it one of the most formidable military powers in the Persian Gulf. The United States sold the tiny country 80 F-16s, and Russia recently provided the Emirates a top-of-the-line anti-aircraft system. World News and Prophecy reported on the growing military strength of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in the December 1999 issue ("A New Military Might in the Middle East"). Six nations make up the GCC: Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Begun for economic purposes, the GCC realized over time that they needed to create and maintain military muscle to defend their economic interests. Iran and Iraq are seen as potential antagonists, and the GCC members do not want to be dependent upon the U.S. should they come under threat. The sale of arms to GCC members brings a double benefit to the United States: cash income, as well as relief from the financial burden of defending the Gulf. Cash is even more welcomed by the hungry Russian bear. But, arming the U.A.E. has brought a new wrinkle to the complex politics of the Middle East. Three tiny islands in the Straight of Hormuz are occupied by Iran, but claimed by the U.A.E. Their increased military also increases their bargaining position-and the potential of conflict. Relations between Russia and Iran were strained already, and this development will likely add even more pressure. At the same time, a stronger military will also strengthen the U.A.E.'s status vis-à-vis their powerful neighbor, Saudi Arabia. While allies in the GCC, these Persian Gulf nations are still in competition with each other. Why should we concern ourselves with such a tiny nation as the U.A.E.? Its newly acquired military force speaks with a loud voice. Additionally, the Persian Gulf sits in the shadows of the world's greatest empires and can never be overlooked in geopolitics, whether one is considering oil, religion or human rights-all powerful players on the world stage. Source: Stratfor's May 30, 2000, press release. Anarchy and Disorder Increase in England The crime correspondent of The Daily Telegraph recently wrote: "Falling police numbers have created deep problems in the inner cities with violence and disorder amounting to 'anarchy' outside pubs and clubs at night in London, Leeds, Liverpool and Manchester." These are four of England's major population centers. Some city forces are policing difficult areas with only half of the officers available five years ago. For this and other reasons (i.e., the general breakdown of society), mindless thuggery is definitely on the increase in England. Somewhat symbolic of what is happening to British society were the thousands of pounds of damage caused to a London bus by rioting pupils. The indignant bus company CEO reacted by personally driving this bus to the school premises and showing the headmaster the massive damages to the interior. Then he promptly cancelled all runs to this London school. Of particular concern were the London riots that occurred on the first of May when the finest officers of the Metropolitan Police squared off against 4,000 anticapitalist protesters near the Houses of Parliament. But before these violent rioters were fully brought under control they had managed to deface Sir Winston Churchill's statue in Parliament Square plus a treasured war memorial in the area-both historic symbols of British willingness to protect their national integrity. Churchill is a national hero universally credited with being one of the most important World War II leaders who helped save the world from fascism. In many people's minds he was Britain's man of the century. Yet these violent thugs deliberately desecrated his statue and daubed it with the word "murderer." Daily Mail columnist Lynda Lee-Potter commented, "This vile anarchic army of would-be destroyers was recruited through the Internet. The potential viciousness on the day appealed to every failure, every embittered useless troublemaker and yob in the land. "The genuine protesters were totally swamped by those who had destruction in their hearts" (emphasis added). But the Bible counsels all who would place themselves in a position where they could be potential accomplices to the desecration of revered national monuments. "You shall not revile God, nor curse a ruler of your people" (Exodus 22:28). Also: "You shall not follow a crowd to do evil" (Exodus 23:2). A whole generation in Britain has not been taught even the most basic of biblical teachings-the Ten Commandments. We are now reaping the bitter fruits of our careless neglect. ( The Daily Mail, The Economist, The Daily Telegraph (all London).) Vignettes on Violence in America A similar anticapitalist protest happened on the streets of Washington D.C. in mid-April. Police clashed with 10,000 activists, with the worst fighting occurring near the White House. However, forewarned police officers were ready and this time they were successful in preventing a repetition of the melee at the World Trade Organization conference in Seattle in December 1999. Yet violent assaults remain a troubling aspect of American life. The problem in Texas public schools is a case in point. Last year there were nearly 51,000 assaults against students by other students. Another 3,800 incidents of assault were reported against the teachers and 500 guns were confiscated from pupils. The state of Texas had already formed a 22-member school violence task force following the tragic events at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. At the center of this committee's recommendations are character education programs. It was wisely recognized at the onset that personal character is the key to the prevention of violent behavior in public schools. However, this must first be taught in the nation's homes by responsible parents. Teachers cannot completely make up for parental neglect. By age 6 much of a child's character is already formed, and even those teachers imbued with the wisdom of Solomon and the patience of Job are hard pressed to deal effectively with badly neglected children. ( The Corpus Christi Caller-Times, The Daily Mail (London). )
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Related Information:
Other Articles by Cecil Maranville
Other Articles by John Ross Schroeder
Origin of article "World News Review June 2000"
Keywords: Saudi Arabia women and church United Arab Emirates
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