February 2002 Vol.5, No. 2 Contents Western Thinking About Middle East Misses Key Factor by Cecil E. Maranville Restoration: World's Greatest Nation? by Darris McNeely The Coming World Religion by Darris McNeely Meeting Our Moment of Maximum Jeopardy! by John Ross Schroeder Fifty Years of the African Queen by Melvin Rhodes In Brief...World News Review by John Foster, Cecil E. Maranville and Jim Tuck This Is the Way... A Vision Beyond the Spectacles by Robin Webber Feb '02 WNP Main In Brief... World News Review Congo Tragedy Compounded by "Helpers" Congo's Nyiragongo volcano exploded in a massive eruption on Jan. 18, instantly killing 45 people in the city of Goma. In the aftermath, burning lava caused unearthed storage tanks at a gas station to explode when large numbers of people were attempting to siphon off fuel for their vehicles. An additional 50 people were killed in the explosion. UN estimates of the displaced and homeless run as high as 350,000. As great as the tragedy is, it is compounded by competition between rival factions over the right to receive and distribute international aid. Congo has been torn apart by a civil war that has cost millions of lives. The Congolese Rally for Democracy controls most of the eastern part of the country, and its headquarters were located in Goma. Congo's government, the Democratic Republic of Congo, claims the sole right to represent and care for the people of Goma-despite the fact that the rebels have been in full control there since 1998. Complicating matters still further is the government of neighboring Rwanda, which would like to secure the leadership of relief efforts for itself. "'Everyone is trying to make political mileage out of this,' says the head of one aid organization, speaking on the condition of anonymity. 'Each side is trying to bend the ear of the donor community, get their hands on the funds and raise their own status. There is a major catastrophe at hand, but the political leaders can't put aside their egotistical interests even for a second'" ("Politics Mar Congo Relief Efforts" by Danna Harman, The Christian Science Monitor, Jan. 23, 2002). The amount of money needed is staggering. Initial appeals from the UN were for $15 million-which would fund the cost of food, shelter and medicine for only about two weeks. Why is there such competition at a time when hundreds of thousands of people are in desperate need? In plain language, money is power. Being able to control multiple millions of dollars in international aid could well be the determining factor in who ultimately wins control over that part of the country. Additionally, there is the ever-present possibility that some of the aid money would find its way into the pockets of local administrators. What a gross contrast to the intended purpose of government, to serve its citizens. The apostle Paul urged Roman Christians to think of governing authorities as servants of God, allowed by Him to be in office to do good for all citizens (Romans 13:1-4). Self-serving governing authorities are, unfortunately, all too common. From Jesus' comment about the general practice of His day, it's clear that the norm then was greed instead of giving: "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them." He went on to urge Christians to understand the authority to govern in a different light, "Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant" (Matthew 20:25-26). wnp Ripple Effect of War on Terror U.S. President Bush declared in his State of the Union address that America "will renew the promise of the Peace Corps, double its volunteers over the next five years and ask it to join a new effort to encourage development and education and opportunity in the Islamic world." His promise to aid Islamic countries, although generous, is likely to leave a bitter taste in the mouths of many. Without argument, Islamic countries need help, but it is painful to receive it from the United States. Osama bin Laden played on the jealous hostility felt by citizens of Middle Eastern Islamic countries toward the wealthy United States, in order to recruit volunteers for his al Qaeda terrorist squads. Oil revenues have fallen steadily in the Gulf states, a principal factor in the plummeting average income in both oil-producing states and neighboring ones. Salaries earned in the oil fields have also fueled the economies of the region's oil-poor countries. Washington is also pushing for the development of the Alaskan oil fields, as well as alternative fuels in an effort to reduce dependency on foreign (read, "Islamic") oil. While strategically wise from a U.S. point of view, this policy further threatens the livelihood of citizens of Islamic counties in the Middle East. Rescuer though it has been, the United States isn't universally applauded by Muslims for its liberation of Afghanistan. Author and authority on the Middle East, Thomas L. Friedman, says his recent trip to Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Persian Gulf, London and Belgium left him with a shocking awareness. After meeting with Arab and Muslim journalists and business people, along with Muslim community leaders in Europe, Friedman reports that virtually none of them believed that Osama bin Laden was guilty. He asserts that any U.S. ambassador from Morocco to Islamabad "will share with you the cocktail party chatter about 'the American conspiracy' against the Muslim world that will curl your ears." Friedman's conclusion is chilling: "While America has won the war in Afghanistan, it has not won the hearts and minds of the Arab-Muslim world" ("Run, Osama, Run," The New York Times, Jan. 23, 2002). Looking beyond the immediate threat of the estimated 100,000 "graduates" of al Qaeda terrorist training camps, the repercussions of the war on terror have not yet begun to manifest themselves. Could it be that we are witnessing the sowing of the seeds that will eventually bring into being the prophesied "king of the South"-a key player in the end-of-the-age events (Daniel 11:40)? wnp Pope Holds Peace Ceremony "Violence never again! War never again! Terrorism never again! In the name of God, may every religion bring upon the earth justice and peace, forgiveness and life," said Pope John Paul II. On Jan. 24, in the Italian city of Assisi, the pope met with over 200 leaders of the world's religions to pray for peace. The pope said he wanted "to help overcome contrasts and promote authentic peace." He also said, "Humanity needs to see gestures of peace and listen to words of hope." Vincenzo Fortunato, a spokesman for the Franciscan order in Assisi said, "For us, this shows once more the spiritual genius of the pope who is again trying to influence the world with the power of prayer." This peace initiative appears to be an attempt to bring about unity between Christians, Muslims and the other religions of the world. But, no matter how ambitious the efforts, neither the pope, nor any of the other religious leaders will be able to bring about a lasting peace. Notice Jeremiah 6:13-19: "'Because from the least of them even to the greatest of them, everyone is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even to the priest, everyone deals falsely. They have also healed the hurt of My people slightly, saying, "Peace, peace!" when there is no peace. Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? No! They were not at all ashamed; nor did they know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; at the time I punish them, they shall be cast down,' says the LORD... 'Hear, O earth! Behold, I will certainly bring calamity on this people, the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not heeded My words, nor My law, but rejected it.'" Since humanity has rejected God and His ways, true peace will not come through human activities or human intervention. It will only come when Jesus Christ returns to this earth and establishes the Kingdom of God for all peoples. wnp Source: Reuters. Former Enemies Embrace Against United States Iran and Iraq fought the longest war in modern history between 1980 and 1988, and one million Iranian and Iraqi troops are believed to have been killed in the conflict and thousands more are still listed as missing in action. No peace agreement has ever been signed. On Jan. 26, Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri was in Iran for discussions aimed at normalizing relations with its longtime enemy. Sabri said he was invited to Iran to try to resolve "the outstanding problems which were left on the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s and later on." One of the main problems is Iraq's support of opposition groups in Iran and the Iranian government's support for Iraqi opposition figures. Iran also demands war reparations from Iraq. The latest push comes as a growing number of officials in the United States are urging the overthrow of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein as the next step in the war against terrorism. An alliance between the two countries could make it harder for the United States to bring the war on terrorism to the region. Despite their longstanding differences, the two countries have made progress in recent months. At the end of January, Iran released more than 500 Iraqi prisoners, some of the last POWs from the Iran-Iraq war. Iran and Iraq have also agreed to resume direct flights between their capitals, Tehran and Baghdad, for the first time in two decades. Both countries are majority Shi'ite, and in 1998 Iraq agreed to allow Iranian pilgrims to visit holy sites in Iraq for the first time since the war. wnp Source: CNN. Saudi Arabia May Seek American Departure Saudi rulers are increasingly uncomfortable with the American military presence in their country and may soon ask that it end, according to several Saudi Arabian sources. Such a decision would deprive the United States of regular use of the Prince Sultan Air Base, from which U.S. power has been projected into the Gulf region and beyond for more than a decade. Senior Saudi rulers believe the United States has "overstayed its welcome" and that other forms of less conspicuous military cooperation should be devised once the United States has completed its war in Afghanistan, according to a senior Saudi official. Saudis give several reasons for deciding that the Americans should leave, beginning with their desire to appear self-reliant and not dependent on U.S. military support. The American presence has become a political liability in domestic politics and in the Arab world, Saudi officials say. The Saudi government has also become increasingly uncomfortable with a role in U.S. efforts to contain Saddam Hussein. The withdrawal of U.S. aircraft would end an American presence that began during the Persian Gulf War and, administration officials warn, would seriously undermine America's ability to protect Saudi Arabia or Kuwait as well as carry out all future operations in Iraq. Past and present U.S. officials have said a Saudi decision to ask the Americans to pull forces out of their country could also complicate the Saudi-American relationship, which was put under great strain by the events of Sept. 11, and appear to give the impression of rewarding Osama bin Laden, who has vilified the royal family for hosting American troops, about 5,000 at the present time. Saudi officials who spoke about a U.S. withdrawal emphasized that nothing would be done precipitously. They said Crown Prince Abdullah was sensitive to the need to avoid creating the impression that he was responding to pressure from bin Laden. These Saudis emphasized that Saudi-American relations would remain close and would continue to include a military component. U.S. troops went to Saudi Arabia in 1990 to fight the Persian Gulf War against Iraq at a moment when both countries feared that Iraq might march from Kuwait into the kingdom. The two governments never signed an agreement about their presence in the country. Though it has long been considered an intimate ally of the United States, Saudi Arabia is the only Persian Gulf nation with which the United States has no formal defense cooperation agreement. "The Saudis argue, 'We're such good friends, there's no reason to put anything in writing,'" said a Defense Department official who has worked intimately with Saudi Arabia. wnp Sources: AP, The Washington Post. Contributors: John Foster, Cecil E. 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