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Europe is a patchwork quilt of ethnic groups, many demanding their own independence.
by Melvin Rhodes
he century that began in Sarajevo is also ending there.
It was in June 1914 that the Austrian Archduke Ferdinand and his wife were assassinated while on a visit to the ancient Balkan city, an event that led to World War I: the "great war" that lasted over four years, changed forever the global balance of power and ended the lives of millions of people.
Europe was never to be the same again. At the turn of the century most European nations had their own kings, emperors or ruling princes. Various ideologies-nationalism, fascism, communism and democracy-forced kings off their thrones or forced them to change. Stable political systems that had endured for centuries were replaced by instability, ethnic strife and demagoguery. Tensions arose between new nations that had not existed before the great global conflict. Croats, freed from Austrian rule, fought Serbs, who had not long had their independence from the Ottoman Empire of the Turks.
After World War I, at the Treaty of Versailles, the major powers of the world tried to force ethnic groups together into artificial entities. One such "country" was Yugoslavia, dominated by Serbs, with their king, but containing within its borders groups such as Serbs, Croats and Bosnians.
Invasion by the Third Reich in 1941 led to the eventual fall of the Yugoslav monarchy. Serbian Chetniks and Croatian Ustashi led resistance to the Nazis. After the German attack on the Soviet Union, communist insurgents began a resistance under the leadership of their secretary general Tito. Communist partisans fought the monarchist Chetniks as well as the Germans. Tito was victorious, but became a renegade in the communist world after World War II by refusing to take orders from Moscow.
Tito ruled over Yugoslavia's various ethnic groups for more than 30 years. Realizing the potential for more strife after his death, he arranged a rotating presidency system, whereby a leader from each ethnic group would have an opportunity at the top. It wasn't to last.
As long as the Soviet threat continued, Yugoslavia held together. After the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of communism in Eastern Europe, nationalism again reared its head. The country broke up, with each ethnic group demanding its own territory. Antagonisms arose in areas where two ethnic groups had intermingled over the years. The result: the worst conflict in Europe since World War II.
There is a danger of it spreading, as other countries could get involved. Already, the conflict has damaged the Atlantic Alliance, which has given Europe 50 years of peace. No longer do European countries look to the United States for leadership. American indecisiveness in the Balkan crisis has led France and Britain to take the lead. Even Germany is involved, having amended its postwar constitution to allow it to send some peacekeeping troops.
What is happening here?
The fact is that Europe is a patchwork quilt of ethnic groups, many demanding their own independence. It would be akin to all the minority groups in the United States wanting their own territory, governmental system and flag. For centuries the different groups with their differing languages, customs, cultures and even religions were held together by kings or emperors who claimed them as their possessions. With the ancient monarchies mostly gone, there is no reason now why each "tribe" cannot have its independence.
Aggravating these nationalist tendencies is the successful European Union (EU), formerly the European Community (EC). It is ironic that the economic union which is pledged to full military and political union at some point in the future should be contributing inadvertently to the disintegration of nations like the former Yugoslavia.
However, it is precisely because the EU has been such an economic success that new very small countries can now be born. The European Union has made borders irrelevant. Increasingly, Europe is one economy, as is the United States. Therefore there is no reason to persist with the old boundaries that separated one nation, one economic entity, from another.
There will be more nations breaking away from their former rulers. Already the Slovaks broke up Czechoslovakia; the Scots are increasingly demanding independence from Great Britain; Belgium may divide into two.
As more and more of these ethnic groups assert their independence, there will be an increasing need to come together again in some other form-hence the drive for a United States of Europe. Dozens of small countries carry no clout, unless they can unite under one banner.
Many times in history there have been attempts to unite Europe. The Romans succeeded 2,000 years ago, with an empire that lasted hundreds of years. After the collapse of the Roman Empire in 476 A.D., there was chaos as different tribes tried to control Rome. In 554, the Roman Emperor Justinian tried to resurrect the Roman Empire. Further attempts to unite Europe were made throughout the centuries, the most recent one by Hitler's Third Reich.
God's Word predicted all of these resurrections and show that another is still ahead. Daniel 7 and Revelation 17 are key chapters to understanding the broad sweep of history. Revelation 17 shows us that the final resurrection will lead directly into the return of Jesus Christ.
It doesn't say when, but it does show that 10 kings are going to unite under one leader, the prophesied "beast." Revelation 18 indicates that they will form a great economic superpower, and many nations will share in this materialistic system and its enormous wealth. But it will have a dark and evil foundation, for it traffics in the "bodies and souls of men" (Revelation 18:13). This sinister side will emerge once more, threatening and devouring those that will not take part in that system.
The good news is that this final union will be short-lived, as it is destined to be shattered and replaced by the Kingdom of God at Christ's return. GN
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