Information Related to "World News and Trends - January/February 2007"
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The Middle East : Facing a bleak future?
Geography, historical events, world and regional politics, centuries of ethnic and religious strife, a critical natural resource and the dark side of human nature have all conspired to turn the Middle East into the cauldron of conflicts it is today.
A London Times feature article observed that "it is one of the world's most unstable regions, where conflicts over land, ideology and religion have raged for centuries." Although the Middle East has a long and complicated history, some observers view European penetration as the beginning of the present series of difficulties.
World War I (1914 to 1918) brought the Ottoman Empire of the Turks to an end and ushered in several decades of considerable British influence. The aftermath of World War II (1939 to 1945) drained Britain and Europe of much of its power and influence in the region.
The founding of the present state of Israel in 1948 proved to be an epochal event, along with an Israeli victory in the Six-Day War some 20 years later. The crucial importance of the location of an abundance of crude oil reserves in several Arab states was highlighted by the 1973 energy crisis. The Palestinian problem with its periodic intifadas has dominated much of the last three decades.
What may lie ahead in the Middle East is of crucial importance to the West and to the world. American influence has taken a blow due to unrelenting insurgencies in the aftermath of the Iraq war. Small private armies throughout the region are mushrooming due to actual and perceived weaknesses in state authorities. They will inevitably be drawn into regional conflicts.
Current evidence appears to show that most Arab nations will resist democracy, leaving authoritarian dictatorships in place for the foreseeable future. Anti-Americanism is rife and growing in most Islamic nations. Economic growth due to globalism is unlikely to greatly benefit this part of the world, with the exception of Israel.
Iran is the biggest threat to peace although the Iraqi and Palestinian problems remain running sores. The hoped-for peace process itself appears to have been cast aside, at least for the present.
Foreign Affairs, published by the Council on Foreign Relations, summed up its view of the region's future: "The Middle East will remain a troubled and troubling part of the world for decades to come" (November-December 2006 issue).
The Bible partially agrees with this viewpoint but also guarantees a bright future in the long run. Our free booklet explains both the region's historical background and its prophetic future, more immediate as well as long term. Request or download your free copy at www.gnmagazine.org/booklets. (Source: Foreign Affairs, The Times London].)
Iranian president keeps up verbal pressure on Israel
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has talked of "taking the final step" in his country's preparations for possessing a nuclear bomb. According to Agence France-Presse (AFP), " Iran's President stated that 'I hope by the end of the year (Iranian year to March 2007), we will be able to hold the great celebration of Iran 's nuclear right."
The Iranian leadership is extremely hostile to the state of Israel. According to another AFP report, the Iranian president spoke of the "disappearance and destruction" of Israel during a fairly recent discussion with his ministers.
Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has urgently called on the West "to believe him and stop him."
The November 2006 issue of Commentary stated that Western and UN diplomatic overtures to the Iranian leadership have "not succeeded in influencing its fundamental error or curbing its radical ambitions." (Sources: Agence France-Presse, Haaretz [Tel Aviv].)
The Strait of Hormuz: A serious Iranian threat
While most of the world has focused on the Iranian nuclear threat, Tehran has been gradually moving to try to assume control over the Strait of Hormuz with more conventional weaponry.
How important is this crucial waterway? About 40 percent of the world's crude oil exports are shipped through the narrow strait bordered by Iran and Oman. Estimates for 2025 run as high as 60 percent. Closing the waterway would put a stranglehold on the lifeblood of the world economy—oil.
Token Western forces patrol these waters. However, according to Commentary, "The Tehran regime has made no secret of its desire to gain control of the Straits, as part of its larger strategy of turning the Gulf into an Iranian lake." A senior Iranian government official told the European Union, "We have the power to halt oil supply . . . down to the last drop." (Source: Commentary.)
Will Palestinians make a lasting peace with Israel?
Many hoped that after Israel withdrew from Lebanon following last summer's war, peace would be restored to Israel—not just with Lebanon, but also with the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. That hope was recently dashed again.
"Israeli troops withdrew from the Gaza Strip as an unexpected truce took hold Sunday [Nov. 26], but two major Palestinian militant groups, saying they had no intention of stopping their attacks, fired volleys of homemade rockets into Israel. The rocket attacks by Hamas and Islamic Jihad tempered hopes for a lasting cease-fire, which was meant to end five months of deadly clashes" (Associated Press, Nov. 26, 2006).
Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert "ordered the army to show restraint in the face of the rockets. 'Even though there are still violations of the cease-fire by the Palestinian side, I have instructed our defense officials not to respond, to show restraint, and to give this cease-fire a chance to take full effect,' he said" (ibid.).
Will there ever be peace between the Palestinians and the Israelis? The Bible says that there will be no lasting peace until the Messiah comes, forcing peace on those that are bent on war (see Zechariah 14; Revelation 19:1-20:6). (Source: Associated Press.)
The German Reich and the new German Pope
An intriguing report from Germany stated, "The medieval Europe-wide German Reich is a valid model for the union of European countries." In thoughts attributed to Berlin State Minister for Culture Bernd Neumann, "The memory of the Holy Roman Empire of the German nation shows 'an inner historical consistency' with the founding and steady expansion of the European Union" (emphasis added throughout).
Both the German pope, Benedict XVI but still known to Germans as Joseph Ratzinger of Bavaria, and the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, will attend Berlin festivities and celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the European Economic Community (now the European Union). According to German-Foreign-Policy.com, "Ratzinger is a committed supporter of the 'imperial ideal' (Reichsidee) and is to speak on the 'spiritual foundations' of Europe in the German capital."
Some observers believe that these plans are all part of an agenda to emphasize and underline German leadership of the European Union. The nation wants to see a revival of the now defunct EU constitution (rejected by referendums in both France and the Netherlands ) and wishes to begin to revitalize it during its six-month presidency of the EU.
Remembering the warfare of the last century, several other European countries still fear the possibility of German hegemony over the continent. The Bible itself warns of a coming European-centered superpower that will do much to usher in a series of prophetic events leading to the second coming of Jesus Christ.
The book of Revelation speaks of a new religious hegemony alongside powerful secular leadership in an end-time union of nations. To understand more, request our free booklet . (Sources: German- Foreign-Policy.com [an English translation], EUobserver.com.)
U.S. out-of-wedlock births increasing
"Out-of-wedlock births in the United States have climbed to an all-time high, accounting for nearly four in 10 babies born last year [2005] . . . While out-of-wedlock births have long been associated with teen mothers . . . births among unwed mothers rose most dramatically among women in their 20s" (Mike Stobbe, AP medical writer, Nov. 21, 2006).
Part of the problem is that young people are living together while putting off marriage, seemingly indifferent about the sanctity of marriage. Of course, when they have been programmed in high school and college to believe that God is an outmoded concept and nature is all there is, this shouldn't come as a surprise.
Out-of-wedlock births would drop precipitously if the Bible's instructions on the sanctity of marriage were followed. If you'd like to learn more about those instructions, request or download at www.gnmagazine.org/booklets. (Source: Associated Press.)
A nation behind bars
A staggering 7 million people—one in 32 U.S. adults—were on probation or parole or locked behind bars at the end of 2005, according to U.S. Justice Department statistics. Of that total, 2.2 million were in prison or jail.
The number of inmates rose almost 3 percent over the previous year. While prison releases are increasing, admissions are increasing even more.
More sadly still, though the number of men behind bars greatly outnumbers female inmates, women are catching up. While the male prison population increased by 1.9 percent over the last year, the number of females incarcerated grew by 2.6 percent. Women now account for 7 percent of all prison inmates. (Source: Associated Press.)
UN troops assault those they're assigned to protect
A particularly ugly side to UN peacekeeping missions is the number of situations where troops under the UN banner have sexually assaulted and abused the very people they are assigned to protect. Since 2004, nearly 180 soldiers, police and civilian employees have faced disciplinary action for sexual abuse, according to a UN spokesman. The UN has investigated 319 peacekeeping personnel during that span.
Compounding the problem is the fact that the UN cannot discipline some 80 percent of the 100,000 personnel serving in peacekeeping operations—they can only be disciplined by their home countries.
A recent BBC investigation found that in Haiti and Liberia, children had been raped and forced into prostitution by UN peacekeeping troops. Another investigation found that in Congo, soldiers had sex with women and girls for food or money. (Source: Associated Press.)
Nuclear neighbors now likely in the Middle East
The likelihood of an Iranian nuclear armory has opened up the possibility of uncontrolled nuclear proliferation among neighboring countries.
The London Times stated that "the Middle East may now be entering the most precarious era of its history, with the sudden rush by Arabs, Iranians and Turks to master nuclear technology and one day unlock the secrets of the atomic bombs" (Nov. 4, 2006).
It certainly appears that countries like Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates want nuclear technology sooner rather than later. An editorial in The Times stated that "the countries that know Iran best, its regional neighbours, are suspicious of its true intentions" (Source: The Times[London].)
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Keywords: Middle East Iran Germany pope unmarried births U.S. prisons U.N.
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