Information Related to "World News and Trends - January/February 2008"
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What's the state of the world as we enter 2008 ?
What's ahead in this new calendar year of 2008 ? The Good News is not in the business of short-term political and economic forecasting, but we can bring you a region-by-region overview of major trends to watch around the world—undergirded by biblical teaching (see Luke 21:34-36).
As this column goes to press just before the turn of the year, long-term allegiances between various nations are being challenged by events, and dictatorships appear to be gaining ground on democracy in at least a few countries.
We will circle the globe here, briefly examining major regions and highlighting certain current events and trends in light of biblical prophecies. Since the largest portion of our Good News mailing list is in North America, we begin here.
The United States
In addition to its troubles with enemy nations, long-term relationships between the United States and several of its allies are currently under considerable strain. As the International Herald Tribune observes:
"The United States could well be wondering why its relationships with three major countries that should be close allies have become so frayed . . . Japan has balked at continuing its naval refueling support for U.S. operations in Afghanistan. India has hedged on proceeding with its nuclear agreement with Washington. Turkey is angry at the inability of the United States to rein in attacks by Iraq-based Kurdish separatists . . . All this is not just a coincidence . . . [These events] reflect a broader erosion of America's influence linked to its war in Iraq and its broader Middle East policies" (Nov. 6, 2007, emphasis added throughout).
According to a recent survey, only 9 percent of Turkish citizens view the United States in a favorable light (down from 52 percent in 2000). Japan is anxious about thawing American relations with North Korea. It does not want Washington to remove this rogue country from its list of terrorist nations.
Moreover, the British archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, recently attacked America, portraying it as a violent, imperialist country—referring to its "misguided sense of mission." The interview with the archbishop, which implied that the United States had lost its moral high ground, appeared in a Muslim magazine.
Some members of the British Parliament praised Dr. Williams' attack on American foreign policy. One ray of light is that British Conservative Party leader David Cameron went to the United States to repair and mend his formerly strained relationship with President George W. Bush.
On the domestic front, political battles over the administration's policy in Iraq and the overall direction of the country will likely dominate the news leading up to the November presidential election. A front-page article in USA Today (Nov. 1, 2007) described things this way: "A year before voting, a nation of discontent . . . Divided by the war and anxious about the future, Americans want some fixes."
Economic news may be shaky due to the subprime mortgage meltdown. Still the latest news shows "soaring exports boost[ing] economic growth" with "GDP up 4.9% in [the] third quarter" (Financial Times, Nov. 30, 2007).
Down to South America
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has been consolidating power for years, but his latest drive has been stymied—for now. He had sought changes in his country's constitution that would have afforded him virtual permanent rule for life, but the Venezuelan citizenry rejected his wishes by a vote of 51 to 49 percent. However, he has promised to keep pushing these changes until they do pass!
Chavez is known for his outrageous insults to the American president. Amid all the presidential rhetoric, this Latin nation is suffering widespread shortages in basics like sugar and milk. Chavez' power play has echoes of Fidel Castro's long-reigning Cuban dictatorship. Regrettably, Chavez is using his country's newfound oil wealth to subsidize left-leaning politicians, movements and governments in South America —threatening to undermine progress in the region toward more political and economic freedom. He's also proclaimed a partnership with Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to oppose the United States.
The Land Down Under
The long reign of one of the most successful conservative leaders in recent times, John Howard, has come to an end in Australia. The November election there brought the much more liberal Kevin Rudd to power. In its wake there are already calls for a referendum with a view to instituting a republic and saying farewell to the queen.
Although this new Australian government has pledged to continue cordial relations with America, it reportedly opposes further involvement in Iraq. John Howard, "the man of steel," will be missed by President Bush.
China, Japan and North Korea
Intent on becoming another superpower, the People's Republic of China is expanding in almost every possible direction—its space program, Asia in general, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America. Chinese tentacles are everywhere! China has fairly recently pulled ahead of Germany to become the world's top exporter (The Daily Telegraph, Oct. 25, 2007).
China is also using its economic power to rapidly increase its military. According to Time (Oct. 1, 2007), "veiled threats from China" against Taiwan continue—perhaps laying the groundwork for possible direct intervention at a future time when the United States has been weakened or is too preoccupied elsewhere. (A bright spot is that Hong Kong continues to actively pressure China to implement its promised democratic reforms.)
And then there is North Korea. Despite agreements with the United States and the first commercial freight train to cross the border with South Korea in decades, it seems Pyongyang is still playing games with America. Does this regime possess nuclear weapons, or does it not? Why does North Korea transfer nuclear know-how to rogue regimes like Iran and Syria (where Israel recently took out what was apparently a nuclear facility under construction)?
Japan is understandably wary of North Korean intentions. It is, therefore, taking further steps to normalize its relations with China. The Financial Times reported that " Japan and China announced their first cabinet-level forum on closer business cooperation, highlighting the warmer political ties between Asia's two largest economies after years of strain" (Nov. 21, 2007).
Pakistan's crucial role
In the words of British author and journalist William Rees-Mogg, a former London Times editor: " Pakistan remains an important pivotal country. It is an essential bastion of the American position in the Middle East. Without Pakistan as an ally, it is hard to see how the U.S. could maintain its position in Afghanistan. The worst possible alternative would be an anti-Western Islamic regime" (The Times, Nov. 5, 2007).
It remains to be seen whether Pervez Musharraf can hold things together just as president of Pakistan, having recently given up his other crucial role as commander of the armed forces. Can he or any possible future successor successfully stop Pakistan's Islamic radicals from spilling over into a more overt terrorism? With several dozen nuclear warheads in Pakistan's arsenal, the stakes are high.
Putin's Russia threatens new arms race
Vladimir Putin is reverting to the old Soviet model, using Russia's burgeoning oil wealth to rebuild and modernize its military and throw its weight around, particularly in Europe.
Back in mid-July of last year, President Putin "dumped a key arms control treaty limiting the deployment of conventional forces in Europe" (The Observer, July 15, 2007). Then recently "he signed a law suspending Russia's participation in a key post–cold war arms treaty in a move that will effectively kill off one of the landmark defence agreements between Moscow and the west" (Financial Times, Dec. 1, 2007).
Amid cries of foul play and vote rigging, Putin's United Russia party won some 62 percent of the vote in a recent national election, firmly establishing his hold on the country's leadership. Whether as president until next spring or prime minister later, apparently the Russian electorate as a whole has firmly backed him. Diplomatic relations with the United States have been worsening for the last few years.
Troubles in Africa
Africa has been plagued by ongoing religious strife between Muslims and just about everyone else. The genocide in the Darfur region of western Sudan is beginning to rival the previous slaughter in Rwanda. The world stands by watching as Arab Muslims kill black Muslims and Christians.
Meanwhile Zimbabwe nears the breaking point. Recent newspaper headlines are instructive: "Zimbabwe running out of cash as inflation soars"; "Torture is Mugabe's election weapon"; "A stricken nation waiting to die." Yet as the London Times lamented, "Robert Mugabe is offered a welcome at the international table," referring to the EU-Africa summit (Dec. 1, 2007). According to UNICEF, the AIDS blight in Zimbabwe alone has left 25 percent of its children—1.1 million—as orphans.
In June of last year Africa was united in refusing an American request for a military headquarters on the African continent. "The Pentagon's plan to create a U.S. military command based in Africa has hit a wall of hostility from governments in the region reluctant to associate themselves with the Bush administration's ‘war on terror' and fearful of American intervention" (The Guardian, June 25, 2007).
Nuclear weapons in Iran?
A Dec. 4 American intelligence report reversed previous findings and concluded that Iran had halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003. This new assessment likely decreases the odds of a U.S. military attack on Iran to near zero—which may have been its unstated political purpose.
President Bush has reacted to the report by saying, " Iran was dangerous, Iran is dangerous and Iran will be dangerous if they have the knowledge necessary to make a nuclear weapon" (The Independent, Dec. 5, 2007).
John Bolton, former U.S. ambassador to the UN, stated: "As we all know, intelligence estimates can be wrong in multiple directions . . . You have to look at the strategic position that Iran has been pursuing for close to 20 years now, which is that they want a nuclear weapons capability" (The Sunday Times, Dec. 2, 2007).
Wrote Daniel Henninger in The Wall Street Journal: "Let's assume for argument's sake that Iran did stop its nuke program in 2003. Why, then, in 2006 was Iran performing test flights of the Shabab-2 and Shabab-3 ballistic missiles, the latter with a range of some 1,200 miles?" (Dec. 6. 2007).
Several prominent Israeli leaders differed sharply with the new intelligence report. The British have also challenged it.
According to a Time snapshot article in August of last year, the American administration had stated its intention of sending massive amounts of military hardware to selected Middle Eastern nations to contain the Iranian threat and for other security reasons. "The onslaught of prospective weapons deals is part of a new Bush Administration initiative to contain Iran—and underscore America's long-term involvement in the Middle East" (Aug. 13, 2007).
Hopes for Mideast peace torn by conflict
We see ongoing conflict in this strife-torn region on many levels, any one of which could trigger a war: Palestinians vs. Israelis, Hamas-supporting Palestinians vs. Palestinians who support the Fatah party, Hezbollah guerillas vs. Israel, Hezbollah supporters on the verge of provoking a civil war in Lebanon, Syria meddling in Lebanese affairs.
Most of these warring factions definitely agree on one thing: their hatred of Israel. London's chief rabbi, Sir Jonathan Sacks, wrote: "AntiSemites have attacked our religion and our race. Now they are going after the Jewish nation" (The Jewish Chronicle, Nov. 16, 2007). He called this brand of anti-Semitism "a new kind of hatred."
Nonetheless, the recent Middle East peace conference in Annapolis, Maryland, is a possible blueprint for a settlement between Israel and the Palestinians. A Financial Times feature article stated: "George W. Bush achieved what he wanted at Annapolis—a big international presence, a historic handshake between enemies and rare applause" (Dec. 1, 2007).
Yet the same article also pointed out: "This is not an ideal time for peace-making. The Palestinians are divided. Mahmoud Abbas, the president, has lost the Gaza Strip to the Islamist Hamas. And Hamas's exclusion from peace talks undermines its legitimacy. In Israel, too, Ehud Olmert is weak, his government coalition shaky."
Europe and Britain
Major trends in Europe include the ongoing drive for greater integration and unity within the European Union—leading the EU to desire political and even military clout to match its economic power with the goal of rivaling and eventually surpassing the United States (see "").
Ongoing conflict between Muslim minorities and Western governments is exemplified in French riots by young Muslims of North African descent. A British teacher in Sudan was threatened with 40 lashes, a prison sentence and a fine for apparently innocently naming (in concert with her students) a teddy bear "Muhammad."
This name is common among Muslim males, but misusing it is deemed an insult to the prophet Muhammad—in this case supposedly by assigning it to an animal (though a teddy bear is not really an animal of course). Some Sudanese called for her execution for insulting Islam. After 15 days in a Sudanese jail, she was pardoned and has since returned to England.
Columnist Melanie Phillips concluded her article in response by saying: "This country [Britain] in turn has to get real and see the plight of Mrs. Gibbons [the teacher] as yet another symptom of the great onslaught being mounted against our civilization —and towards which not one inch of ground must be given if that civilization is to survive" (Daily Mail, Dec. 3, 2007).
Unlike many peers in her generation, she has the eyes to see the road ahead—where these extremist Islamic outbursts are taking us.
And Kosovo is back in the news, stating its intention to declare independence from Serbia. The headline in The Independent reads, "Serbs prepare to flee from Kosovo as another conflict in the Balkans looms" (Dec. 7, 2007).
Wrap-Up: Full Circle
Reviewing the various regions around the globe, the name of one country emerges again and again: the United States, the country we started with. America's present role in a troubled and uncertain world is truly unique among the nations. It is likely to remain the dominant superpower, at least for a while. As global policeman, it has a defense budget almost as big as the rest of the world's.
To understand the why of present American power and influence, and the country's past, present and future role, request or download our free booklet .
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Keywords: Australia Iran Venezuela U.S. power Palestine
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