News for January 1, 2007

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Local soldier sees war's 'little' picture (January 2, 2007) - There is the big picture of the war in Iraq, the one that we get from thousands of miles away by reading the newspaper or watching TV. And there is the little picture, the one that we get from people such as Jon Morton, a soldier patrolling what he calls the "slums of Baghdad." The big picture is dark and political. It's an argument among politicians and generals about policy, strategy, money and national security. The little picture can be dark, too, but only sometimes, which is why Morton's mother, Janice, sent me a copy of a recent letter she'd received from Jon and asked if I would print it. The big picture is dominated by the news that military deaths in Iraq have exceeded 3,000. It includes reports that the burial place of Saddam Hussein, the dictator whom we deposed at great cost and who was hanged Saturday, is likely to become a shrine. The little picture doesn't use a wide-angle lens, however. It's more focused. In December, Kenneth and Janice Morton of Phoenix got a letter from their son in Iraq that began: "Mom and Dad, I just got your letter you wrote on Nov. 25, along with the article you mailed with it. It disgusts me to see what the media is reporting and how they are reporting it. All they seem to tell is who threatened who and who killed who today. I am just plain sick of how and what the media is feeding the American public." As part of the big picture, various news agencies recently reported that a poll conducted by Military Times showed that, for the first time, a majority of U.S. troops now say that they disapprove of the way President Bush has handled the Iraq war. The poll was conducted during the time that Jon Morton wrote to his parents and reflects results from a USA Today-Gallup poll taken earlier. But it does not reflect the individual snapshots of each and every soldier. For instance, Morton wrote: "The other day we went and placed some concrete barriers around a school to protect it better. The whole time we were there, about 6 hours, we were surrounded by children ages 3-10 asking for candy, chocolate, and anything they could see. We laughed with them, tried to talk with them and found out a little girl had a crush on our medic. When she found out that we knew, she turned red and ran away, only to return a few minutes later. Also last week we captured two men in the JAM army. JAM is the underground radical Islamic (group) behind most of the violence in our sector. Also last week, some others in my battalion found a car bomb factory, IED factory, and munitions storage all in one house. It was the largest weapons find in several months in all of Iraq. It was so large it took them 3-4 days to find everything and take it away." more...
| America |

Journalist: Brace for guerilla warfare in Golan (December 31, 2006) - Israel's poor performance against Hizbullah last summer boosted support for President Bashar Assad 's popularity among the Syrian people who are ready for confrontation with Israel, a senior Syrian journalist told Ynet. "There is no doubt that the Lebanon war and the Israeli defeat are a source of encouragement, and also a source for recruiting the Syrian people who see itself as a pioneer and example to other Arab people. It is looking at how the Lebanese defeated and expelled the Israelis from their land while its land remains occupied. "The Syrian people understood the possibility that a war will break out, even at the price Damascus and Syrian cities being bombarded," a senior Syrian journalist told Ynet. His words reflect the Syrian regime's mood as Israel continues to shun Syrian peace overtures. Assad has been signaling willingness to talk peace with the Jewish state, but on the other hand, the journalist says, "The principle is that so long we haven't freed our land in a peaceful path, we are entitled to do so militarily. The Syrian people in the occupied Golan Heights have the right to return to their homeland." He said that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's ruling out of talks with Syria is a sign that, "Israelis are not serious about talks with Syria … one time they demand that Syria sever its ties with Israel, another time to sever ties with Hizbullah – and another time with Hamas. All this show that the Israelis look for excuses in order not to deal with the real issue – fully withdrawing from the Golan Heights." more...
| Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam |

Iran: Mahdi will defeat archenemy in Jerusalem (December 31, 2006) - A triumphal religious prophecy has appeared on an Iranian official state media website, heralding the return of the Shiite messiah. According to the website, "Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance) will appear all of a sudden on the world scene with a voice from the skies announcing his reappearance at the holy Ka'ba in Mecca." The Islamic Republic of Iran broadcasting (IRIB) website said in a program called 'The World Towards Illumination,' that the Mahdi will reappear in Mecca and form an army to defeat Islam's enemies in a series of apocalyptic battles, in which the Mahdi will overcome his archvillain in Jerusalem. The series has been regularly updated throughout November and December. "The Mahdi's far sightedness and firmness in the face of mischievous elements will strike awe. After his uprising from Mecca all of Arabia will be submit to him and then other parts of the world as he marches upon Iraq and established his seat of global government in the city of Kufa. “Then the Imam will send 10 thousand of his forces to the east and west to uproot the oppressors. At this time God will facilitate things for him and lands will come under his control one after the other," the website declared. "After his appearance the Imam would remain in Mecca for some time, and then go to Medina... a descendant of the Prophet's archenemy Abu Sofyan will seize Syria and attack Iraq and the Hejaz with the ferocity of a beast… finally Imam Mahdi sends troops who kill the Sofyani in Beit ol-Moqaddas (Jerusalem), the Islamic holy city in Palestine that is currently under occupation of the Zionists," the IRIB added. more...
| Iran | Israel | Islam |

Saddam Hussein Executed in Baghdad (December 30, 2006) - Former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein was hanged early today for his crimes against humanity. The toppled Iraqi leader was executed just before 6am at the Khadamiyah intelligence centre in Baghdad. The centre was the place where many of his opponents had been executed in previous years. more...

French Space Agency to Publish UFO Archive Online (December 29, 2006) - The French space agency is to publish its archive of UFO sightings and other phenomena online, but will keep the names of those who reported them off the site to protect them from pestering by space fanatics. Jacques Arnould, an official at the National Space Studies Center (CNES), said the French database of around 1,600 incidents would go live in late January or mid-February. He said the CNES had been collecting statements and documents for almost 30 years to archive and study them. "Often they are made to the Gendarmerie, which provides an official witness statement ... and some come from airline pilots," he said by telephone. Given the success of films about visitations from outer space like "E.T.", "Close Encounters of The Third Kind" and "Independence Day", the CNES archive is likely to prove a hit. It consists of around 6,000 reports, many relating to the same incident, filed by the public and airline professionals. Their names would not be published to protect their privacy, Anould said. Advances in technology over the past three decades had prompted the decision to put the archive online, he said, adding it would likely be available via the CNES website.
| UFO |

Christians flee Iraq, find Syria 'ruthless' (December 29, 2006) - Christians may be fleeing war-torn Iraq and the fighting Islamic factions there to Syria, but that nation also holds "ruthless" positions against Christianity which range from life in prison for talking about your beliefs to death for a Muslim who converts, according to a ministries working there. "It's better than Iraq, but it's no bed of roses there for sure," Jim Jacobson, president of Christian Freedom International, told WND. "The Christians (there) are stuck between a rock and a hard place." While Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Iran and other Middle East nations are well-known for persecuting Christians, Syria's actions are of a lower profile. But it is listed among those nations around the world that persecute Christians by everyone from Jacobson's organization to the U.S. government. In Syria, the constitution requires the president to be a Muslim and specifies that Islamic jurisprudence is a principal source of legislation. And sharing your Christian faith with someone – anyone – is discouraged as "posing a threat to the relations among religious groups" and carries a penalty of up to life in prison, he said. "For Christians, one of the core tenets is the ability to share your faith, but in Syria that can lead to arrest (and) persecution," Jacobson said. "We list Syria as one of the top … countries where Christians are facing real persecution." "Syria isn't Saudi Arabia, but it's one of the big untold stories out there," he said. For those who want to convert from Islam to Christianity, "you're disowned by your family, if the local mosque issues a death threat, no one is going to do anything about it, you'll just end up dead. Nothing is done, no police action, that's just understood. "If you convert you'd better leave the country," he said. For those who already are Christian, the government allows them to practice their religion – but within harsh and restrictive guidelines. A Christian is not allowed to proselytize – ever. And churches that want to hold an extra service must get a government permit. Sermons are routinely monitored, as is church fundraising. more...

And yet there are still Christians there. Another evidence to the power of the gospel. Even in persecution and risk of death they are faithful. This is also a sign of the times. Matthew 24:9-14

2 arrested in deaths of Indian children (December 29, 2006) - The decomposing bodies of several children were found buried on Friday behind a house outside New Delhi, and a domestic servant confessed to sexually abusing and killing at least seven children, officials said. The servant, who said he lured the children with the promise of chocolate and sweets, was arrested, said R.K.S. Rathore, police chief for the area. The owner of the house was also arrested, although investigators had not yet determined if he had a direct role in the killings, Rathore said. As police searched the property in Noida, a township east of the capital, word spread that as many as 38 children had disappeared in the area in the past few years. Parents of the missing children said they had appealed repeatedly to police but their pleas were brushed aside. "Now we're investigating further and in due course we'll come to know more details, including the number of bodies," Rathore told The Associated Press. The servant, who went by the names Satish or Surendra, was found with a missing girl's mobile phone, and suspicious police went to the house, where they smelled decomposing corpses, Rathore said. Police were using a back-hoe and bulldozer to help dig through the yard, and reports were filtering out that the remains of dozens more children may be buried at the house. One police officer, who asked not to be identified because the investigation was ongoing, said he saw 12 skulls. "We have been pursing with police the case of these 38 children who have been missing," said Satish Chandra Mishra, a former president of the local residents association. Among the onlookers were parents of missing children, most of them poor domestic workers. more...

I don't know if it's just more reporting, but this kind of sexual child abuse seems to be getting worse. Stories locally as well where it seems to be going on everywhere and realizing how many people there are and how many evil people realized they could prey on innocent children to fulfill the lusts of their flesh. It would fit in with what the Bible says about the state of the world in the end times. 2 Timothy 3:1-7 | Matthew 24:9-14 Certainly getting ripe for the wrath of God.

Olmert Recognizes PA Flag (December 29, 2006) - For the first time in the history of the State of Israel, the red, black, green and white flag of the Palestinian Authority stood next to the official state flag of Israel bearing the blue Jewish Star flanked by two stripes on its field of white, last Saturday Night. It was the first of several surprises. The meeting between Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas came days earlier than expected, with government spokesmen saying security concerns had advanced the meeting and delayed the announcement. Several agreements were ironed out within that first meeting. These included the release of $100 million in frozen tax money for the PA, loosening of travel restrictions on PA Arabs in Judea and Samaria and increasing the number of permits for them to work inside Israel's pre-1967 borders. In addition to the usual smiling photo ops, both men seemed intent on creating a message of unity, warmth and formal diplomacy. The Jewish Prime Minister addressed Abu Mazen – Abbas’s nom de guerre – as “Mr. President.” Until now, Abbas has been referred to as the PA Chairman. With that appellation and a kiss on each cheek, Olmert launched a new era of diplomatic relations for the PA leader, prompting the New York-based Jewish Daily Forward to comment that it appeared to be a meeting of two heads of state. more...
| Israel | Islam |

Way to make them feel confirmed Olmert. It wasn't even until Israel became a nation that anyone wanted the desolate area. Then as prophesied, the desert bloomed for Israel. Ezekiel 36 Then all of a sudden the Muslim nations rose up against Israel. Now they claim it was their land. Meanwhile, they destroy any artifacts under the Temple Mount that could validate the Jewish origins there so they can re-write history and get rid of the Jews. They hate them with a satanic hatred. It will only get stronger until Christ returns and wipes them out. Bottom line is that the land is in the hands of who God wants to have it and who both politically and militarily own it. For the first time in history I'm aware of, the world is trying to force a nation to give back land won in a war. The land was given to them originally by God thousands of years ago and more recently after the holocaust. More info here.

Record number of dangerous natural phenomena hits Russia in 2006 (December 28, 2006) - This year Russia has registered the highest number of unfavorable and dangerous natural phenomena in the history of meteorological observation, a director of Russia's Hydrometeorology Center said Thursday. Roman Vilfand said that between January and November, 371 dangerous natural phenomena - including extreme cold, heat waves, strong winds and driving rains - were registered throughout Russia. "The year also ends unusually with the abnormally warm weather in late November and early December, when plants even began to bloom in some areas," Vilfand said. Earlier, the Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring said extreme deviations in weather patterns were observed before, but over the past decade they have become more and more frequent. Following near-record low temperatures during last winter's cold spell, which saw the mercury plummet to -31°C (-23.8°F) January 19 - one degree above the all-time low for Moscow - European Russia experienced record warm temperatures this month. But Vilfand said this year's unusually warm start of winter in Russia should not be associated with global warming. Rather, he said, the reason for this year's unusual weather was a strong anticyclone over Greenland, which 'orchestrated' the weather over European Russia.
| Earth Changes |

'Israeli weapons transfer to be used against Jews' (December 28, 2006) - Weapons transferred yesterday with the help of Israel to militants from Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party will be used in attacks against the Jewish state, a senior Fatah militant told WND. Also, a leader of the Popular Resistance Committees, a major Palestinian terror group suspected of attacks against U.S. Middle East targets, told WND his organization has infiltrated Fatah and likely will obtain some of the new arms. According to reports here, Egypt yesterday transferred 2,000 AK-47 assault rifles, 20,000 magazines and two million rounds of ammunition to Fatah security organizations in the Gaza Strip to bolster the groups in clashes against rival Hamas factions. Hamas and Fatah have engaged in heavy firefights since Abbas earlier this month called for new Palestinian elections in a move widely seen as an attempt to dismantle the Hamas-led PA. The Egyptian weapons were delivered yesterday with the help of the Israeli Defense Forces and with authorization from Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, according to Israel's Haaretz daily newspaper. Israeli and Palestinian security officials confirmed the Egyptian weapons shipments to WND. According to the officials, four trucks filled with Egyptian weapons were transferred into Israel through a major border crossing in coordination with the IDF. The Israeli army then escorted the arms to a Gaza Strip checkpoint, where they were received by PA security personnel affiliated with Mahmoud Dahlan, a Fatah strongman in Gaza. Israel's Defense Ministry said Olmert approved the Egyptian weapons shipment to bolster peace in the region. more...
| Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam |

Well duh!!! I can't believe they're giving arms to Muslims intent on taking their land in order to "bolster peace in the region." Giving weapons to Muslims thirsty for Jewish blood is always a great way to bolster peace. Are they completely blind? Yes. God has blinded them. Romans 11:8 Apparently beyond just understanding God's plan for them. Their blindness has extended to eliminate any common sense too. They're giving the guns to the people who will kill 2/3 of them immediately following the abomination of desolation.

What is the Alliance of Civilizations? (December 27, 2006) - An article by our reader and contributor affectionately known to us as “Rich of Medford” The final report of the United Nations’ Alliance of Civilizations (AoC) initiative was released last month. In addition to its usual goal of combating exclusivist ideology, the report contains some interesting elements:

1. Exclusivist ideology is defined as “those who feed on exclusion and claim sole ownership of the truth. (Christians, read John 14:6 as you consider this statement.
2. The core issue identified to be the bridge between the West and Islam is resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
3. The global and problematic players in this conflict have been identified as the adherents of the three monotheistic faiths.
4. Failure to resolve this conflict will result in a failed Alliance of Civilizations.

Also noteworthy is that the AoC has identified the European Union’s Barcelona Process as one of the frameworks in which it intends to operate. For those unfamiliar with the Process, it is the foundation of the EU’s political, economic, and social policy. The Process, also known as the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, is represented as the only platform that can solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The social dimension of the Process, with implementation facilitated by the Anna Lindh Foundation, cooperates with the AoC and shares the common goal to combat religious fundamentalism worldwide.So what happens to the adherents of the monotheistic faiths if the peace process fails? Lucis Trust, one of the contributors to the AoC initiative gives us an idea. In its publication The Rays and the Initiations, Lucis Trust says that those faiths are but three dead and gone religions with Judaism being old, obsolete, and separative. Christianity, they say, has served its purpose and the new age Christ will replace the Gospel with a new truth. As for Muslims, they will accept the new age Christ as their Imam Mahdi “who will lead them to light and to spiritual victory.” The objective of the AoC, therefore, is “to enforce an Alliance of Civilizations against all those who…give prevalence…to a logic of division and confrontation.” Since the Alliance intends to be fully prepared to enforce its objectives by 2009, I suspect that’s when they will introduce their symbol. Timing is everything. The European Commission has just submitted a document to the author of the Barcelona Process that it is time to deliver. If the planners of the AoC really mean what they say, may God help us all.
| EU/UN | NewWorldOrder |

IDF: Hizbullah almost at full strength (December 21, 2006) - Predicting that it is "just a matter of time" before Hizbullah attacks Israel, a high-ranking officer from the Northern Command revealed to The Jerusalem Post Wednesday that the Lebanese guerrilla group had nearly returned to full strength and was almost at the level it was before this summer's Lebanon war. Syria, the officer said, had used the past four months since the end of the war to transfer - sometimes on a daily basis - truckloads of advanced rockets and weaponry to Hizbullah in Lebanon. The weapon transfers, he said, were not even executed covertly, but were conducted "out in the open" for the entire world to see. "Hizbullah needs to legitimize its existence, and therefore will continue to fight," said the officer, adding that if and when Hizbullah attacked, it would be up to the country's diplomatic echelon to determine Israel's response. The IDF, the officer said, was busy training brigades and battalions in urban warfare centers in the North and the South in preparation for the possibility that a new round of violence would erupt. The officer said that while there was no clear intelligence indicating that war was on the horizon, the possibility of one was the "working assumption" for the Northern Command. "We have a wide arsenal of potential responses," said the officer. "From another Operation Change of Direction [name of the IDF operation during the Lebanon war] to limiting a response to shooting the guerrilla who attacks." The Navy has also been training for another war and on Tuesday night conducted a number of simulations during a visit by IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz to one of its missile ships. The officer said that while it was possible that Hizbullah would attack Israel in the near future, it was also possible that Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora's government would succeed in enforcing both order in Lebanon and UN Security Council Resolution 1701. "If the Lebanese government does not implement the resolution then we are most probably on our way to another round with Hizbullah," he said. more...
| Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam |

The World in 2007 - Better or worse? (December 19, 2006) - On the eve of the year 2007, it is evident to anyone with the fortitude to see reality that the world is not getting better, nor even staying the same, but getting worse. There are a few positive developments. But they are mostly technological and medical. More people are eating better and living longer than ever before. And the Internet gives more people access to more information (and more lies) than ever before. But aside from medical and technological progress, there is little positive to report. And, as always, the technological breakthroughs are frequently morally mixed bags. Almost wherever one looks, there are more reasons for pessimism than optimism. Africa is probably in worse condition than at any time in recorded history. Though often exaggerated, great numbers of young and middle-aged people are dying from AIDS; corruption in Africa is so widespread and deeply rooted that aid workers are telling the West to stop giving funds to Africa because those funds only serve to prop up corrupt regimes and increase poverty, malnutrition and violence; about three million people have died in the ongoing wars in the Congo; and the Islamic Arab regime of Sudan has allowed or directed genocide. In Asia, China, sitting on reserves of over a trillion dollars, is beginning to regard itself as a world power, and most of where it meddles, it plays an immoral role (regarding Iran's nuclear weapons and the North Korea regime). As China's economic power grows, it will increasingly seek to flex its muscles. This could mean tension over Taiwan, but it will even more likely mean that Japan will try to become a military power once again and perhaps develop its own nuclear weapons -- because of North Korea's weapons and because of China's strength and ambitions. A strong Japan, given North Korea's lunatic regime and China's drive for regional dominance, is a positive development but an unfortunate one nevertheless. Russia, like China, increasingly uses its power in immoral ways, and its government is becoming increasingly authoritarian. As bad as Africa and parts of Asia are, the Arab world is in many ways in even worse condition and poses a far greater threat to world stability. The Arab world is largely divided between corrupt regimes and Islamic totalitarians who await the downfall of those regimes. Since World War II, the Arab world has sought a solution to its backwardness -- first in nationalism, then in Pan-Arab nationalism and Marxism, and now in Islam. "Islam is the answer" is the motto of vast numbers of young Arabs (and Muslims elsewhere), and the Islam they are referring to is often not benign. Making matters worse, the Arab world is consumed by hate. Hatred and oil have become its primary exports: hatred of Israel, of America and of other non-Muslims in its midst -- e.g., Maronite Christians in Lebanon, non-Muslims in Sudan and Christians in the Palestinian territories. more...

Iran's oil revenue running dry, Iran's economic woes could make the country unstable (December 25, 2006) - Iran is suffering a staggering decline in revenue from its oil exports, and if the trend continues income could virtually disappear by 2015, according to an analysis published this week in a journal of the National Academy of Sciences. Iran's economic woes could make the country unstable and vulnerable, with its oil industry crippled, Roger Stern, an economic geographer at Johns Hopkins University, said in the report and in an interview. Iran earns about $50-billion (U.S.) a year in oil exports. The decline is estimated at 10 to 12 per cent annually. In less than five years exports could be halved and then disappear by 2015, Mr. Stern predicted. For two decades, far longer than its designation by U.S. President George W. Bush in January 2002 as part of the “axis of evil,” the United States has deployed military forces in the region in a strategy to pre-empt emergence of a regional superpower. Iraq was stopped in the 1991 Persian Gulf War, but a hostile Iran remains a target of U.S. threats. The U.S. military exercises have not stopped Iran's drive. But the report said the country could be destabilized by declining oil exports, hostility to foreign investment to develop new oil resources and poor state planning, Mr. Stern said. Mr. Stern's analysis, which appears in this week's edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, supports U.S. and European suspicions that Iran is trying to develop nuclear weapons in violation of international understandings. But, Mr. Stern says, there could be merit to Iran's assertion that it needs nuclear power for civilian purposes “as badly as it claims.” He said oil production is declining and both gas and oil are being sold domestically at highly subsidized rates. At the same time, Iran is neglecting to reinvest in its oil production. “With an explosive demand at home and poor management, the appeal of nuclear power, financed by Russia, could fill a real need for production of more electricity.” more...
| Iran | Gog/Magog | Israel | Islam |

Given Ahmadinejad's belief that the end of times and Muslim domination of the world is at hand, is he thinking about the future of their country as a distinct nation and trying to preserve it, or is he utilizing all his resources now to advance the cause of Islam across the world and wipe out Israel? You be the judge, but an unstable Islamic nation bent on world domination while pursuing nuclear technology and chanting "death to Israel" and "death to the USA" while promising to "wipe Israel off the map" catches my attention. Especially in light of Bible prophecy which states that Persia will be part of the coalition that attempts to destroy Israel. God will stop them for now though. It will be interesting to see it come together. Keep watching!

Clash of Civilizations? Exploring Misconceptions about the Islamic World (November 15, 2006) - This is an online lesson plan intended to introduce students to the Alliance of Civilizations. If you've read the other articles, you know this is a program set up to "resolve conflict between the East and West." It seems to be focused on the Muslim world and teaching us just how tolerant Islam really is, or at least brainwashing the kids to think that. If they base their beliefs and actions on their holy book, the Koran, then we can verify whether or not they are a peaceful religion by their text. See what it has to say. More here.

Henry Kissinger speaks and the world is most likely listening Constance Cumbey (November 19, 2006) - I’m taking a break from finishing my book on Javier Solana to update my blogspot readers on what I see as an interesting new development. An article bylined by none other than Henry Kissinger appears in Saturday's Daily Aspen News. You may find it on line here. It was Henry Kissinger who made the famous statement that he wished he had a single number to call to reach Europe. It was the Clinton administration who announced gleefully that this had been achieved – under Javier Solana. It was the Bush administration that handed its proxy on Iran to Javier Solana – to exercise on June 6, 2006, no less. Henry Kissinger has now spoken again. He notes that Condoleezza Rice may be taking back the USA’s proxy given Europe and its Javier Solana under certain conditions. Those conditions are that Iran stop nuclear enrichment while direct negotiations with the USA are taking place. Kissinger is skeptical that such will happen –or even work. He believes the USA is in no position to challenge Iran. Moreover, he apparently believes that the conflict is also Mideast regional – Moslem Shi’ite “ideology” (religion) vs. Sunni religious forces. Henry Kissinger says that as long as Iran considers what it is doing a “crusade” vs. geopolitical realities, probably nothing will work. He notes that Europe will not insist on tough sanctions against Iran. He also notes that nobody has probably more to lose than Russia if Iran gains nuclear strength – Iran would then become a dangerous underbelly to Russia’s already self-evident problems with what Kissinger calls Shiite ideological extremists. Kissinger says that because of the delicacy of that situation both Europe and Russia are hesitant to use direct confrontation. He says that Russia now doubts the USA’s staying power in the region. Kissinger also expresses the opinion that the situation is too dangerous to ignore and will not go away. So what does Henry Kissinger believe will work? What healing balm will calm that region and unify the now competing Shiite and Sunni forces? It looks to me as if Kissinger may be suggesting that Israel is the key. It is renewed Palestinian peace efforts. Kissinger says Iran’s Ahmadinejad is empowered by knowledge that Shiite forces in Iraq alongside with Iranian sponsored Hezbollah ones in Lebanon are causing panic in Sunni nations. He suggests that the solution is two-fold: A Palestinian solution inside Israel and encouraging Iran to act “as a nation, not a cause.” Kissinger further says that there must now obviously be a USA repositioning, but if it must not be currently perceived as a prelude to inspired USA withdrawal from the region. Such could cause Iran to perceive it as opportunity. It would see the collapse of existing structures, take advantage of a perceived opportunity to fill the power vaccuum. Ergo, there would be even more chaos in the region. Iran probably would not move aggressively, per Kissinger, unless it believes this would happen. Consequently, any strategic redeployment must take this type of Shiite (Ahmadinejad) thinking into account. To me, Kissinger’s proposed solutions seem to lead us full circle to where Javier Solana came in when I first discovered him in 1995. Solana has been the only constant figure in all the “peace moves” in the Middle East, at least from 1991 onwards. Kissinger now defines religious fervency as “an ideology, "a crusade”, “a cause” and exceedingly dangerous, at least as it applies to Shiite Moslems. If Kissinger reflects and/or is shaping NATO, G-8, UN consensus, and he may well be, it may be inevitable that the “Alliance of Civilizations” with Solana’s concomitant “battle religious fundamentalism, worldwide” will come into accelerated play. After all, wouldn’t it, per that Alliance of Civilizations cum “New World Religion” combined with other equally “no religion” forces, be unfair to apply anti-fundamentalism to only Islamics? As I currently read it, this may likely be a win-win for Javier Solana and/or any successor for the processes Solana began. It looks as if very sophisticated minds are calling for a consensus that will control both the Israeli region and world monotheistic, non-compromising religious expression. When Henry Kissinger speaks, people usually listen. A very dangerous world is currently in play. As Herb Peters expresses it: stay tuned!
| EU/UN | Solana | NewWorldOrder |