IRAQ–WHAT’S NEXT?
When carefully observing and analyzing the press reports and releases regarding Iraq’s future, one may be surprised to see that the war of propaganda has already begun. Yahoo! News ran an article last Saturday, titled, “EU Nations Agree With Bush on Iraq.” When reading the article, however, one discovers that just the opposite is correct. In the article, it is stated, “European Nations share the U.S. view that Iraq is a dangerous nation but — wary of Washington tripping into a military adventure — insist the Bush administration seek U.N. Security Council backing for any armed action, European officials said Friday…. Germany and France have urged the Bush Administration not to attack Iraq… “
The United Press International pointed out in its article on Saturday Germany’s strong opposition to any military intervention in Iraq. News Telegraph, a paper in the United Kingdom, discussed in its contribution “Germany’s emerging role as the leader of anti-US sentiment in Europe.” It explained that new German parliamentary elections are only three weeks [by now two weeks] away, and that “polls [in Germany] show fierce public opposition to an attack without United Nation’s backing.” The “relations between Germany and America regarding Iraq,” according to the paper, “have deteriorated markedly since March.”
Der Spiegel published several articles this week on the topic of Iraq. It speculated on September 4 that President Bush might declare war on Iraq in his speech on September 11, while Chancellor Schroeder’s criticism got even stronger. He stated, according to the article, “that the U.S. government has no concept for a new order after an attack on Iraq… I don’t see such a concept, in none of those who advocate an attack.” He also accused those who support an attack of being in violation of the declared goal of the United Nations. He reiterated again that Germany will not participate in any attack on Iraq under his leadership.
In a separate article, Der Siegel wrote on September 4 that, according to a worldwide poll, the majority of the Europeans, as well as a majority of the Americans, oppose an American attack on Iraq without the backing of the U.N. According to a poll of the ABC, only 39 percent of the Americans are still in support of an American attack on Iraq without support from America’s allies. An additional interesting result of the worldwide poll is the fact that most Europeans want to see Europe become a second economic and military super power, equal to the United States. Although only 48% of the Germans advocate that goal, 91% of the French support it.
In a third article, Der Spiegel reported on September 4 that the Ambassador of the United States to Germany, Dan Coats, strongly accused the German government. He stated that, if Germany should not stop its criticism of the United States, the relationship between the two countries would deteriorate, and Germany would find itself in an isolated position, even within the European Union. Although French President Jacques Chirac had just declared that “unilateral U.S. action would be contrary to the cooperation of states, the respect of law and the authority of the Security Council,” Mr. Coats’ statements were nevertheless somewhat supported by a sudden switch of Britain’s Tony Blair’s public position, who announced that he agrees with President Bush. The Times commented that with that announcement, Tony Blair has begun to prepare Great Britain for a war against Iraq, and the Guardian also stated that Tony Blair is preparing Great Britain for a war against Saddam Hussein.
We should be able to see that the topic of Iraq might contribute to the formation of new alliances. The Bible prophecies clearly that the European Union — under the leadership of Germany — will look for its own destiny and future, while the United States of America, as well as Britain, will ultimately be left behind, looking in from the outside. The current developments might very well be of tremendous consequences for our immediate future.
UNITED STATES SLAPPED WITH ECONOMIC SANCTIONS
As GlobeandMail.com reported on August 30, the United States lost a major trade battle Friday after the World Trade Organization (WTO) ruled that the European Union is free to impose sanctions of up to $4 billion U.S. to counter a U.S. tax policy that favors U.S. exporters. “The exporters have been able to continue to take advantage of tax breaks as ‘foreign sales corporations’ under U.S. tax rules, which President George W. Bush signed into law in November, 2000, despite an earlier agreement with the WTO to remove the tax concessions,” according to the article. “While the United States acknowledged that the tax breaks continued to violate WTO rules, it argued that the subsidies for U.S. exporters specifically affecting Europe were closer to $1 billion.” The article also pointed out that it is now up to Congress to enact new legislation, and that Washington hopes that, in the meantime, Europe will remain patient.
UNITED STATES SLAPPED WITH ECONOMIC SANCTIONS
As GlobeandMail.com reported on August 30, the United States lost a major trade battle Friday after the World Trade Organization (WTO) ruled that the European Union is free to impose sanctions of up to $4 billion U.S. to counter a U.S. tax policy that favors U.S. exporters. “The exporters have been able to continue to take advantage of tax breaks as ‘foreign sales corporations’ under U.S. tax rules, which President George W. Bush signed into law in November, 2000, despite an earlier agreement with the WTO to remove the tax concessions,” according to the article. “While the United States acknowledged that the tax breaks continued to violate WTO rules, it argued that the subsidies for U.S. exporters specifically affecting Europe were closer to $1 billion.” The article also pointed out that it is now up to Congress to enact new legislation, and that Washington hopes that, in the meantime, Europe will remain patient.
FULFILLING ISAIAH
As the business world reels from scandals reflecting the dismal greed of people who were considered the “captains” of industrialized America, mounting and alarming statistics that should shock and outrage the people of this land have now become common grist for the daily news.
For example, a report from CBSNEWS.com for July 31, 2002, relates the following:
“…the U.S. continues to be the WORLD LEADER in terms of what percent of its population is behind bars. For last year, the rate of incarceration was 686 inmates out of every 100,000 Americans.”
Another poignant quote from the National Center for Health Statistics in a release for July 24, 2002 states: “By age 30, three-quarters of women in the U.S. have been married and about half have cohabited outside of marriage…” Considering that the divorce rate in U.S. stands at around 50 percent, there is little wonder that the American family is on the rocks.
In the first chapter of Isaiah, God chastises modern Israel (v. 3) — mainly the United States and the Commonwealth nations — and in verse 4, identifies it as a “…sinful nation, A people laden with iniquity, A brood of evildoers.” Continuing in verse 5, “…The whole head is sick, And the whole heart faints, From the sole of the foot even to the head, There is no soundness in it, But wounds and bruises and putrefying sores.” These somber judgments about modern Israel are now finding fulfillment in our nations–yet, most are sadly unaware of the real solution. Carefully watch as the sins of this people are now reaping their inescapable consequences–leading to the impending time of “Jacob’s trouble” (Jer. 30:7).
AUSTRIA’S JOERG HAIDER “WITHDRAWS” — AGAIN!
As the international press reported this week, Joerg Haider, the former leader of Austria’s Freedom Party, announced that he was withdrawing from national politics because of differences with party members. Following massive floods in Austria earlier last month, the government said that it would no longer be able to pass the tax reform package in 2003, as originally planned. Haider sharply criticized that decision, arguing that the government should fulfill its promise to voters to pass the laws on schedule. Der Spiegel reported that Haider also said, however, that he would be willing to take over the party and begin again, after the next Austrian parliamentary elections in the autumn of 2003, should the party so desire. Several Austrian commentators responded that nobody believes that Haider’s “retreat” should be taken seriously. An interesting scenario was, however, presented by several political observers, as published in Der Spiegel on September 2. According to their view point, Haider is no longer interested in Austria, as his goal is Europe. He is looking for a European mass movement of the right. Some say that he feels that he is “the Savior of Austria, if not of Europe.”
OUR ENVIRONMENT
While the environment summit in South Africa was used by Germany’s Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder to criticize the American politics, and while U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell was interrupted several times during his speech by opposition groups, the problems which were presented to the summit are indeed staggering. As USA Today reported last week, the issues include:
Overpopulation: World population stands at 6.1 billion and could grow as much as 50%, to 9.3 billion, by 2050.
Poverty: About 2.8 billion people live on less than $2 a day.
Resource overuse: Air, sea and land resources are being used 20% faster than they can be replenished.
Global warming: Greenhouse gases have increased by 30% in the Earth’s atmosphere since 1950.
Water problems: About 1.1 billion people lack access to safe drinking water, mainly in Africa and Asia.
A very insightful article was published on August 30 in the German magazine, “Max.” We are bringing you excerpts from this article:
Natural catastrophes without end – and man is predominantly to blame. We pump tons of gases into the air, which disturb our climate…
The water comes as an avenger over the land…
The Apocalypse seems to be near. The one-hundred-year flood in Germany and Europe is not everything, which is visiting our planet this year: Fires destroy the forests in the western parts of the United States, a hurricane sweeps through Berlin, and Southern Africa withers under a merciless sun. In Bangladesh, in East India, in Nepal and in China week-long rain causes the rivers to grow and to roll like cylinders through the land. And while the monsoon showers down in the east, it fails to appear in the west of the Indian sub continent – the soil withers in the worst drought since 15 years.
The list of disasters in 2002 reads like an opening statement for the Last Judgment: Floods, droughts, fires and storms on nearly all continents. Plentiful and devastating. For the International Organization of Meteorology, the year 2001 was already “the year of extremes.” For 2002, we seem to have lost superlatives already in the month of August….
In the arctic, layers of ice half the size of Bavaria disappear every year. Worldwide, glaciers are retreating, for instance in Asia, in Africa, and in South America. Even the white giants of the Alps are melting away – they have decreased by one fourth since 1970…
For this century, a temperature rise worldwide of 1,4 to 5,8 Celsius is prognosticated…. What will happen exactly, no one seems to know… Ideas for the world tomorrow exist abundantly: In Asia the monsoon becomes totally unstable and unreliable within the next decades; the Ocean devours the islands in the South Sea; the Alps lose half of their glaciers; rivers in Europe overflow more and more; and the drought changes the Great Plains, the granary of the United States, into a dusty desert. The whole planet stumbles into a different time.
According to most scientists, the cause for all of this is predominantly man – with ninety percent certainty, man has caused 2/3rd of it all….
The earth is in the middle of a climatic change. That almost everybody agrees on…
The change in temperature, which we will soon experience, is unique in the history of man…
