Greetings from Tyler,
What you are about to read deals with current upheaval in the most volatile, historically and prophetically important region of the world. It also illuminates America’s rapid withdrawal of capability and influence as Iran is coddled and Israel disrespected by the current U.S. administration. We watched incredulous as the U.S. government supported and cheered the “Arab Spring” series of revolutions toppled governments across the region with demonstrations and riots.
The U.S. supported the overthrow of Ghaddafi in Libya by unnamed “rebels,” resulting in anarchy that reigns to this day, not to mention the attack and killing of American personnel in Benghazi. Sunnis and Shiites battle for regional control. Terrorist entities representing both factions battle in Syria and Iraq, threatening to spill into Jordan. Iran has exerted its influence in Iraq, and deployed special-forces and Iranian commanders in the stalled operation to push ISIS back, committing atrocities of their own. Presumably the U.S. supports Iranian troops against ISIS, but is against the Iranian-backed overthrow of the government in Yemen and supports Saudi military actions against the Houthis. Meanwhile, the administration and Department of State are openly desperate for a nuclear agreement with Iran, despite misgivings from none other than France, also represented in the negotiations. Meanwhile the Iranian ayatollah leads his audience in chants of “Death to America” as the deal nears completion.
The news spread around the world when on January 22, the Prime Minister and the whole government of Yemen resigned under threat from the Iranian sponsored Houthis. It certainly looked like an embarrassment of epic proportions when U.S. embassy staff abruptly martialed a convoy of American vehicles to the airport along with their Marine guards who were obliged to disable their guns before escaping aboard a civilian aircraft. Since that time Yemen has turned into a free fire zone for rival militias. Suicide bombers claiming ISIS membership killed some 130 and wounded an estimated 300 last week when they detonated themselves inside two Shiite mosques, calling it a “blessed operation.” Then the remaining U.S. military forces evacuated Yemen this week amid reports that Saudi Arabia was sending troops and armaments to its southern border.
All the news above came with added significance because the U.S. president held Yemen up as an example of a foreign-policy success story only a matter of months ago. What a shock it was to the Washington press corp when just yesterday the administration spokesman adamantly stood firm on the premise of that claim, insisting that Yemen remains a model of success for U.S. foreign policy! But now the Saudis have forces attacking Houthi targets across the border into Yemen in what has now become another new hot war in the region. It pits Saudi Arabia against Iran in armed conflict.
Tunis was another White House bragging point for what remained of the so-called “Arab Spring” series of revolutions that brought down the governments of several nations, including Egypt at the end of 2010 and proceeding into early 2011. But last week even Tunis fell victim to what will surely be an economically crippling attack, with Islamist terrorists linked to al Qaeda firing upon foreign tourists in the Bardo museum located inside the compound that contains the Tunisian parliament.
With the exceptions of Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and a couple of the Gulf kingdoms, all the Muslim nations of Arab Middle East are mired in civil war. They all have Israel, the United States and all other “Christian” oriented western nations as their common enemies, but they are locked in a fight to the death to determine whether Sunnis or Shiites led by Iran’s ayatollah will exert control.
According to Charles Krauthammer, a serious and respected analyst, the Saudis, Egyptians and Jordanians are convinced that they’ve been betrayed by the U.S. State Department and the White House. They believe their security interests have been sold out in the urgent quest to secure a nuclear agreement with Iran. Since the administration’s beloved Muslim Brotherhood was unceremoniously deposed in Egypt, that country has had to turn to Russia for needed military hardware. Saudi Arabia is rumored to be shopping for a turn-key nuclear arsenal of its own, and others are expected to follow suit. This is the very thing that every U.S. administration for the past thirty years has worked to avoid; a Middle East nuclear arms race. There are numerous warnings that this could lead to another world war.
As if the relationship between Israel and the U.S. hadn’t already become awkward enough, it has just come to light that the Obama administration “quietly declassified” documents from the 1980’s detailing progress in Israel’s own nuclear capabilities. This has been a long-standing taboo respected by each and every American president, probably dating probably as far back as Nixon. It was tightly held information never discussed in public by any American or Israeli official, because its release might touch off an escalating nuclear arms race among dangerously unstable nations. But the current administration has done just that, while no doubt further jeopardizing the incredibly tense and difficult relationship with Israel. How is it that our life-long alliance with Israel could be endangered by a “personality conflict” between Obama and Netanyahu? Surely that cannot be the case, and is not the case. A mere personality conflict, among mature, pragmatic and patriotic leaders would never be allowed to alter the whole equation in matters as sensitive to the security of the entire world!
The purported “framework” nuclear agreement expected between the U.S. president and the Iranian ayatollah will not pass muster with the U.S. Congress. That much has been made abundantly clear. Reports have been leaked that the nuclear deal with Iran may be taken before the United Nations for ratification, bypassing the Senate and the House completely, strictly on the basis of executive order. That would certainly touch off another Constitutional crisis, and there are several of those already awaiting adjudication in the courts. They include “mandates” involved with government controlled health-care; government intervention on behalf of illegal immigrants, at the expense of American citizens and in violation of existing law; and the cases still in play over powerful government agencies involved in targeting and intimidating the president’s ideological foes. You know, those that align themselves with the liberties guaranteed by the Constitution. Some have been hanging fire for two years or more, and it may yet be a long time before Americans find out what is left of the God-ordained principals of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Despite official assurances to the contrary, Israel’s security is being systematically compromised. Alliances with Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the Arabic Gulf states are damaged if not ruined. No one is sure which side of the multi-faceted conflicts America supports.
Islamic immigrants are making a mess of European society and it portends part of the basis for a political backlash that, if Bible prophecy is to be fulfilled, will alter the face of Europe and have major implications for the entire western world. Another factor is the inevitable failure of socialist policies and the economic crises they’ve created throughout southern Europe. Greece is about to go broke again in April and relations with Germany, its financial benefactor, are tense. A Greek default on German debt could yet reverberate across the continent, fueling discontent with the EU beyond what we’ve seen so far.
Intrigue at the highest levels in American leadership remains intense and unresolved. From the former Secretary of State and presumptive first female candidate for president; to the Attorney General who resigned months ago and still can’t leave; to a president whose spokesman is apparently ordered to deny reality on every subject; we’ve rarely if ever been witness to such confusion.
From our organizational standpoint, we’ll continue to watch and keep up with the events that are pertinent to our commission. May God bless and protect all who can manage to remain true to His Laws in the face of a culture that regards evil as good, and good as evil. Have a great Sabbath.
Mark Armstrong
