The Week in Review
Middle East
On September 20, the biggest terrorist bomb ever in Pakistan exploded in Islamabad, killing 53 people—including two U.S. Defense Department employees and the Czech ambassador—and wounding more than 250. A suicide bomber rammed a truck containing the 1,300-pound bomb into the security gates of the Marriott Hotel, leaving a 24-foot crater and destroying the entire front section of the hotel. At the time of the bombing, many of Pakistan’s top civil and military leaders—including the prime minister, president and army chief—were just half a mile away at a dinner at the Prime Minister House. Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani claimed on Sunday that this was the original target of the bombing but that tight security prevented an attack being carried out. Regardless of whether this is true, the close call is forcing Islamabad to at least start talking tough against Islamist terrorists. “After such a dramatic attack so close to so many high-ranking government officials, [President Asif Ali] Zardari announced that his government will now be going on the offensive against the militants,” Stratfor reported September 22. It remains to be seen how effective it will be in doing this, however, in a country where the populace blames Islamabad’s cooperation with the U.S. for the Islamist insurgency.
Two incidents this week highlighted the historically high tension that currently exists between Washington and Islamabad. On Tuesday, a U.S. unmanned aerial vehicle crashed in Pakistan’s northwestern tribal belt. Local tribesmen in South Waziristan claim to have shot down the drone, though this is denied by the U.S. Then, on Thursday, the Pentagon said Pakistani forces fired at U.S. military helicopters near the Afghan-Pakistani border. While Washington claims the helicopters had not entered Pakistani airspace and Islamabad asserted that only “warning shots” were fired to warn the helicopters off, the incident reveals how easily tensions between the U.S. and Pakistan could escalate. Ironically, relations between the two allies have now deteriorated to the point where it seems Pakistani troops are turning their weapons on the nation that is its biggest weapons supplier—just as the Pakistani military threatened to do earlier this month. Watch for tensions between the U.S. and Pakistan to continue to increase.
An enraged Palestinian rammed his bmw into a group of Israeli soldiers and civilians near the Jaffa Gate in Jerusalem late Monday night, sending 19 people to hospital. The driver, Qassem Mughrabi from East Jerusalem, was shot dead. Mughrabi was reportedly a member of Hamas, though Israeli police said he had no criminal record, and there was nothing to indicate the attack was pre-planned. Still, the attack was alarming for two reasons: First, although Mughrabi’s attack didn’t appear to be sparked by Jews or Israel—police said Mughrabi went on his rampage after his cousin refused to marry him—slamming his car into Israeli soldiers and citizens was apparently the therapy of choice for the dejected, outraged Palestinian Arab. Second, Mughrabi’s use of a bmw as a weapon highlights the futility of Israel’s policy of dealing with the effects of Palestinian terrorism, rather than the cause. Preventing Palestinian workers from operating bulldozers may prevent further bulldozer attacks on Jerusalem’s streets, for example, but this attack with an automobile reveals the limits of such a policy. Violence in Jerusalem is increasing despite all of Israel’s security measures.
Also this week in the Middle East, on September 24, after months of gridlock, the Iraqi Parliament approved a provincial election law (albeit only because the issues causing gridlock were deferred) that will allow elections to be held by the end of next January, which could trigger renewed sectarian struggles.
Europe
The archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, sounded almost Catholic this week. Speaking in Lourdes, France, where the pope visited last week, he gave tacit acceptance to the Catholic position on many of the small doctrinal difference between the Anglican and Catholic communities. Jeremy Brooks, the Protestant Truth Society’s director of ministry, said Williams was “behaving as little more than a papal puppet.” “Lourdes represents everything about Roman Catholicism that the Protestant Reformation rejected, including apparitions, mariolatry and the veneration of saints,” he said. “The archbishop’s simple presence there is a wholesale compromise, and his sermon which included a reference to Mary as ‘the mother of God’ is a complete denial of Protestant orthodoxy.” The Bible prophesies that the Protestant churches will be reabsorbed into the mother church. Williams’s visit to the Roman Catholic shrine of Lourdes shows that this prophecy is getting closer to being fulfilled. For more information, see our October 2008 Trumpet article “Cracks in the Anglican Cathedral.”
Attitudes of prejudice against both Jews and Muslims are spreading across the length and breadth of the European continent according to a recent survey conducted by the Pew Research Center. “In contrast to the U.S. and Britain, where unfavorable opinion of Jews has been stable and low for several years at between 7 and 9 percent, the Pew Survey of Global Attitudes found that hostile attitudes to Jews were rising all across continental Europe from Russia and Poland in the east to Spain and France in the west,” wrote the Guardian. “The survey found that suspicion of Muslims in Europe was considerably higher than hostility to Jews, but that the increase in anti-Semitism had taken place much more rapidly” (September 18). Forty-six percent of Spaniards, 36 percent of Poles, 34 percent of Russians, 25 percent of Germans and 20 percent of Frenchmen said they had unfavorable views of Jews. Regarding Muslims, 52 percent of Spaniards, 50 percent of Germans, 46 percent of Poles, 38 percent of Frenchmen and 32 percent of Russians said they had unfavorable views. Most of Europe’s governing elite are taking the position that their nations are friends of the Jewish people and that the rise of radical Islam can be curbed through diplomatic efforts. But the above statistics reflect the fact that many if not most of the people do not agree with their leaders. Rising anti-Semitism and hostility toward Muslims are feeding the current wave of right-wing extremism spreading in Europe. To see where these trends are leading, read our August 2001 Trumpet article “The Last Crusade” and our August 2008 article “Can Israel Trust Germany?”
German foreign minister and chancellor candidate Frank Frank-Walter Steinmeier is starting to get involved in the Middle East peace process. At the beginning of the UN General Assembly’s annual debate, Steinmeier told reporters that he would be meeting with regional leaders throughout the week to assess progress and offer support for the peace process. The Trumpet has long forecast that eventually the Jews will feel compelled to request assistance from Germany. Germany is currently laying the groundwork for this to happen. Read our August 2001 Trumpet article “The Counterfeit Peacemaker” to find out where this will lead.
Asia
Japanese politics plunged further into turmoil on Wednesday when the upper and lower houses of the Japanese Diet chose different candidates for the office of prime minister. The upper house voted for opposition leader Ichiro Ozawa, while the lower house voted for Liberal Democratic Party President Taro Aso. Aso was appointed as Japan’s new prime minister later that day only because the lower house has the power vested in it to override an upper house prime minister appointment. This decision could change if the Democratic Party of Japan wins the snap lower house election that is slated for October 26. In such a case, Ozawa would assume the premiership and Aso would become the shortest ruling prime minister in Japanese history. All of this is significant because after having 10 prime ministers in 15 years, the Japanese are craving political stability. Ozawa wants to move his nation away from its subordinate position in relation to America and to put more power in the hands of the prime minister. Regardless of how this snap election turns out, Japan is moving further away from America and closer to its Asian neighbors. If Ozawa is elected, however, this move could happen much more quickly. He is definitely a man to watch.
The Chinese launched their third manned space flight on Thursday from a launch center in Inner Mongolia. If all goes according to plan, one of the three astronauts on board will go on a space walk wearing a Chinese-made suit. Chinese leaders hope that the sight of the first Chinese man floating in space will inspire pride in a domestic audience and help cement China’s international standing as a major world power. In today’s technologically advanced world, every nation racing to establish a foothold in space is acutely aware that dominance of outer space leads to dominance here on Earth. China, Japan, India and Russia are all striving for this dominance in an attempt to offset the global hegemony enjoyed by America.
Both Russia and China are blocking American and European attempts to impose new sanctions on Iran over its disputed nuclear program. On Wednesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said he had refused to attend a high-level meeting scheduled for Thursday to discuss Iran’s nuclear ambitions because of Washington’s refusal to hold a meeting of the foreign ministers of the Group of Eight industrialized powers. “You cannot really have it both ways, punishing Russia by canceling the forums that are very important for the entire world at the same time demanding Russia’s cooperation on the issues that are of importance to you,” Lavrov said during a speech at the Council on Foreign Relations held Wednesday night. In other words, Russia’s refusal to participate in Western attempts to impose sanctions on Iran is a way Moscow can get back at the U.S. for trying to isolate Russia in response to its military intervention in Georgia last month.
Africa, Latin America
South African President Thabo Mbeki has been forced to resign by his own party, the African National Congress (anc), and replaced by former trade union leader Kgalema Motlanthe. Mbeki, who has ruled South Africa since 1999, was asked to resign following allegations that he had interfered in a corruption case against Jacob Zuma, a longstanding opponent. “Thabo Mbeki’s demise can be traced back to the anc’s congress at Polokwane last December,” the bbc reports. “Up against the controversial but charismatic figure of Jacob Zuma for the position of anc president, his defeat at the time now looks like the beginning of the end. In the months that followed, Mr. Zuma’s supporters have replaced Mr. Mbeki’s men throughout the anc. It left Mr. Mbeki isolated and emasculated” (September 20). Motlanthe will complete Mbeki’s term in office until an election expected in April next year. Zuma is the anc’s chosen candidate for that election, and will almost certainly be elected as head of state then. TheTrumpet.com wrote in March about how Zuma’s election to the leadership of the anc did not represent a step forward for South Africa. Neither will his anticipated election to president of the country. “Watch South Africa,” we wrote. “In state after state on this aged continent, the transfer of power from colonialists to local rule, hailed as a victory for black Africans, has produced devastating results.” Read South Africa in Prophecy to find out what is in store for this country.
Brazil and France are further developing their military relationship—this time, exploring the nuclear arena. Brazilian Defense Minister Nelson Jobim has announced that a formal deal to develop Brazil’s nuclear submarine program may be signed by the end of the year. Stratfor reported on the history of military cooperation between the two countries: “In 2000, the French sold the Brazilians the Clemenceau-class aircraft carrier Foch (now the Sao Paolo). Earlier in 2008, the two countries signed a $1 billion-plus deal for the production of some 50 Super Cougar helicopters in Brazil, and at least a dozen Mirage 2000 fighter bombers are in the process of being transferred to the Brazilian air force. The French are moving deliberately to establish a close relationship with Brazil in terms of military technology and strategic weapon systems” (September 23). Latin America has long been in Europe’s sights for both resources and economic support. As the U.S. becomes less reliable as an economic partner for Latin America, even those countries that are not hostile to the U.S. will turn to Europe. For more details, read “The Hidden Enemy in America’s Backyard” from the September Trumpet.
Anglo-America
United States President George W. Bush addressed the nation and the world Wednesday night over concerns that America’s economic system might melt down if the federal government does not step in and bail out Wall Street. Bush, Barack Obama and John McCain all called for Americans to realize how dire the future of the U.S. financial system is. The White House and scrambling lawmakers are trying to hurriedly push through a $700 billion federal plan that will supposedly prop up the country’s financial system. The bill, as it stood at the end of this week, has been called an “engine of corruption” by experts.
Although it has forecasted the U.S.’s economic demise for decades, the Trumpet, along with its predecessor, the Plain Truth, is no longer the only news source asking, “Is This the End of the U.S. as an Economic Superpower?” That headline appeared on the International Herald Tribune website Thursday morning. Other news outlets are grappling with the question of how close the nation is to “economic Armageddon,” a quandary that to most would have seemed preposterous just a decade ago, let alone five or six decades ago, when the Plain Truth first forecasted it.
The markets continued their fickleness this week. They briefly rallied midday Thursday on the news of lawmakers reaching an agreement on a bailout plan that will cost taxpayers hundreds of billions, only to fall again when the agreement hit a snag—and the largest U.S. savings and loan, the 119-year-old Washington Mutual Inc., crashed. In what is by far the largest failure of a U.S. bank in history, the U.S. government closed the bank and sold its banking assets to JPMorgan Chase & Co for $1.9 billion.
The Washington Post reports that statistics on unemployment, housing and inflation continue to get worse and may outlast the current financial crisis, even if the worst is somehow averted. Reports on Thursday revealed that orders for manufactured durable goods fell 4.5 percent in August, jobless applications hit a seven-year high of 32,000 last week, and sales and prices of new homes fell again last month.
A “bizarre and wild” tale out of Hollywood this week: One actor refuses to kiss anyone but his wife. A former child star of television sitcom Growing Pains, who is currently playing in a feature movie, refused to kiss the actress who plays his wife. The actor’s real wife was brought in as a body double for the kissing scene. “So when I’m kissing my wife,” the actor said, “we’re actually husband and wife honoring marriage behind the scenes.” A refreshing take on intimacy, bizarre because of its almost-extinct rarity inside the perversion capital of a nation drunk on sin.