World News and Trends: The United States
As we begin the year 2008, what is the overall state of 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).
An Article from:
Good News Magazine: January - February 2008
Course Content
Jerold Aust
Jerold Aust has served in the ministry for 52 years, as a public speaker for 58 years, a published writer for 38 years, and is employed by UCG’s Media and Communications Services. He is a Senior Writer, interviewer, and editor for Beyond Today Magazine and has taught Speech Communication for UCG’s ministerial online program and the Book of Revelation for ABC.
Jerold holds a BA in theology from Ambassador College, Pasadena (1968), an MA in Communication from California State University, Fullerton (1995), a distance-learning Ph.D (2006), and a Famous Writers School diploma in non-fiction writing (1973). Additionally, he studied post-grad communication at University of Southern California (1995), radio, TV, voice-overs, and Public Relations at Fullerton College (1995-1996), and graduate communication at Wichita State University (1978). Jerold has taught communication at the University of South Alabama (7 years) and ABC (17 years). His published works include, Ronald Reagan’s Rhetoric: Metaphor as Persuasion and EZSpeakers: Public Speaking Made Easy in 7 Steps. Jerold's overarching goal is to share with humankind its incredible destiny!
John Ross Schroeder
John died on March 8, 2014, in Oxford, England, four days after suffering cardiac arrest while returning home from a press event in London. John was 77 and still going strong.
Some of John's work for The Good News appeared under his byline, but much didn't. He wrote more than a thousand articles over the years, but also wrote the Questions and Answers section of the magazine, compiled our Letters From Our Readers, and wrote many of the items in the Current Events and Trends section. He also contributed greatly to a number of our study guides and Bible Study Course lessons. His writing has touched the lives of literally millions of people over the years.
John traveled widely over the years as an accredited journalist, especially in Europe. His knowledge of European and Middle East history added a great deal to his articles on history and Bible prophecy.
In his later years he also pastored congregations in Northern Ireland and East Sussex, and that experience added another dimension to his writing. He and his wife Jan were an effective team in our British Isles office near their home.
John was a humble servant who dedicated his life to sharing the gospel—the good news—of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God to all the world, and his work was known to readers in nearly every country of the world.
