World News and Trends: Berlin and Washington: a shifting relationship
Does the shifting of political alliances across Europe reflect the prophecy in the Bible?
In recent years France normally played the role of obstructing American policy goals and intentions. This habitual French posture eased considerably after the election of President Nicolas Sarkozy. Now it's Germany. One senior American official labeled Berlin as "the new Paris."
The Economist reported: "On Russia, Iran and Afghanistan—trouble spots that matter to both countries—Germany's position is annoying Washington. At the NATO summit in Bucharest [Romania] last April, [German Chancellor Angela] Merkel stood most visibly against American pressure to grant a Membership Action Plan—a road-map to join the alliance—to Ukraine and Georgia. This was a marked change from previous summits at which France habitually obstructed American proposals.
"After Russian troops pushed into Georgia in August, America wanted to ostracise the Kremlin while Germany appeared eager to return to business as usual. Germany had been the leading Western sceptic in toughening economic sanctions on Iran to discourage its alarming uranium-enrichment programme" (Nov. 1, 2008). German exports to Iran are greater than those of any other Western country. Russia is one of Germany's main trading partners. Berlin imports about a third of its gas and oil from Moscow.
The question was asked in an International Herald Tribune daily column: "Could you get elected German Chancellor Sept. 27 next year if your opponents say your goals are 'emancipating' Germany and Europe from the United States, and setting a policy course for a Europe 'equidistant' between Russia and the Americans? Could be" (Sept. 16, 2008). These shifts on the international stage are in line with the direction in which Central Europe is prophesied to go at the time of the end. To understand more, request or download our free booklet The Book of Revelation Unveiled.
An Article from:
Good News Magazine: January - February 2009
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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.
