World News and Trends: Nuclear conflict would derail anti-terror war
Concerns are growing about the inevitability of a nuclear conflict between India and Pakistan.
In the 55 years since independence from Britain, the two countries have fought each other on three occasions. Now that both have nuclear weapons, another conflict would have serious international repercussions. At the very least the coalition partners fighting the war against al-Qaeda in the mountains of Afghanistan and Pakistan would have to be withdrawn.
This appears to be the intent of the Islamic fundamentalist terrorists who have operated from Pakistan in neighboring Indian-controlled Kashmir. Their aim is to stop Western moves against their terror network. They also seek the overthrow of Pakistan's military ruler, President Pervez Musharraf, who has sided with the United States against Islamic extremists.
The overthrow of Pakistan's government could also begin a modern-day version of the domino theory. Instead of one country after another falling to communism, a ripple affect could begin throughout the Islamic world, with the fall of governments to the forces of Islamic fundamentalism. The fall of Pakistan alone would give fundamentalists control of nuclear weapons, posing a grave threat to what remains of the peace and security of the world.
India has three quarters of a million troops massed on the border with Pakistan, which has only one third of that number opposing Indian forces. With a population much smaller than India's, Pakistan seems likely to be the first to use a nuclear weapon. Estimates are that a limited nuclear exchange would immediately kill or injure 12 to 19 million people, with millions more dying within months from the aftereffects.
"Wars and rumors of wars" certainly abound at this time, but Jesus adds that Christians should not be alarmed (Matthew 24:6), "for this must take place, but the end is not yet" (NRSV). Our focus should be on being spiritually prepared for Christ's return. "Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour" (verse 44, NRSV). (Source: The Telegraph [London]).
An Article from:
Good News Magazine: July - August 2002
Course Content
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.
Melvin Rhodes
Melvin Rhodes is a member of the United Church of God congregation in Lansing, Michigan.
Scott Ashley
Scott Ashley was managing editor of Beyond Today magazine, United Church of God booklets and its printed Bible Study Course until his retirement in 2023. He also pastored three congregations in Colorado for 10 years from 2011-2021. He and his wife, Connie, live near Denver, Colorado.
Mr. Ashley attended Ambassador College in Big Sandy, Texas, graduating in 1976 with a theology major and minors in journalism and speech. It was there that he first became interested in publishing, an industry in which he worked for 50 years.
During his career, he has worked for several publishing companies in various capacities. He was employed by the United Church of God from 1995-2023, overseeing the planning, writing, editing, reviewing and production of Beyond Today magazine, several dozen booklets/study guides and a Bible study course covering major biblical teachings. His special interests are the Bible, archaeology, biblical culture, history and the Middle East.
