World News and Trends: The United States as world policeman
Notwithstanding the fact that the United States is the world's only remaining superpower with a military budget that is the envy of many nations, American resources are far from unlimited.
Notwithstanding the fact that the United States is the world's only remaining superpower with a military budget that is the envy of many nations, American resources are far from unlimited. Some observers already feel that the nation's human and financial resources are becoming dangerously overstretched.
Earlier this year the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff bluntly stated: "We are in a critical time in the history of this great country and find ourselves challenged in ways we did not expect. We face a ruthless enemy intent on destroying our way of life and an uncertain future" (The Guardian, Feb. 15, emphasis added).
The American military brief has been dubbed "The Long War." Naturally the main focus is Islamic terrorism. The United States expects and plans for a generation of anti-Islamist conflicts. But Washington 's military commitments embrace many megaproblems far more widespread than the daily threat of world terrorism.
America is not finished with its commitments overseas in the wake of World War II, which ended more than 60 years ago. Nearly 70,000 U.S. troops are still stationed in Europe. More than 68,000 remain in Japan. Nearly 70,000 are still in South Korea following the Korean conflict of the early 1950s. Qatar and Bahrain together have nearly 10,000.
Figuring in Iraq, with well over 100,000 U.S. personnel in harm's way, American military commitments abroad in both men and weaponry are truly staggering. The total global picture stands at about 350,000. According to military officialdom, "The US will work to ensure that no foreign power can dictate the terms of regional or global security."
That is truly a tall order! Given the reactions we see on television and read in newspapers and magazines, do Americans have the staying power to endure the sacrifices that will inevitably be required by growing domestic and foreign tensions? Can America continue to remain the world's policeman indefinitely?
Closer to home, the United States appears to be losing support in its own backyard of Latin America. Hugo Chavez of Venezuela and Evo Morales of Bolivia are trying to take their countries out of the shadow of North America while looking abroad to China.
Did you ever ask yourself why the United States became a world superpower with Britain standing by its side as a loyal ally in most instances? Our free booklet The United States and Britain in Bible Prophecy explains just who the English-speaking peoples are descended from and where they are headed according to Bible prophecy.
The Bible reveals that enormous troubles lie not far ahead and that the Middle East and Europe will become even more the focus of future headlines and problems. To better understand, request or download our free booklets The Middle East in Bible Prophecy and Are We Living in the Time of the End? (Source: The Guardian.)
An Article from:
Good News Magazine: July - August 2006
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.
