World News and Trends- Iraq: Prelude to Mideast democracies?
Returns on the watershed Iraqi election differed. Well over half of all eligible Iraqis voted, which of itself is astounding considering the insurgents' murderous threats.
Fatima Ibrahim, a Kurdish widow, expressed her feelings of liberty after voting in the first democratic elections in the past 50 years: "Now I feel that Saddam is really gone." She lost her husband, father and brother under Saddam's reign, never hearing from them again.
Returns on the watershed Iraqi election differed. Well over half of all eligible Iraqis voted, which of itself is astounding considering the insurgents' murderous threats. The insurgents also learned their heinous tactics failed. The Iraqis are to be commended for trading danger for freedom.
The prospects of a functioning democracy in Iraq must give Syria and Iran pause. Syria is supportive of the Iraqi insurgents; Iranian insurgents aren't discouraged from crossing the Iran-Iraq border. Jordan's king appears moderate to the election as does Egypt.
Is it possible that democracy could spread throughout the Middle East? The odds are against it, based on religion and a 4,000-year-old culture.
Bible prophecy indicates that an end-time "king of the South" (Daniel 11:40) will head up a likely Islamic confederation that will attack the forming European-centered superpower, leading to a great end-time conflagration. To learn more, request our free booklet The Middle East in Bible Prophecy. (Source: Associated Press.)
An Article from:
Good News Magazine: March - April 2005
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.
