World News and Trends: Germany wants a European army
The German ambassador to Washington has called for a European army "as a logical step toward integration after the successful launch of a new single currency [the euro]."
"Does it make sense to keep national armies? Does it make sense to keep 15 navies?," asked Wolfgang Ischinger in an address before diplomats and scholars at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington.
He is not the only voice calling for a European army. EU Commission president Romano Prodi has stated that "British or French or German soldiers [will] fight under an EU flag and take orders from a European commander."
The concept of a European army reportedly came from Napoleon, who is said to have observed that with French officers and British troops he could conquer the world. In stark opposition to an EU superstate, former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher has repeatedly warned America and Britain of the dangers of mustering a European army. She recently wrote: "The real drive toward a separate European defence is the same as that toward a single European currency—namely the utopian venture of creating a single European super-state to rival the U.S. on the world stage."
Many voices in Europe and Britain are raised against the philosophy of Baroness Thatcher. But, like Sir Winston Churchill before her, she understands the history of the Continent and where its political machinations have led it so many times. (Sources: United Press International, World News Bulletin [Internet], Statecraft.)
An Article from:
Good News Magazine: May - June 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.
