World News and Trends: The Arab revolution's impact on Israel
The focus of much of the world's media continues to be on the revolution sweeping through the Arab world. Yet the eventual impact on the state of Israel could be crucial to its future.
Israeli leaders have voiced their worries about the outcome of the current unrest in the Arab world at large, emphasizing Egypt and Jordan, neighbors which both have formal peace treaties with Israel upholding the state's security. Even more dangerous days for the Jewish state may be on the horizon.
The old fears of Arab encirclement have returned to trouble Israel's leadership. An article about Israel in the February 19, 2011, issue of The Economist was aptly titled "Encircled by Enemies Again?"
The article stated: "Perhaps even more worrying for Israel is a rising fear that on its eastern flank the ruling monarchy in Jordan, the only Arab country bar[ring] Egypt that has a formal treaty with the Jewish state, is being shaken by an assortment of Islamists, tribal leaders, Palestinians (who make up a good half [or much more] of Jordan's people), disgruntled former security men and a middle class irritated by the royal family's perceived extravagance" (Feb. 19, 2011). Also Egyptian troops are back in the Sinai Peninsula after an absence of three decades.
Anshel Pfeffer, who writes on international and military affairs for Israel's daily newspaper Ha'aretz and serves as chief Israeli correspondent for London's Jewish Chronicle, wrote in a special report for London's international Catholic weekly The Tablet: "Israel has lost an ally with the overthrow of Egypt's President Mubarak. Now it is fearful of further instability on its borders if more regimes, such as those in Syria and Jordan, are swept away in the so-called Arab spring" (April 1, 2011).
Iran remains a looming concern in this regard. Pfeffer speculated that Syrian President Bashar Assad's difficulties "may be an opportunity for the fundamentalist regime of Tehran to deepen its hold across the region."
Unrest in Jordan adds to the concern. One Israeli observer remarked, "God forbid that the king [Jordan's Abdullah] falls anytime soon." He continued, "Next year the Americans will pull out their last soldiers from Iraq, which is becoming increasingly Shia-dominated [like Iran], and Iran will have another corridor straight to Israel's border" (ibid.).
In spite of its increased economic strength and success in the marketplace, Israel faces many actual and potential troubles not of its own making. (Sources: The Economist, The Tablet [both London].)
An Article from:
Good News Magazine: May - June 2011
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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.
