World News and Trends- The Middle East: Ticking toward disaster?
According to veteran journalist Robert Fisk, "the West is ignoring all the signs that the Middle East is about to explode." To him and some other observers, the Oslo peace process is long dead.
He believes "a war is not far away" and writes that "almost anyone in the Middle East will tell you this."
And yet he says: "Almost no one in the United States or Europe believes it." Americans and Europeans simply talk of a "low point in the peace process."
It was back in April that Israeli commentator Hemi Shalev wrote in Maariv, an Israeli paper, that "more and more people, including those who should know, are starting to believe that an enormous explosion is unavoidable. If the Americans do not succeed in stopping the deterioration at the last moment, and if the leaders do not come to their senses before it is too late, the region will go up in flames and the historic act of conciliation will sink into rivers of blood, both ours and theirs."
Intelligence reports indicate that Israeli commandos have undergone intensive training for "snatch raids" in search of terrorists in Palestinian territory-one of which ended disastrously in early September with the deaths of 12 Israeli commandos-and there is talk of a possible "reinvasion."
Even more frightening in the longer run are persistent reports of further weapons development in Iran and Syria, not to mention the intentions of Iraq. For instance, the American commander in the Persian Gulf "gave a stark warning that Iran might be closer to developing nuclear weapons than had previously been assessed." Gen. Binford Peay "predicted that Iran could be a nuclear power by the turn of the century." Though he declined to be pinned down on an exact year, the U.S. Gulf chief nonetheless warned that the time "is coming closer." Also, Israel has long persisted in her warnings about Iranian weapons-development potential.
Reports are also extant that, "with peace talks deadlocked for more than a year, Syria has been accelerating its missile programme and building new launch pads." (Sources: The Independent on Sunday, The Jewish Chronicle, The Times of London, emphasis added.)
An Article from:
Good News Magazine: November - December 1997
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.
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.
