World News and Trends: Return to isolationism in the United States?
"As the U.S.-European rift widens, from missile defense and nuclear testing to land mines and global warming, some European leaders . . . suggest President Bush is drawing America into a new era of isolationism," says a recent Associated Press report.
Differences between the Bush administration and European allies have mounted and are a cause of concern on both sides of the Atlantic. They include the Kyoto climate-change treaty, the Bush administration's planned missile-defense shield, the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty (which the U.S. administration wants to scrap because the U.S.S.R. no longer exists), the 1972 treaty on germ warfare and proposed treaties on land mines and nuclear-weapons tests, all of which have left the United States looking hawkish while Europeans see themselves as doves interested only in peace.
Differences also exist over an international criminal court, the death penalty and policies toward Iran and Iraq. Most frequently, disputes arise over trade, "ranging from duties on bananas to tax rates."
Why the seemingly sudden increase in tensions between Europe and America?
One factor is the changing balance of power between the two. Since the fall of the Soviet Union a decade ago, Europeans have not been so dependent on America's protection. Meanwhile, European nations are themselves coming together as an increasingly centralized European Union, set to be a rival superpower to America. What many Americans do not realize is that much of the drive for European unity is motivated by anti-Americanism, a desire on the part of many Europeans to be free of America's dominance and to restore the glory of Europe's golden age.
The Bible shows that there is to be yet another and final attempt to restore the Roman Empire. Built around "ten kings [or leaders] who have received no kingdom as yet." these leaders, probably from areas within the confines of the old Roman Empire, "are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast" (Revelation 17:12-13).
It is doubtful that such a development could take place with America's continued military presence in Europe. Playing into the hands of anti-American European leaders are Americans who are increasingly calling for a reduction in the numbers of American troops based in Europe now that European countries are wealthy enough to defend themselves.
Forgotten are the lessons of two world wars and countless other European conflicts and that America's military presence on the Continent, together with the NATO alliance of North American and European countries, has given Europe the longest period of peace in 3,000 years of recorded history.
To better understand the long-term implications of such trends, request your free copies of the booklets The United States and Britain in Bible Prophecy and The Book of Revelation Unveiled. (Source: Associated Press.)
An Article from:
Good News Magazine: September - October 2001
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.
