Barbarians at the gates

It has never been more difficult to arrive at a crisp perspective on global current events. We are in the midst of major moral upheavals and significant political shifts not only here in America, but throughout the world. In the ebb and flow of history, there have always been periods of massive change and widespread uncertainty. This is one of them, perhaps a special and prophetic one.

When President George W. Bush announced that nations would have to choose sides in the war against terrorism, it was clear that Great Britain would quickly sign on, and that Australia and Canada would follow suit. It was expected that NATO would provide some measure of support, but almost no one predicted that Pakistan, a Muslim nation, would put everything on the line and run the risk of internal turmoil, perhaps rebellion, to offer us military intelligence, air space and landing fields. The extent of Russia’s vigorous support was also a surprise.

Meanwhile, the role of Latin America in the war between good and evil has been largely ignored. Heritage Foundation expert Stephen Johnson reports that “of the 30 terrorist organizations identified by the U.S. State Department as having worldwide reach, 10 operate from South America, and one of these has significant ties to Osama bin Laden.” Colombia and Paraguay are infested with various terrorist activities while Cuba has friendships with many of America’s enemies, including Libya, Iran and Iraq. Cuba also has its own biological and electronic weapons.

Mexico, Latin America’s backdoor into America, is a wobbly ally. In a poll taken a few weeks ago by Reforma, a Mexican newspaper, nearly 70 percent of those sampled disagreed with their government’s support of America’s military action against Afghanistan.

The configuration of the world has, for the moment, changed to deal with a vicious and implacable force which has risen out of the shadows. It will be interesting to see the fallout from this strange configuration of ill-met bedfellows when America singles out its next target.

When our goals in Afghanistan have been achieved, we will surely deliver the next ultimatum to our old nemesis, Saddam Hussein. We should say to him: “You have a choice. You will immediately admit inspection teams who will oversee the destruction of all terrorist camps and all chemical, biological and nuclear facilities and operations in your country. If you refuse to comply with these non-negotiable demands, we will have no choice but to achieve our goals by applying the Taliban solution. In case you survive, you will be arrested as a war criminal.”

As the war front expands, the ultimate battle lines will become defined. “Moderate” nations such as Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia will be swept up by the fierce frenzy of the Islamic fundamentalists in their midst.

In the meanwhile, the United Nations, one of the most corrupt institutions in the world, has bravely galloped off in all directions. It was on Oct. 7 that the United States formally notified the United Nations Security Council that the war on terrorism would likely expand beyond Afghanistan to include other terrorist-friendly nations.

It was on Oct. 8 that Syria was elected to the U.N. Security Council, receiving 160 of 189 votes in the General Assembly. This was done with full knowledge that Syria is an active supporter of Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah, and has been on the U.S. State Department’s list of nations that sponsor terrorism since 1979.

The confusion and the hypocrisy cuts in many ways. Even as President George W. Bush avows, with good reason, that he will not negotiate with bin Laden and the Taliban, his state department is pressuring a besieged Israel to negotiate with Palestine, a nation of inbred terrorists, led by a terrorist. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon drew the parallel in crisp terms: “Arafat is our bin Laden,” he reportedly told Secretary of State Colin Powell.

J. Peter Mulhern, writing in the Washington Weekly, expresses the view that there is no longer “any doubt that we are engaged in a clash between Islam and the West.” He sees this intensifying conflict not as a clash of civilizations but as “a clash between civilization and the lack thereof. We are living through one of history’s oldest recurring dramas. The barbarians are at the gates.”

Biblical scholars are taking note of the unfolding drama. Armageddon is located in the mountains of central Palestine. According to Revelation 16:16, it is there where the rulers of the world will fight the last great battle between good and evil.