2012 – THE YEAR OF SUDDEN SHFTING ARAB SPRING SANDS,
2013 to 2016 – ARABS MAKE DEFENSES AGAINST EACH OTHER,
THEN GOD WILL INJECT IN TEN ISLAMIC RULER’S HEARTS
TO SURRENDER THEIR WILLS TO THE SYRIAN ANTICHRIST,
AND HE DRIVES ISRAELIS INTO VAST NEGEV WILDERNESS!
January 2, 2013
http://www.tribulationperiod.com/
Revelation 17:12,13,17 – And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. [13] These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. [17] For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.
Daniel 7:24-27 – And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. [25] And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. [26] But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end. [27] And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.
Begin Excerpt from Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs/Daily Alert
January 1, 2013
The Year the Arab Spring Went Bad
F. Gregory Gause, III
(Foreign Policy)
Many countries in the Middle East lack long histories of political unity: Libya, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen are all relatively recent creations; their borders are artificial and their populations are divided along sectarian, ethnic, and regional lines. Furthermore, there is no consensus on core political issues in the Arab world. A plurality of people in these countries now say “Islam is the solution” to their problems – and they are opposed by an equally vehement minority.
The consequences of state weakness means the strengthening of tribalism, sectarianism, and other sub-state identities. These sub-state identities in weak states create a vicious circle. New governments, even those freely elected, find their ability to govern severely limited.
Between 1949 and 1970, Syria used to be the poster child for Arab political instability, experiencing nine military coups and a brief period of amalgamation with Egypt. After two years of fighting, Syrians look to their own sectarian communities for safety, not the state.
With centralized state authority weakened, these countries have become the playing fields of regional rivalry. Local actors invite the foreigners in, looking to them for money, guns and political support. Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Qatar are all playing in Syria and Iraq. Saudi Arabia and Iran both support factions in Lebanon. The Saudis are still the monopoly players in Yemen and Bahrain.
The role of Salafis, following an ultra-orthodox version of Islam, will enormously influence the future of political transitions across the Arab world. Historically, they have rejected democratic politics as a Western innovation, though some Salafis are ready to participate in electoral politics. While we in the West worry about whether secularists can influence the course of political transitions in the Arab world, the more important question might be whether the Salafis can ever be brought on board for a democratic future.
The writer is professor of political science at the University of Vermont and non-resident fellow at the Brookings Doha Center.
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