The Mass Exodus Of Christians From The Muslim World — Raymond Ibrahim, FOX News A mass exodus of Christians is currently underway. Millions of Christians are being displaced from one end of the Islamic world to the other. We are reliving the true history of how the Islamic world, much of which prior to the Islamic conquests was almost entirely Christian, came into being. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom recently said: “The flight of Christians out of the region is unprecedented and it’s increasing year by year.” In our lifetime alone “Christians might disappear altogether from Iraq, Afghanistan, and Egypt.” Ongoing reports from the Islamic world certainly support this conclusion: Iraq was the earliest indicator of the fate awaiting Christians once Islamic forces are liberated from the grip of dictators. Read more …. My Comment: I am surprised that there are still Christian in Iran.
U.S. Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta conducts a news conference with Afghan President Hamid Karzai after their meeting in Kabul, Afghanistan, Dec 13, 2012. DOD photo by Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo US Can Walk And Chew Gum At The Same Time — Leon Panetta, Gulf News Even as America rebalances towards the Asia-Pacific region, it will retain a significant presence in the Middle East to deter aggression and promote stability. The US military has entered a period of historic change after more than a decade of war, following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. America has ended the war in Iraq; it is implementing an effective transition and drawdown in Afghanistan; and it has seriously weakened Al Qaida’s leadership in the fight against terrorism. As a result of these efforts and the reality of budget constraints, the US has developed a new defence strategy for the 21st century — one that emphasises agility, technology and force projection. The US has begun to focus on the challenges and opportunities of the future and it is clear that many of them lie in Asia. Read more …. My Comment: The U.S. may not be abandoning the Middle East …. but they are certainly retrenching. And with massive defense budget cuts on the horizon …. I (and almost every pundit outside of the U.S.) just do not see the U.S. having the presence and influence that they use to have …. whether it is in the Middle East, Asia, or elsewhere.
Middle East Nuclear Talks Will Not Occur Next Month: U.S. — New York Times/Reuters WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Talks planned for next month on banning nuclear weapons in the Middle East will not take place, the United States said on Friday, a development likely to anger Arab states but please Israel. The State Department announced that the mid-December conference on creating a zone free of weapons of mass destruction, or WMD, would not occur and did not make clear when, or whether, it would take place. Earlier this month, diplomats told Reuters that the talks were likely to be postponed, rather than canceled outright. Read more …. Update: Middle East nuclear talks ‘next year’ — Gulf Daily News My Comment : The entire Middle East is in turmoil right now …. having talks on banning nuclear weapons is a noble cause, but it is also not a priority for many of these nations.
Photo : Russian President Putin. ( Wikipedia ) Putin Condemns Killing Of U.S. Envoy In Libya, Warns Of Chaos — Reuters Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday condemned the attack that killed the U.S. ambassador to Libya, calling it a tragedy, and made clear he believed Western support for rebels in Arab countries was leading to chaos. Putin, who has sharply criticized the United States and NATO for helping Libyan rebels drive Muammar Gaddafi from power and has warned of further bloodshed, said the attack underscored the need for closer cooperation against extremism. Read more …. My Comment: Unlike what is coming out from the White House …. Putin clearly does not believe that it is an obscure video that is causing this crisis …. and he is right. He is also right in predicting that unless there is a change in policy …. there will be more chaos and anarchy in the future. But Putin is also playing to two audiences in his remarks. One …. he is telling the Americans that their Middle East policy is a disaster, and (2) he is channeling what most Russians (unfortunately in my opinion) always feel when it comes to issues of “anarchy and tyranny”. For Russians …. if there is a choice …. and I understand because of their long and bloody history …. most would choose tyranny over anarchy.
Iranian naval ships take part in a naval parade near the Strait of Hormuz in southern Iran. The country has boasted about their new high-powered speed boats – designed to swarm enemy ships Why I’m Convinced Israel Will Bomb Iran In Weeks: Netanyahu Is Running Out Of Patience And Is ‘Closer Than Ever’ To Launching A Strike — Michael Burleigh, Daily Mail For months there have been international discussions about the threat a nuclear Iran would present – most notably to its avowed enemy, Israel, which Iran has vowed to ‘erase from the map’. Aggressive, war-mongering rhetoric has been bubbling in Israel as a result. And seeing no signs that slow-burning international sanctions are effective, Israel is coming to the view it should no longer entrust others with its own security. This summer has an ominous feel, like August 1914. In the Middle East, the Arab Spring has replaced several autocrats, not with Western-style liberals, but with the extremist Muslim Brotherhood. The civil war raging in Syria is threatening to spill over into Lebanon and Jordan, and is really a proxy war between Iran and Saudi Arabia to establish dominance over the region. Meanwhile, looming in the background is the longer-term crisis caused by Iran’s devious and dogged pursuit of nuclear weapons. Read more …. My Comment : I am still skeptical that Israel will launch a military strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities. The distances are too great, and the targets are too numerous to have a lasting impact on Iran’s nuclear program. But if Israel was to strike, it would be to drag in everyone else and hope that in the ensuing chaos international pressure will then be put on Iran to stop it’s enrichment program. But I have doubts that Iran will listen.