November 2002 Vol.5, No. 9 Contents Is the World Ready for a Prophet of God? by Cecil E. Maranville Restoration: A Solution to Fear by Darris McNeely by Darris McNeely The Coming Clash Between Europe and America by Melvin Rhodes Do You Have a Biblical Worldview? by John Ross Schroeder by Cecil E. Maranville This Is the Way...Two Men and a Valley by Robin Webber In Brief... World News Review U.S. Versus EU The United States and the European Union are increasingly in conflict with each other's policies. One recent area of controversy is the proposal of an International Criminal Court. The United States strenuously objects to the court having authority over its citizens, citing fears that American soldiers would be inappropriately subject to trial by such a court. President Bush warns the Europeans that pressing the United States on this issue could seriously damage the NATO partnership. This is but one of many major policy differences between the United States and the European Union that are stressing their relationship. The others include:  Trade. The United States is restricting imports of EU steel. At the same time, the European Union is pressing the United States to pay $4 billion in punitive damages, alleging unfair subsidization of American businesses.  Missile defense. The European Union objects to the U.S. proposal for a missile defense shield.  Global warming. EU leaders are joining the chorus of environmentalists criticizing the U.S. failure to ratify the Kyoto treaty.  The Balkans. To the chagrin of the Europeans, the current U.S. administration is signaling an intention to pull back its military from Bosnia and Kosovo.  UN ban on military sales to Iraq. The Europeans' economic ties to the Middle East are strong. EU companies would like to continue lucrative trade in military items, while the Americans and British are sponsoring a UN resolution to tighten a ban on the sale of military products.  Land mine treaties. Citing fear for the safety of their troops in South Korea, the United States opposes treaties to abolish land mines. There's strong support within the EU nations to abolish land mines entirely. The major issue coming between the superpower and the superpower-in-the-making is the consideration of invading Iraq to topple Saddam Hussein. Because the United States so overwhelmingly dominates the entire world in terms of military power, European bristling will amount to nothing - for the present. If President Bush decides to order American forces to invade Iraq, the European Union will likely reluctantly come on board. Far more dependent upon Middle Eastern oil than the United States, the Europeans have more to lose in the event of a catastrophic failure of such a venture. Additionally, the European Union has many closer economic and political alliances with the Middle East than does the United States. Nonetheless, the European Union cannot go it alone...yet. Sources: FOXNews, Coalition for the International Criminal Court. Intelligence Sources Believe Al Qaeda Has Nuclear Capacity The worst fears people hold about terrorists appear confirmed. A former Soviet military intelligence agent says he knows with certainty that al Qaeda possesses small atomic warheads. They're the suitcase-style weapons, obtained from Russia. A senior Western intelligence official verifies that the terrorists have nine of these suitcase weapons, purchased at a price of $30 million and 2 tons of opium. Russia receives much press for their suitcase bombs, but they are a U.S. invention. The U.S. military designed and developed portable nuclear weapons (Atomic Demolitions Munitions or "ADMs") during the Vietnam War. The ADMs' purpose was to take out targets like bridges and dams. Of course, the U.S. never detonated an ADM in Vietnam. But in the heat of the arms race, the then U.S.S.R. responded in kind by developing its own version in vast numbers. After the U.S.S.R. broke up, several of the bombs found their way onto the black market in a cash-poor Russia - then into the hands of terrorists. How dangerous are the bombs? Estimates of the kill power of one ADM: 100,000 dead immediately; multiple hundreds of thousands more dying from radiation-caused cancers. Intelligence analysts say the targets for terrorist ADMs will probably not be in the West. Their most probable target would be the oil industry in the Middle East, attempting to throw the Western economy into chaos. With only a few well-placed ADMs, terrorists could cripple both production and delivery facilities over a large area. In addition to the immediate damage, sand blown high into the air would help spread radioactive fallout. And, the blast would cause hydrostatic shock waves in the oil pipelines, multiplying the damage factor. Of course, this would devastate the economies of several Muslim countries, perhaps hurting them more than Western countries that have been developing other sources to satiate their huge appetites for oil. The terrorists' challenge would be to make the West appear to be the guilty party for "making" the terrorists drive them out of Islamic lands. With a strong anti-Western prejudice already present, al Qaeda and company may be successful in propagandizing a nuclear disaster. But it's more likely to backfire on them. Oil production is the heart of the economies of several Islamic states, and they desperately need the United States, Europe and Japan to continue buying from them. So, if al Qaeda has nuclear bombs, and it rules out using them in the Middle East, where will it use them? That's a frightening question. Source: The Washington Times. Contributor: Cecil E. 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