Posted on 10/04/2013 7:23:21 AM PDT by Former Fetus
In his speech Tuesday before the UN General Assembly, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu tried to get the Americans to stop their collective swooning at the sight of an Iranian president who smiled in their general direction.
"Ladies and gentlemen," the premier warned, "I wish I could believe [President Hassan] Rouhani, but I don't because facts are stubborn things. And the facts are that Iran's savage record flatly contradicts Rouhani's soothing rhetoric."
He might have saved his breath. The Americans weren't interested.
Two days after Netanyahu's speech, US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel issued a rejoinder to Netanyahu. Hagel said, "I have never believed that foreign policy is a zero-sum game."
Well, maybe he hasn't. But the Iranians have. And they still do view diplomacy — like all their dealings with their sworn enemies — as a zero sum game.
As a curtain raiser for Rouhani's visit, veteran New York Times war correspondent Dexter Filkins wrote a long profile of Iran's real strong man for The New Yorker. Qassem Suleimani is the head of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps. It is the most powerful organ of the Iranian regime, and Suleimani is Iranian dictator Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's closest confidante and advisor. Rouhani doesn't hold a candle to Suleimani.
Filkin's profile is detailed, but deeply deceptive. The clear sense he wishes to impart on his readers is that Suleimani is a storied war veteran and a pragmatist. He is an Iranian patriot who cares about his soldiers. He's been willing to cut deals with the Americans in the past when he believed it served Iran's interests. And given Suleimani's record, it is reasonable to assume that Rouhani — who is far more moderate than he -- is in a position to make a deal and will make one.
(Excerpt) Read more at jewishworldreview.com ...
The more I look at the follies of liberal America as it exists today, the more I see many elements of an attempt to carry on a gospel ethic without a God. The sacrifices, deities, and authority structures in such an attempt become very, very weird. But hey it does have a generous heart, or a heart that at least thinks it is being generous.
Can’t accuse Israel of that. They’re quintessentially Old Testament. Enemies are not spiritual to them except as incidentals... they are people... however they also have a paradoxical theological strain that calls for peace. And they struggle with the conflict of the paradox.
As a Christian I am unashamed to say that the actual gospel DOES reconcile all these loose ends and puts them to a godly, righteous, yet generous use.
Carolyne Glick accurately explains the Iranian situation and Hassan Rouhani’s recent ‘charm offensive’ at the U.N. Although Obama is far too eager to embrace evil in the name of ‘peace’, Israeli PM Binyamin Netanyahu, living next to it, is clear-headed and trying to warn the west that Iranian leaders don’t represent the Iranian people, they represent the Muslim mullas that control Iran, it’s people and it’s resources (primarily oil wealth) - and they want an Islamic-dominated world population, as insane as that goal may seem to rational people. Iran’s soon-to-be-realized nuclear ambitions are a distinct threat to the region and the world yet Obama wants to pretend the Iranian leadership is open to reason. With that absurd attitude, WWIII could be the Obama legacy.
God isn’t on vacation, folks. All these follies will play out and yet God will steer them to a determined end. How God does determinism without robbing people of their capacity to choose is a matter that falls square into the realm of divine mystery. One possible variable that most human theologians might not think about is arranging for already willing (and unwilling) souls to be there at the places and times that are needed for the sake of the story.
World War III... who knows. My gut sense is... not likely to happen around such a pip squeak enemy, even if it manages to nuke the US. I believe God Himself will thwart attacks on Israel. No weapon crafted against them will prosper; that is a biblical promise.
The American press is liberal - our press doesn't back Israel - that's true. But our press doesn't represent us either... They aren't 'the Americans'. American citizens understand actions count more than words - and we back Israel...
PM Binyamin Netanyahu, understands!
good post
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Excellent article.
The Biblical promise is that the people of Israel will not be annihilated, but it also talks a lot about “a remnant”. God will supernaturally win the Ezekiel 38 War for Israel, but what about any other previous wars (e.g. Psalm 83)? How much will Israel suffer? That’s why it is important to pray daily for the peace of Jerusalem.
This could play out so many ways that it is little more than speculation to try to put a finger upon how. But in general the larger divine pattern of chastisement and blessing can be seen in the histories of both Jews and Christians. And both are covered by respective promises. The more Israel devotes herself to her Lord (even in an Old Testament understanding) the more she will be blessed.
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