FRANCE - The Paris terror attacks are likely to galvanize a stronger global military response to Islamic State, after a US-led air war that has lasted more than a year has failed to contain a group now proving itself to be a growing worldwide threat.
The United States, long accused of taking an incremental approach to the struggle, is under growing political pressure at home and abroad to do more and it is expected to examine ways to intensify the campaign, including through expanded air power. US officials say Washington will look in particular to European and Arab allies to step up their military participation in the war in Iraq and Syria.
It remains far from clear whether Paris and Washington would be willing to radically expand the scope of their current military engagement, given a deep aversion to getting dragged into a large-scale ground war in the Middle East. But President Barack Obama has been committing more to the fight in recent months, and lawmakers and counter-terrorism experts see the Paris attacks strengthening arguments for additional military might. Islamic State claimed responsibility for Friday's attacks, which killed 129 people in Paris, in the worst bloodshed in France since the end of World War Two.
In the past two weeks, there have been other major Islamic State-claimed attacks. Two explosions in suicide attacks in a Shi'ite Muslim district of southern Beirut in Lebanon killed 43, and 224 died when a Russian aircraft crashed in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula.
Chaos in the Middle East
While America and its NATO allies may have a “…deep aversion to getting dragged into a large-scale ground war in the Middle East”, Russia is much more pragmatic. They have set up an airbase in Syria and appear to have done more damage to ISIS and other terror groups within Syria in just a few weeks than the USA has done in over a year!
One of the more obvious problems is that whilst Russia is supporting President Bashar al-Assad of Syria, the USA is supporting the rebels who are trying to depose President Assad. But the problem is much more complex. Whilst both Russia and the USA claim to be trying to eliminate the ISIS threat, Russia is also attacking some of the rebel groups which the USA is supporting.
Confusing? This is not confusion – this is chaos!
Right at the time when the USA would seem to need all of the firepower it is capable of in the Middle East, they remove their huge aircraft carrier force from the Persian Gulf. Why?
The Middle East is in turmoil. When you add the situation in Syria with a Palestinian uprising in Israel and the ongoing war in Yemen, peace in the Middle East is a long way off. Meanwhile, ISIS strikes at Europe.
When the disciples asked Christ: “…what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world [age]?” Here is one key portion of His reply:
“And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars… For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom… All these are the beginning of sorrows…” (Matthew 24:6-8)
This aspect is visible right now. Expect such situations to escalate. Keep in mind that the focus is on Israel and the Middle East!
Watch.
“Just what is an APOSTLE?”
Today we find the Church of God in a “wilderness of religious confusion!”
The confusion is not merely around the Church – within the religions of the world outside – but WITHIN the very heart of The True Church itself!
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