News and Trends

The Future of Europe?

by Mike Bennett
September 20, 2012 • 5 minute read

This week a group of 11 foreign ministers, capping nine months of work, presented their plan for strengthening the integration of Europe, perhaps including an EU army. A crisis is a terrible...

Satellite photo of the Persian Gulf with the Strait of Hormuz marked.

Strait of Hormuz Update

by Mike Bennett
September 18, 2012 • 4 minute read

Will a massive show of force in the Persian Gulf deter Iranian plans or create more dangers? Consider these recent news items. As a follow-up to our posts “Strait of Hormuz: A...

U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens was killed in Benghazi, Libya, Sept. 11, 2012.

Growing Wave of Anti-American Anger

by Mike Bennett
September 13, 2012 • 4 minute read

Diplomats have valiantly tried to protect American interests in troubled areas. The anti-American attack in Libya shows the failure of these efforts. The killing of U.S. Ambassador...

Map of the South China Sea showing the disputed Paracel Islands and Spratly Islands (Wikimedia Commons).

South China Sea Dispute

by Mike Bennett
September 6, 2012 • 4 minute read

Tiny islands have become the focus of heated disputes between Asian countries great and small. What might it mean for the United States and the world? Over recent weeks, long-simmering...

Youth Unemployment Crisis

by Mike Bennett
September 5, 2012 • 5 minute read

Youth unemployment is reaching record levels around the world. Is the seemingly hopeless situation creating a lost generation and sowing the seeds of more unrest? The 2008-2009 economic...

Update on Food Prices Rising

by Mike Bennett
September 5, 2012 • 37 second read

Today's Wall Street Journal reports: "Urgent action is needed to ensure rising world food prices don't turn into a catastrophe, the United Nations said Tuesday, but it cautioned that panic...

Few freshmen recognize the biblical reference to the Good Samaritan.

Mindset List Shows What America Has Lost

by Joel Meeker
August 27, 2012 • 5 minute read

Beloit College’s Mindset List provides another indication that America is moving further from God and the Bible. What can we do to stop the slide? Each year a much-watched list created...

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called Israel “a cancerous tumor” that will “soon be excised.” (Wikimedia Commons photo by Daniella Zalcman)

Will Israel Attack Iran Before November?

by Jim Haeffele
August 23, 2012 • 4 minute read

Is Israel about to make a preemptive strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities? If so, what will that mean to the Middle East region and to the world? When Israel became a nation in 1948,...

Egypt and the Sinai Peninsula from space (NASA photo).

Sinai Attack Leads to Power Shift in Egypt

by Mike Bennett
August 14, 2012 • 5 minute read

Islamist President Mohammed Morsi boldly forced out the old military guard in the aftermath of an al-Qaeda–like attack that killed 16 Egyptian soldiers. What does this portend for the...

Drought conditions lead to food prices rising.

Food Prices Rising Around the World

by Mike Bennett
August 9, 2012 • 5 minute read

Many areas of the world are expecting poor harvests, highlighting our modern world’s continuing dependence on rain in due season. With food prices rising, many won’t have enough...

Satellite image of the Persian Gulf with the Strait of Hormuz marked (from the CIA World Factbook).

Strait of Hormuz: Sea Gate Gets More Dangerous

by Mike Bennett
July 20, 2012 • 6 minute read

The world’s lifeblood flows through a narrow passage from the Persian Gulf. Will America’s military prevent Iran from blocking the Strait of Hormuz? Since nearly 20 percent...

Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. Whose capital will Jerusalem be?

“Our Capital Shall Be Jerusalem!”

by Ralph Levy
July 12, 2012 • 5 minute read

On June 23 Egyptian cleric Safwat Higazi declared that Jerusalem would be “our capital” as he introduced the Muslim Brotherhood candidate for Egypt’s presidency. Safwat...

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