SEPTEMBER 5, 2014

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THE TRUMPET WEEKLY THE TRUMPET WEEKLY
S E P T E MB E R 5 , 2 0 1 4
Pool party for militants at U.S. embassy in Libya 2
The return of Europes sleepwalkers 5
Pope: proponent of liberation theology 6
Putins chilling Kazakhstan comments 8
Gazprom starts mega-pipeline to China 8
BY RICHARD PALMER
B
ritain was shocked by the content of a report pub-
lished last week describing massive sexual exploita-
tion of teens in and around the town of Rotherham.
From police to local politicians, authorities have looked
the other way for years as hundreds of youths have been
subjected to horrifc abuse.
Te report, written by Prof. Alexis Jay, found that ap-
proximately 1,400 minors were sexually exploited between
1997 and 2013and thats a conservative estimate.
It is hard to describe the appalling nature of the abuse
that child victims sufered, the report states. Even in the
dry, factual language of an ofcial report, it is difcult
reading.
Te children were raped by multiple perpetrators, traf-
fcked to other towns and cities in the north of England,
abducted, beaten and intimidated, the report continues.
Tere were examples of children who had been doused in
petrol and threatened with being set alight, threatened with
guns, made to witness brutally violent rapes and threatened
they would be next if they told
Rotherham: The Town Where Gang
Rape Is a Usual Part of Growing Up
see ROTHERHAM page 12
Children walk along the street
on August 27 in Rotherham, England.
SEPTEMBER 5, 2014
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THE TRUMPET WEEKLY
MIDDLE EAST
most severely afected. Teyre the
ones who are constantly under threat
of being killed. Teyre the ones whose
economies are completely upended
to the point where they cant produce
their own food and they cant produce
the kinds of goods and services to sell
in the world marketplace.
Poll: 4 to 1, Want War
With Islamic State
WASHINGTON EXAMINER | August 31
A
s he wafes on U.S. policy toward
terrorists in Syria dubbed [the
Obama: ISIS a
Manageable Problem
TRUTH REVOLT | September 3
P
resident [Barack] Obama spoke
in Estonia Wednesday morning
about the recent beheading video re-
leased by [the Islamic State] terrorists.
In language that continues to give the
impression that the president is trying
to downplay the threat [the Islamic
State] poses to the world, he called the
well-armed terrorist group a manage-
able problem if the international
community works together.
[T]he question is going to be
making sure weve got the right
strategy but also making sure weve
got the international will to do it. Tis
is something that is a continuation of
a problem weve seen certainly since
9/11, but before, and it continues to
metastasize in diferent ways. And
what weve got to do is make sure that
we are organizing the Arab world, the
Middle East, the Muslim world, along
with the international community to
isolate this cancer.
Tis particular brand of extremism
that is frst and foremost destructive to
the Muslim world and the Arab world
and North Africa and the people who
live there. Teyre the ones who are
T
he backyard of an evacuated residential
annex of the United States Embassy in
Tripoli, Libya, hosted an apparent pool party
for Islamist militants, as a YouTube video
posted on August 31 paraded. Te videotaped
militants are part of the Libya Dawn coalition
of Islamist fghters who have taken control of
much of the nations capital.
Some of the euphoric jihadists in the video
were in military uniform; others wore ca-
sual summer attire. Some were armed with
guns; some roamed the party with cellphone
cameras. Others took turns swan diving from
a second-foor balcony into the compounds
pool.
Te scene encapsulated how far the United
States has plunged from its status of a reputed,
resolute, decisive superpower.
When the U.S. led the invasion of Libya in Operation
Odyssey Dawn in 2011, Trumpet readers knew exactly
what to expect. Realizing the true victors of that operation,
editor in chief Gerald Flurry warned in October of that
year that the government that replaces Qadhaf will be a
thousand times worse. And you can prove this is going to
happen!
Operation Odyssey Dawn has given rise to Libya
Dawna coalition of jihadi militia which has since taken
over much of Tripoli, including the American diplomatic
compound and Tripoli International Airport. Western in-
telligence reports distributed the last week of August show
that 11 commercial airliners are missing from the airport,
raising fears of 9/11-style terrorist attacks.
In addition to rival militia groups, Libya has rival gov-
ernmentsan illegitimate, Islamist one in Tripoli, and an
elected one that fed the capital to Tobruk. Former Libyan
general, Khalifa Hafar, has taken the fght to the various
Islamist groups in the country. Te elected, non-Islamist
government neither endorses nor denounces him.
Since Qadhafs ouster, Libya has grown so volatile that it
no longer has a U.S. diplomatic presence. Marines evacu-
ated American personnel to Malta on July 26.
Libyas chaos coupled with U.S. inaction has prompted
other nations to act. Egypt and the United Arab Emir-
ates clandestinely few fghter jets to attack some of the
Islamists bases in Tripolicompletely ignoring the United
States. Te real signifcance of those airstrikes is huge, as
Trumpet executive editor Stephen Flurry explained in a
recent Trumpet Daily program.
Pool Party for Militants at U.S. Embassy in Libya
Anthony Chibarirwe | September 3
Click to Play
SEPTEMBER 5, 2014
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THE TRUMPET WEEKLY
Islamic State], President [Barack]
Obama is being handed rare Ameri-
can support for a military attack
against the terrorists, according to a
new poll.
In its latest survey, YouGov.com
fnds that the nation has done a 180 in
just a year, and now supports military
action by nearly 4 to 1.
Some 63 percent of Americans back
a Pentagon strike against the terror-
ists to 16 percent who dont. A year
ago, those numbers were reversed
when Americans were asked about
striking Syrian troops commanded
by President Bashar Assad, with 60
percent opposing military action and
20 percent supporting it.
Te fip-fop comes as television
news is flled with stories of horrifc
murders of those captured by [the Is-
lamic State], and reports of American
airstrikes against the militants.
Te YouGov poll revealed a rare
change of heart for Americans, many
war-weary with the U.S. actions in
Iraq and Afghanistan.
Kurds: U.S. Forces
Fighting in Iraq
DAILY MAIL | September 2
A
merican Special Forces com-
mandos are on the ground fghting
in northern Iraq, according to a pub-
lished report, just a week afer [United
States President] Barack Obama said
that wouldnt happen. And with a
second brutal beheading in Syria, the
president may soon have to decide
how much more military might to
deploy.
Even as he has authorized more
than 100 target airstrikes against the
Islamic State in Iraq, Obama told
the American Legion on August 26
that American combat troops will not
be returning to fght in Iraq.
I will not allow the United States to
be dragged back into another ground
war in Iraq, he said, adding later that
the answer to [the Islamic State] is
not to send in large-scale military
deployments that overstretch our
military.
His parsing of wordscombat
troops and large-scalenow seem
calculated to produce platoon-sized
loopholes.
A Daily Beast freelance reporter
wrote Tuesday that he saw what ap-
peared to be bearded Western Special
Operations Forces in a caravan of
armored vehicles near the Iraqi town
of Zumar.
Tey didnt wear any identifying
insignia, the reporter added, but
they were visibly Western and ap-
peared to match all the visual charac-
teristics of American special opera-
tions soldiers.
Tis particular freelancer should
know: Hes a 27-year-old former U.S.
Army Ranger who served three tours
in Iraq and two in Afghanistan.
A Peshmerga commander, backed
up by Kurdish intelligence sources,
confrmed that Yes, German and
American forces are on the ground
here. Tey are helping to support us in
the attack.
Probe Into Iran Nukes
Back to Square One
ASSOCIATED PRESS | September 3
A
new and seemingly promising
UN probe of allegations that Iran
worked on atomic arms has stalled,
diplomats say, leaving investigators
not much further than where they
started a decade ago and dampening
U.S. hopes of reaching an overarch-
ing deal with Tehran by a November
deadline.
Expectations were high just two
weeks ago, when chief UN nuclear in-
spector Yukiya Amano emerged from
talks in Tehran with Iranian President
Hasan Rouhani saying Iran had given
a frm commitment to cooperation
and suggesting that years of deadlock
had been broken.
Te [International Atomic Energy
Agency] inquiry is formally separate
from the U.S.-led talks. But Washing-
ton says a successful iaea investiga-
tion must be part of any fnal deal.
Tat now seems unlikely by the No-
vember 24, deadline already delayed
A
s pressure built up for Nouri al-Maliki to step down
from the prime minister post in Iraq last month, Iran,
his most ardent supporter, stayed surprisingly silent as top
Iranian ofcials worked to get him out.
Similarly, when the United States, regularly denounced
as the Great Satan by ofcials in Iran, began bombing
inside Iraq last month, Tehran stayed quiet.
Tis marked shif in Irans approach to Iraq is a response
to the gains of Islamic State, the militant group which has
torn across Iraqi territory and come within striking dis-
tance of the Iranian border.
Islamic State fghters in Iraq have engaged in acts of
brutality, including beheadings and mass executions, ofen
targeting Shiites, whom they consider to be heretics. Te
majority of Iranians are Shiite Muslims.
As a result of this threat, Iran has had to take a more
fexible approach to its policy in Iraq, which has led to a
series of dramatic shifs, experts say.
Not only have ofcials in Tehran dropped their support for
Maliki and turned a blind eye to renewed U.S. attacks in Iraq,
they have also reached out to arch rival Saudi Arabia and
participated in talks about the security situation in Iraq.
Iran was supportive of Maliki and said to hell with the
others until the army collapsed, said a senior Iraqi ofcial
who asked not to be identifed because of the sensitive
subject.
Iranians are very realistic people, very patient. Tey
weigh their national interests very carefully. Tey dont
want a front with the Islamic State that extends from Iran
all the way to the Mediterranean, he added.
Iran Dramatically Shifts Iraq Policy to Confront Islamic State
REUTERS | September 2
SEPTEMBER 5, 2014
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THE TRUMPET WEEKLY
from July 31 even if the two sides agree
by then on the rest of a deal meant
to limit Irans nuclear capacities in
exchange for sanctions relief.
A determination that the probe has
stalled would embarrass Mr. Amano
considering his optimistic com-
ments afer August 17 talks with Mr.
EUROPE
Intifada in Jerusalem, War in
EuropeTime to Wake Up!
THE TRUMPET DAILY | September 4
STEPHEN FLURRY
Two of the most dangerous places on the planet
are boiling over.
Rouhani. It also would strengthen
those in U.S. Congress and elsewhere
who are skeptical of predictions that
Mr. Rouhanis assumption of the
presidency last year marked a turn
away from confrontation on the
nuclear issue.
Since [an Iran-iaea agreement in
February], the UN agency has sought
information on three issuesalleged
experiments with detonators that can
be used to set of a nuclear explo-
sion, separate work on high-explosive
charges also used in nuclear blasts,
and alleged studies on calculating
nuclear explosive yields.
Iran denies wanting or ever work-
ing on nuclear arms. Te diplomats
said that as of Wednesday morning it
had provided information only on the
detonators, insisting that they were
used for oil exploration. While such
applications are possible, the agency
says that its body of interconnected
information suggests that they were
being tested for nuclear weapons use.
No information has been given on
the other two issues, the diplomats
said .
New Dangers in U.S.-
Russian Standoff
STRATFOR | September 3
T
he United States and Russia
entered a new and more dangerous
phase of their pseudo-Cold War this
week.
On the surface, it might appear the
opposite. Just as U.S. President Barack
Obama tried to reassure Europeans
on the frontline with Russia that nato
would be there to support them, Rus-
sian President Vladimir Putin threw
out an expertly timed proposal to de-
fuse the crisis in eastern Ukraine and
even compelled Ukrainian President
Petro Poroshenko to claim a ceasefre
agreement had been achieved afer a
phone call with the Russian leader.
Te reality of the situation is that
Russia is trying to impose on Kiev and
its Western backers yet another frozen
confict on the Russian doorstep, one
that Moscow will use to demand re-
spect from a still-defant United States
on the contours of a Russian sphere of
infuence. In just under three weeks,
Russian-backed forces blunted a
deep Ukrainian thrust into separatist
strongholds.
Tough Ukrainian forces had
plenty of political support from the
West, the United States and its nato
partners had much more to risk in
putting boots on the ground than did
Russia, which was barely cloaking the
heavy armor and personnel pouring
across the border.
Tis rapid turnaround on the
battlefeld had two main purposes.
Te frst was to assert Russian military
power and convince the West that
Moscow would not be afraid to use it
in spite of the economic consequences.
Te second was for Moscow to use its
military gains to make it appear that
the West was utterly irresponsible
in trying to wrest Ukraine out from
Moscows shadow. Now, by dangling
an ambiguous ceasefre before the
Americans, Russia is essentially telling
the United States that to defeat Russia
it must fght Russia directly, knowing
that nato is loath to engage directly
with the Russian military. And if the
West is still unwilling to confront Rus-
sia in a direct military confict, then
Russia is quite ready to make a deal.
Tat deal goes well beyond a cease-
fre. Russia wants its bufer in Ukraine
recognized and respected, along with
Related: Just What Is Iran Up To?
SEPTEMBER 5, 2014
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THE TRUMPET WEEKLY
sanctions lifed so it can get on with
repairing its economy. And with win-
ter approaching, Russia also has the
means to turn the screws on Europes
natural gas supply at the same time
it holds a clear military advantage on
the Ukrainian battlefeld.
But the United States is not about
to back down completely in the face
of Putins maneuver. Obama arrived
in Estonia on Wednesday with a
message of commitment, loyalty and
security for any country threatened
by Russia. To reinforce that message,
nato will attempt to breathe new life
and purpose into the institution by
creating a 4,000-strong rapid-reaction
force capable of deploying at 48 hours
notice to Eastern European countries
on the frontline with Russia.
However, this confrontation will
not be limited to Ukraine. Te key for
Russia will be to demonstrate to the
West that Russia is not afraid to resort
to the unthinkable, even the irrational,
in pushing back. Russia announced
Wednesday that its strategic nuclear
forces will be holding large-scale
strategic missile exercises in Septem-
ber. Putin, over the weekend, also told
T
he European Union named new leadership on Saturday.
Yet the latest EU summit in Brussels was just another
beauty contest with layers of geopolitical cosmetics, lack-
ing any promise of a new beginning. Afer months of
institutional paralysis, European leaders still fnd ways to
rationalize why the EU is not ready to act. In the past year,
national and European-level elections and then the sum-
mer break have lef the EU in an extended freeze.
But eurocratic excuses dont stop the Earth from spin-
ning. Wherever we look, we see horrifying disarray in the
world. On Europes eastern border, there has been a war
going on for months. In the Middle East, a lunatic terrorist
organization is taking over vast areas with looted, high-
tech U.S. arms. Israel and Gaza are on and of ceasefres,
and Libya is imploding on the shores of the Mediterranean.
While the U.S. administration is obviously overwhelmed
by the variety and gravity of the crises it faces, EU leaders
dont even worry about not knowing what to do. Tey sim-
ply have not realized that this is primarily their challenge.
At frst glance, recent events like the downing of Malay-
sia Airlines Flight 17, the lightning advances of the Islamic
State terrorists, and anti-democratic expressions of admi-
ration for Vladimir Putin by Hungarian Prime Minister
Viktor Orbn in July are not connected.
However, if European leaders and citizens alike would
peek out from their delusional detachment, they would re-
alize that these are all signs of grave threats to the stability
of Europe as a whole, and that they all require European-
level responses.
Russia is waging war on Ukraine, partly as punishment
for Kievs attempt to move closer to the EU. Russia did not
stop at Crimea and, unless it is stopped, it will not stop
at eastern Ukraine. In the coming winter, Moscow could
leave millions of Europeans without heating by reviving its
cynical gas-pricing policies. Despite this threator per-
haps out of fear of itthe EUs response to Russian actions
has been halfearted at best.
Moscows support of pro-Russia separatists in Ukraine
resulted in the deaths of 298 people on the Malaysia Air-
lines fight.
While all this is happening, one EU (and nato) member
insisted on arming and training the Russian Navy, and
the leader of another EU member praises Vladimir Putins
Russia as a role model. Oddly enough, Frances Mistral
dealfnally suspended on Wednesdayand the infamous
speech by Hungarys Prime Minister Orbn produced
more upset in the U.S. than in Europe.
And what of the Middle East? It is ofen overlooked
that if Europe were to use its leverage efectively, it could
have unparalleled infuence in the Middle East. Te EU is
Israels primary trading partner and the Palestinian territo-
ries largest donor. Yet Europes performance on the world
stage has been limited to issuing useless news releases and
a two-page draf about Gazas reconstruction.
On another front, the Islamic State jihadists food-
ing the Middle East are estimated by various sources to
include about 2,000 European citizens. Te EU has no idea
how they can be stopped from returning home to Europe
afer, say, a convenient stopover in Turkey. Making matters
worse, it seems that EU governments have become regular
patrons of Islamic extremists by channeling large sums (an
alleged $125 million since 2008) to them in ransoms.
Afer months of cynical hesitation, at least some EU mem-
ber states now seem to be getting their act together. In recent
days the German government fnally opted out of its increas-
ingly embarrassing culture of reluctance with its decision
to deliver arms to Kurdish forces in northern Iraq.
Yet Europe is nowhere close to developing a comprehen-
sive strategy. While the world waits, the following mea-
sures should be implemented immediately.
European members must recognize that their military
spending is insufcient and stop taking an American-run
and -funded nato for granted. It is appalling that Germa-
ny recently decided to cut military spending by about 800
million ($us1.05 billion) in 2015.
One hundred years ago, Austria-Hungary declared war
on Serbia, setting in motion a swirl of events that brought
decades of devastation to the entire continent. Te his-
torian Christopher Clark called the leaders of the time
sleepwalkers for their lack of ability to assess the larger,
systemic consequences of their individual actions.
Today we see the menacing signs multiplying, but we
have not been willing to accept the fact that armed con-
ficts have come to Europes doorsteps again. Todays
sleepwalkers do not recognize the consequences of their
inaction. It is time to wake up.
The Return of Europes Sleepwalkers
Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, WALL STREET JOURNAL | September 3
SEPTEMBER 5, 2014
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THE TRUMPET WEEKLY
a youth forum, I want to remind you
that Russia is one of the most power-
ful nuclear nations. Tis is a reality,
not just words.
France Puts Warship
Delivery to Russia on
Hold
ASSOCIATED PRESS | September 3
R
esponding to international pres-
sure, France suspended the deliv-
ery of a warship to Russia at least until
November amid security concerns
over Moscows role in the Ukraine
crisis, ofcials said Wednesday.
Te Vladivostok, the frst of two
Mistral-class helicopter carriers
ordered by Russia, was due to be
delivered next month as part of a 1.2
billion ($us1.6 billion) contractthe
biggest-ever sale of nato weaponry to
Moscow.
Te second ship, named Sevastopol,
ironically, afer a port in the Russia-
annexed Crimean Peninsula, has been
slated for delivery next year.
In an announcement on the eve
of a nato summit in Wales, French
President Franois Hollandes ofce
called the fghting in eastern Ukraine
grave, and said Russias recent actions
harm the foundations of security in
Europe.
As recently as July, Hollande said
the deal was too costly to cancel,
and even this week, his advisers had
indicated that France was ready to go
ahead with the frst delivery. In July,
the president said the Russians had
paid for the ship, and France would
have to reimburse Moscow if it can-
celed.
A Church for the Poor
Paul Vallely, NEW YORK TIMES |
September 4
P
ope Francis grabbed headlines
recently when he announced that
Rome had lifed the block on saint-
hood for Archbishop scar Romero
of San Salvador, who was shot dead
while saying mass in 1980. But much
less attention was given to another of
the popes actions, one that under-
scores a signifcant shif inside the
Vatican under the frst Latin Ameri-
can pope in the history of the Roman
Catholic Church.
Archbishop Romero was assassinat-
ed afer speaking out in favor of the
poor during an era when right-wing
death squads stalked El Salvador un-
der an American-backed, military-led
government in the 1970s and 80s. For
three decades, Rome blocked his path
to sainthood for fear that it would give
succor to the proponents of liberation
theology, the revolutionary movement
that insists that the Catholic Church
should work to bring economic and
socialas well as spiritualliberation
to the poor.
Under Pope Francis, that obstacle
has been removed. Te pope now says
it is important that Archbishop Rome-
ros beatifcationthe precursor to
becoming a saintbe done quickly.
Conservative Catholics have tried to
minimize the political signifcance of
the popes stance by asserting that the
archbishop, though a champion of the
poor, never fully embraced liberation
theology.
But another move by Pope Francis
undermines such revisionism. Tis
month he also lifed a ban from say-
ing mass imposed nearly 30 years ago
upon Miguel dEscoto Brockmann,
who had been suspended as a priest
for serving as foreign minister in
Nicaraguas revolutionary Sandinista
government in the same era. Tere is
no ambiguity about the position on
liberation theology of dEscoto, who
once called President Ronald Reagan
a butcher and an international out-
law. Later, as president of the United
Nations General Assembly, dEscoto
condemned American acts of aggres-
sion in Iraq and Afghanistan.
But there is more to the popes ac-
tion than kindness to an 81-year-old
man. In a remarkable turnaround,
liberation theology is being brought
in from the cold. During the Cold
War, the idea that the Catholic
Church should give a preferential
option for the poor was seen by
many in Rome as thinly disguised
Marxism.
Previous popes had made similar
critiques of capitalism, but the lan-
guage of Pope Francis has been more
vehement and indignant. A new
historical moment has arrived. Pope
Francis is taking a risk.
TW I N B R I E F
n Polish president gets EU top job
Polish President Donald Tusk will
be the next president of the EU
Council, European leaders agreed
on August30. Te appointment is
a milestone in Polands relationship
with the EU, and marks the frst time
a Polish leader has been given one
of Europes top jobs. Poland is now
frmly at the heart of the European
Uniona major player of the same
standing as nations that have been
in the club for years, like Italy, Spain,
Belgium and the Netherlands. Just
a few years ago no one from Poland
would have even been considered for
any of these [top] posts, we wrote
six months ago. Go back a decade or
two and Poland was frmly behind
the iron curtain. But even then, Plain
Truth founder Herbert W. Armstrong
forecast that Poland would break
from Russia and become a core Eu-
ropean nation. For more on what he
said about this transformation, read
our article Ukraine Crisis Reveals
Europes Eastern Leg.
n Germany plans to train and arm
the Kurds
Germany will send trained Kurdish
forces to the Islamic State, German
Chancellor Angela Merkel announced
September 1. It will ship them $90.7
million worth of arms, including 40
machine guns, 200 rocket-propelled
grenades, 500 anti-tank missiles,
16,000 assault rifes, and ample am-
munition. Te shipments are intended
to equip 4,000 men. Germany will
either fy Kurds soldiers to Berlin for
training, or train them in Iraq. Te
Defense Ministry has said that send-
ing German soldiers to Iraq in order
to train Kurds would not require the
approval of Germanys parliament.
Tis is a major step for Germany,
which is why it has taken it longer
than many other nations to reach this
decision.
SEPTEMBER 5, 2014
7
THE TRUMPET WEEKLY
ASIA
An Eye on the Baltic
States?
George F. Will, WASHINGTON
POST | September 3
V
ladimir Putins fascist revival is a
crisis that tests the Wests capacity
to decide.
Putins serial amputations of por-
tions of Ukraine, which began with his
fait accompli in Crimea, will proceed,
and succeed, until his appetite is sati-
ated. Ten the real danger will begin.
Suppose Ukraine is merely his
overture for the destruction of nato,
the nemesis of his Soviet memory.
Putin has discarded the minor inhibi-
tions of what nato calls his hybrid
wargiving slightly surreptitious
aid to Russian separatists; brazenly
infltrating Russian soldiers in un-
marked uniforms. Russia has invaded
Ukraine, although the Obama admin-
istration likes the semantic anesthesia
of calling it an incursion.
So, suppose Putin, reprising his
Ukrainian success, orchestrates unrest
among the Russian-speaking minori-
ties in Latvia, Lithuania or Estonia.
Ten, recycling Hitlers words that his
country could not remain inactive,
Putin invades one of these nato mem-
bers. Either nato invokes Article 5
an attack on any member is an attack
on allor nato disappears and the
Soviet Union, natos original raison
detre, is avenged.
Putin is, the West should similarly
acknowledge, more talented and dan-
gerous than either Nikita Khrushchev
or Leonid Brezhnev. Teir truculence
was not fueled by fury. Putins essence
is anger. It is a smoldering amalgam of
resentment (of Russias diminishment
because of the Soviet Unions collapse),
revanchist ambitions (regarding for-
merly Soviet territories and spheres of
infuence), cultural loathing (for the
pluralism of open societies) and ethnic
chauvinism that presages ethnic
cleansing of non-Russians from por-
tions of Putins expanding Russia.
Tis is more than merely the fascist
mind; its ethnic-cum-racial com-
ponent makes it Hitlerian. Hence
Putin is unpredictable only to those
unfamiliar with the 1930s. Regarding
the roles of resentment and vengeance,
remember where Hitler insisted that
France formally capitulate in 1940in
the railroad carriage, near the town of
Compiegne, where Germany signed
D
espite the hype regarding Americas pivot to Asia,
the nations of the East see that the United States mili-
tary power is becoming ever more hollow. Tey see Ameri-
cas populace war-weary, its policymakers almost comically
disunited, and its president power-thirsty at home but
deliberately weak internationally.
In response, many Asian countries are rebalancing
and re-aligning. Te adjustment is most apparent in the
increased military cooperation among them.
As the West has sought to isolate Moscow over the ongo-
ing Ukrainian crisis, Russia and China have entered into
a new era of unprecedented military cooperation. In May,
the two held their frst-ever joint naval exercises near some
Japanese-administered islands. Te locationin the back-
yard of Americas strongest Asian allywas not arbitrary.
From August 24 to 29, more than 7,000 troops from
Russia, China and three central Asian nations assembled
for the largest joint military drill ever held by the Shanghai
Cooperation Organization (sco). According to the sco, the
massive drills were meant to prepare soldiers to protect the
region from potential terrorist strikes. But as analyst Mat-
thew Sussex said, It is kind of rare to have an anti-terrorist
mission which uses battle tanks. It says: We are trying
to exercise together to coordinate our troops to meet any
potential eventuality.
Another aspect of the new golden age of Russia-China
military cooperation has been a sudden willingness on
Moscows part to share cutting-edge military technology
with the Chinese.
Japan and India are increasingly aware of Americas
eroding infuence in Asia, and increasingly wary of Chinas
rise. Both are impressed by the power and boldness of
Vladimir Putins Russia, but also anxious about its ever
steeper tilt toward Beijing.
Te answer for each, at least in the short term, may be
each other.
On September 1, Tokyo signed an historic deal with
India entering into the frst-ever India-Japan defense co-
operation agreement. Te deal marked a historical change
in Asian geopolitics: the frst time post-war Japan entered
such an agreement outside its three traditional alliance
partnersthe United States, the United Kingdom and
Australia.
As the thinness of the American paper tiger becomes
increasingly evident, and as Russia and China continue to
become more powerful and more aggressive, the Asian na-
tions will increasingly work toward shoring up defense ties
with each other.
Some appear to be digging their heels in, working to
build alliances that will protect them from the Moscow-
Beijing axis. Others seem to be preparing themselves to
be allied with or dominated by it. Bible prophecy says that,
regardless of which category a given nation currently falls
into, almost all will eventually be joined together as a gar-
gantuan power bloc with Russia and China at the helm.
Follow Jeremiah Jacques: Twitter
Asian Military Cooperation on the Rise
Jeremiah Jacques | September 3
SEPTEMBER 5, 2014
8
THE TRUMPET WEEKLY
the 1918 armistice.
Ukraine may be an ethnic casserole
susceptible to diminishment by Putins
ladle. But the Baltic states, by virtue of
their nato membership, are, regard-
less of their histories or sociologies,
decisively diferent. And given Putins
animus, nourished by his negligibly
resisted success in Ukraine, he is more
dangerous than the Islamic State.
Gazprom Starts Mega-
Pipeline to China
REUTERS | September 1
P
resident Vladimir Putin on
Monday oversaw the start of con-
struction on a giant pipeline that is
due to ship $400 billion worth of Rus-
sian gas to China in the three decades
afer fows begin in 2019.
Te 2,500 mile Power of Siberia
pipeline, being built by state-con-
trolled Gazprom, forms a key part of
the Kremlins energy strategy, symbol-
izing Russias attempts to wean itself
of dependence on European markets
that account for most of its exports.
Just now, we along with our Chinese
friends are starting the biggest con-
struction project in the world, Putin
told a Chinese delegation .
He said the frst gas pipeline
between Russia and China: Will
not only allow us to export gas, but
to develop gas infrastructure in our
country, to speed up (economic) devel-
opment, not only in this region, but in
the whole country.
Te long-awaited deal with China
National Petroleum Corp (cnpc) was
a diplomatic coup for the Kremlin
afer a decade of difcult negotiations,
and a symbol of its eforts to strength-
en economic ties with Asia as Russias
economy faces the efects of Western
sanctions over the crisis in Ukraine. ...
On Putins command Begin! two
workers lowered their protective vi-
sors and welded the frst segment of
the black pipeline with faring blow-
torches.
T
here are few places more dangerous these days than to
be a friend to the Kremlin. To the Kremlin, friend-
ship is a four-letter word. And it seems that Kazakhstan,
which has continuously and publicly supported Russias
geopolitical failings, knows this better than anyone. Not
only has Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev watched
his countrys economic surge stumble through the Krem-
lins actions, but hes witnessed Putin mangle Nazarbayevs
original eeu dream beyond recognition.
But if Kazakhstan wasnt already aware of the potential
daggers lining their relationship to the northfor those
in the country still believing Russia provided some beacon
of righteousness and prosperityPutins comments at the
recent Seliger Youth Forum should give them pause.
A few days afer Minsks eeu summit, which saw a
palpably tired Nazarbayev attempt to broker some kind of
mediation, Putin felded a question from a young woman
at Seliger about the role of nationalism in Kazakhstan, and
the potential impact the putative jingoism could have on
relations with Russia.
Putin answered at relative length . Most notably,
though, Putin ofered that, prior to Nazarbayev, Kazakhs
had never had statehood. Not Kazakhstanis, the citizens
of the country sharing Russias longest border, but Ka-
zakhs. Te titular ethnicity of the most prosperous nation
in Central Asia, apparently unfamiliar with the intricacies
and turnings of statehood. Requiring a Russian hand to
guideespecially upon Nazarbayevs departure.
Unfortunately, this wasnt a simple, ahistorical
observation. On multiple occasions, ethnic Russians in
northern Kazakhstan have reminded me of their belief
that Central Asian states have never existed. Kazakhstan,
one told me, is but a Bantustan, with proper civilization
brought only by the arrival of Russians. Putins comments
fall directly within this vein. Kazakhstan can be identifed
with the persona of Nazarbayev, but once hes gone, why
would there be any reason to continue with this experiment
in statehood?
Nate Schenkkan, a Central Asian analyst, ofered the
most thorough rundown of the speech to date. As he
concluded, In sum: this is an extraordinary event. I dont
know how the Kazakh government will respond to this, but
assuredly there are people in Astana in very high places
who are both scared and furious. Many were already,
following Russian events in Crimea, in eastern Ukraine.
Putins comments were only one more ingredient increas-
ing the trends already extant.
Tis, then, is the thanks Kazakhstan receives for re-
maining close to Russia over the past six months, and over
the past two decades. Veiled threats about succession issues,
and a reminder of the lack of Kazakhstans historic legiti-
macywith dark hints about a nationalistic threat that
doesnt exist, but could very well turn self-fulflling.
Putin has unveiled the two-pronged mode of rhetoric
Russia could begin accelerating in Kazakhstan in the near
future: that nationalism presents a threat to ethnic Rus-
sians, and that the people on the territory of this supposed
foreign land never actually had a state. Sound familiar?
Putins Chilling Kazakhstan Comments
THE DIPLOMAT | September 3
Putin can weather the Western frost by
continuing to warm up to Asian nations.
Since the earliest days of the Ukraine
crisis, he has been tilting Russia ever
more steeply toward the East, especial-
ly China and India. And these nations
are gladly tilting right back toward Rus-
sia. As the European Union scrambles
to nd ways of reducing its dependence
on Russian gas and oil, China has giddi-
ly increased its consumption, signing a
$400 billion deal in May to buy Russian
gas. It was the largest known business
transaction in human history.
Trumpet, October 2014
SEPTEMBER 5, 2014
9
THE TRUMPET WEEKLY
Japan Appoints
Pro-China M.P.s
GUARDIAN | September 3
J
apans prime minister, Shinzo Abe,
has signaled a rare attempt to mend
fences with China when he appointed
two M.P.s considered friendly to-
wards Beijing to two senior posts in
his governing Liberal Democratic
party (ldp).
Te move was part of a major
revamp of Abes administration afer
a run of mixed economic data and
an unpopular increase in the sales
tax saw his popularity ratings drop
to around 50 percent, compared to
around 70 percent in the months
afer he took ofce in December 2012,
vowing to kick-start the words third-
biggest economy.
Te appointment of two men
known for their close ties to China
could advance eforts to set up the frst
meeting between Abe and his Chinese
counterpart, Xi Jinping, at the apec
(Asia-Pacifc Economic Cooperation)
summit in Beijing this autumn.
He is sending a strong message to
China that he wants to improve ties.
Tanigaki and Nikai both have good
ties with China, said political analyst
Atsuo Ito.
Chinese ofcials said they hoped
the personnel changes would help ease
tensions.
Poor Knowledge of
Russian History
THE MOSCOW TIMES | September 04
R
ussias Foreign Ministry has
asked social media users to help
teach U.S. President Barack Obama a
history lesson afer he claimed Russia
is trying to regain territories that it
lost in the 19th century.
Quiz for amateur historians: what
parts of Russia were lost in the 19th
century? the ministry said Tursday
in a Facebook message.
Obama on Wednesday said Rus-
sias involvement in Ukraine was a
sign it was reaching back to the days
of the tsars, trying to reclaim lands
lost in the 19th century [but] this is
surely not the way to secure Russias
greatness in the 21st century, ac-
cording to a statement on the White
House website.
In fact, the only lands that Russia
lost in the 19th century were the Fort
Ross settlement on the coast of Cali-
fornia, which it sold to a U.S. business-
man for $30,000, and Alaska, which
it sold to the U.S. government for $7.2
millionneither of which Russia lays
current claim to.
Amid escalating tensions with the
West, Russia has been relentless in
pointing out its foes ignorance about
the country.
Late last week Russia responded to
a jibe from Canadas mission to nato
by teaching it a geography lesson
with a map showing the recently an-
nexed peninsula of Crimea marked as
belonging to Russia.
Helping our Canadian colleagues
to catch up with contemporary ge-
ography of Europe, the Twitter post
read.
Having covered history and geogra-
phywhat subject could be next?
AFRICA/LATIN AMERICA
Nigeria: Boko Haram
Declares Caliphate
Richard Palmer | September 2
T
errorist group Boko Haram has
declared the establishment of a
caliphate in northern Nigeria according
to a video obtained by Agence France
Presse on August 24. Te group has
already killed more than 4,000 people
this year according to recent fgures
from Amnesty International. In the
previous four years, it killed 3,600.
Te United Nations estimates that the
group has forced 650,000 to fee their
homes.
Boko Haram gained international
notoriety when it kidnapped nearly
300 Nigerian school girls and the
world responded with the #Bring-
BackOurGirls campaign. Despite
celebrity support from around the
world, including American First Lady
Michelle Obama, the campaign made
no diference.
Abubakar Shekau, Boko Harams
leader, declared the caliphate afer the
group took control of Gwoza within
the past few weeks. With a population
of over a quarter of a million, Gwoza
is the largest city Boko Haram has
captured to date. Many of its inhab-
itants reportedly fed to the nearby
mountains.
Boko Haram is also expanding
its operations in Cameroon, even
kidnapping the wife of the vice prime
minister. In reality, the Nigerian sol-
diers probably fedlike Iraqi soldiers
before the Islamic State.
Some dispute whether Boko Haram
declared a caliphate or merely an
Islamic state. Either way, it is declaring
independence from Nigeria and sig-
naling its intent to hold the territory
it has captured. It is a bold move that
indicates the group considers itself
strong enough to retain its territory
rather than simply retreat before a
military assault as it has in the past.
If Boko Haram ever develops truly
international ambitions, it could carve
out an arc of instability stretching
from northern Nigeria via Cameroon,
Central African Republic and South
Sudan into East Africa, Peter Drrie
Bible prophecy conrms that the time
will soon be here when the U.S. will be
removed from the picture and Asian na-
tions will rise up powerfully. Scripture
makes plain that rather than go it alone,
several Asian juggernauts will pool
their resources, consolidate their power
and form a military force of proportions
the world has never seen.
Trumpet, January 2014
SEPTEMBER 5, 2014
10
THE TRUMPET WEEKLY
wrote on the War Is Boring blog. He
noted that a comprehensive defeat
of the militant group would require
thousands of well-equipped foreign
soldiers, a substantial overhaul of the
Nigerian Army itself, as well as an
admission on the part of the Nigerian
government that it cant handle the
situation on its own.
Until now, Boko Haram has not
posed much of a threat to Western
interests. Its caliphate is in northern
Nigeria, far from the oil-rich south.
Tis could change. Te group has
links to al Qaeda, and some interpret
the latest video to be a declaration of
support to the Islamic State, and a
pledge to join it.
Boko Haram is dangerous and
growing stronger.
Europe is battling radical Islam
across North Africa. Continue to
watch Boko Haramthe group could
open up another front in this war.
ANGLO-AMERICA
F
ormer top government ofcials who have been warn-
ing Washington about the vulnerability of the nations
largely unprotected electric grid are raising new fears that
troops from the jihadist Islamic State are poised to attack
the system, leading to a power crisis that could kill mil-
lions.
Inadequate grid security, a porous U.S.-Mexico border,
and fragile transmission systems make the electric grid a
target for [the Islamic State], said Peter Pry, one of the na-
tions leading experts on the grid.
Others joining Pry at a press conference later Wednes-
day to draw attention to the potential threat said that if just
a handful of the nations high voltage transformers were
knocked out, blackouts would occur across the country.
By one estimate, should the power go out and stay
out for over a year, nine out of 10 Americans would likely
perish, said Frank Gafney, founder and president of the
Center for Security Policy in Washington.
A lack of electricity would shut of water systems, impact
city transportation services and shut down hospitals and
other big facilities. Fresh and frozen foods also would be
impacted as would banks, fnancial institutions and utilities.
Pry provided details of recent attacks on electricity
systems and said that [the Islamic State] could easily team
with Mexican drug cartels to ravage America.
He told Secrets, for example, that the Knights Templar
drug gang blacked out the electric grid of the Mexican state
of Michoacan in 2013 to provide cover for killing those
fghting the drug trade.
Te Knights Templars and other criminal gangs in
Mexico will do anything for money, and [the Islamic State],
the richest terrorist organization in history, has hundreds
of millions of dollars at its disposal, said Pry.
[Te Islamic State] could hire one of the Mexican cartels,
or one of their criminal gangs already in the U.S., or activate
jihadist terror cells already in the U.S., and infict a multi-
state blackout immediately, within days or weeks. Perhaps
even a nationwide blackout, Pry explained to Secrets.
I am not saying it is likely they will do so. But given
the capabilities and objectives of [the Islamic State] and
our obvious vulnerabilities, it would be foolish to ignore
the threat to the grid, to regard the threat as unlikely. Our
planning should be based on imminent asymmetrical
threats, and not assume that another 9/11 large-scale attack
is years away, he added.
Te Texas Department of Public Safety recently said
they believe there is evidence that [the Islamic State] plans
an attack.
Americas Electric Grid; Blackout Could Kill 9 of 10
WASHINGTON EXAMINER | September 3
U.S. Military Reliance
on Russian Rocket
WASHINGTON TIMES | September 2
T
he rising tensions with Russia over
its aggression in Ukraine is creating
national security concerns inside the
Pentagon, where the militarys largest
satellite program is reliant on a rocket
engine produced by Moscow.
Te Air Force said it has begun
looking for alternatives to the RD-
180 rocket engines for its Evolved
Expendable Launch Vehicle program
the fourth largest line item in the U.S.
defense budgetnow that Russia has
threatened to cut of the technology in
its tit-for-tat struggle with the U.S.
Lawmakers and national security
analysts said they were aghast that
the military allowed itself to become
so dependent on Russian military
technology during an era of uneasy
relations.
What were we thinking? Its clear
now that relying on Russia for rocket
engines was a policy based on hope,
not good judgment, said Michael V.
Hayden, a four-star Air Force general
who headed the National Security
Agency and the Central Intelligence
Agency before his retirement in 2009.
Relying on Russian rocket engines
to launch American spy satellites may
have not been a problem when the U.S.
and Russia were working together to
build the International Space Station,
but its defnitely a problem now, said
Michael Waller, a political warfare
professor at the Washington-based
Institute of World Politics and a vocal
SEPTEMBER 5, 2014
11
THE TRUMPET WEEKLY
In the BeginningPart 1
Why do we exist? This fundamental question has haunted
mankind throughout history. Do you know the answer?
GERALD FLURRY
critic of Russian space dominance.
Te fact that we are dependent on
the Russians for rocket engines gives
Vladimir Putin a chokehold over the
United States.
1 in 10 California
Workers in Country
Illegally
LOS ANGELES TIMES | September 3
A
report released Wednesday by
researchers at [University of South-
ern California] found that immigrants
who are in California illegally make
up nearly 10 percent of the states
workforce and contribute $130 billion
annually to its gross domestic product.
Te study, which was conducted
in conjunction with the California
Immigrant Policy Center, was based
on census data and other statistics, in-
cluding data from the Department of
Labor and the Department of Home-
land Security. It looked at a variety
of ways the estimated 2.6 million im-
migrants living in California without
permission participate in state life.
Among the studys fndings:
Immigrants who are in Califor-
nia illegally make up 38 percent
of the agriculture industry and
14 percent of the construction
industry statewide.
Half of the immigrants in the
state illegally have been here for
at least 10 years.
Roughly 58 percent do not have
health insurance.
But those who call for stricter
enforcement of existing immigration
laws say assessments of immigrants
share of the gdp does not account for
the large cost governments incur in
providing schools and other services
to immigrants here without permis-
sion.
Steven Camarot, of the Center for
Immigration Studies, which favors
stricter restrictions on immigration,
also said that bigger economies are not
necessarily better. A bigger economy
doesnt mean the people are richer, he
said.
College: Videogames
Are a Varsity Sport
WALL STREET JOURNAL | September 2
S
ean Bensema stayed up late one
recent evening practicing and woke
up unusually early the next morning
to prepare for the biggest moment of
his life: a tryout for an athletic schol-
arship to college.
Te shaggy-haired 18-year-old
didnt need to change out of the
T-shirt he slept in or even leave his
parents house to make the squad. He
just set up his laptop on the dining-
room table and started stunning his
enemies with fre shot from the hands
of his digital avatar.
Mr. Bensema is among 150 players
competing for a spot on the nations
frst varsity videogame team. At stake:
a scholarship that might be worth
$50,000.
In a time of tight budgets, many
colleges have been cutting back schol-
arships and eliminating programs in
sports like swimming and gymnastics.
Robert Morris University, a small,
accredited private school whose main
campus is in downtown Chicago, has
taken a diferent tackboosting the
number of athletic scholarships to
more than 700, from 150 a decade ago,
in a bid to stem declining enrollment.
Today, among the schools more
than 3,200 undergraduates, there are
scholarship athletes in bowling, color
guard, cheerleading and dance. One
student gets $6,000 for dressing up
as Fuzzy, the schools eagle mascot.
Other athletic scholarships that have
been or are being considered include
roller derby, bass fshing and paintball.
Touted as a way to improve team
spirit and develop life skills, the
scholarships are a way to drive down
the $44,000 cost of tuition, room and
board.
Kurt Melcher, the Associate Athlet-
ic Director at Robert Morris, dreamed
up the idea of a videogame scholarship
this past spring when he came across a
game called League of Legends.
Mr. Bensema was initially disap-
pointed by the scholarship ofer
which was less than he hoped for. He
calculates he will graduate with at
least $40,000 in debtsignifcantly
more than if he attended state school.
But afer some soul searching he de-
cided to head to Robert Morris.
Im doing a sport thats cool, he
said. And it could lead somewhere.
Teres a lot of people making a lot of
money playing videogames.
SEPTEMBER 5, 2014
12
THE TRUMPET WEEKLY
anyone. Girls as young as 11 were raped by large numbers
of male perpetrators. Tis abuse is not confned to the past
but continues to this day.
One young person told us that gang rape was a usual
part of growing up in the area of Rotherham in which she
lived, the report states.
Tis abuse lef the victims terribly scared. Te impact
sexual exploitation had on them was absolutely devastat-
ing, the report reads.
Even the reports author, someone who has investigated
these kinds of scandals before, was shocked at the hor-
rible nature of the sexual acts and the utter brutality
that she uncovered. It was truly frightening that people in
our country could be doing that, she said.
How could such widespread abuse go on without being
noticed for so long? Te answer to that question exposes a
terrible sickness at just about every level of British society.
Consider the police. Professor Jays report says that
in two cases, girls fathers tracked down their daughters,
found the houses where they were being abused, and called
the police. Te police arrivedand arrested the fathers.
In another case, the police found one of these victims in
a derelict building with some adult males. Her companions
were not investigated for child rapeinstead she was ar-
rested for being drunk and disorderly.
Te police give no priority to these kinds of crimes.
Instead, as the report states, they are regarding many child
victims with contempt and failing to act on their abuse as a
crime. Several earlier reports were ignored and no ac-
tion was taken to deal with the issues that were identifed in
them. Time and again school teachers, taxi drivers and oth-
ers tried to raise the alarm, but the police refused to listen.
Ultimately the police and local authorities seemed more
concerned with bureaucratic box-ticking, meeting targets,
and making themselves look good than they were about the
welfare of these young girls.
Tere is one fnal sickness in Britains society that, even
afer this scandal, the nation still refuses to address: its
highly sexualized culture. When a man who is 10 years
older tries to push these girls into a sexual relationship,
they think its normal. When he asks her to sleep with his
best friend, shes not outraged. Afer all, the biggest thing
shes learned from pop culture about being an adult woman
is that she has to be sexy in order to be liked and valued.
Without this sex-is-everywhere society, would teens let
older men talk them into these deviant sexual relationships?
Tis culture has afected the police and council authori-
ties too. One of the abusers, married with children and a
pregnant wife, got a 14-year-old girl pregnant. Te coun-
cil ofcials treated the relationship between the teen and
the older, married man as perfectly normal. He was even
invited along to her antenatal appointments.
Te council ofcials and social workers are steeped in
a dont judge philosophy. Tey are routinely told to treat
teenagers as adults capable of making their own decisions
when it comes to sex and relationships. Tese girls can
talk to the social workers about contraception or get an
abortion and the staf are strictly forbidden, by law, from
informing the parents.
When these girls were abused by older men, that same
training kicked in. Council ofcials justifed their attempts
to squash investigations by saying that they were protecting
the childrens privacy.
Many right-wing commentators have, quite rightly, con-
demned the council for sacrifcing these girls because they
didnt want to rock the racial boat. But a read of the ofcial
report shows that this warped attitude to teenage sex was
an even bigger factor in refusing to face the problem.
Tis scandal proves that teenagers are not adults. Tis
is another politically incorrect truth that even now no one
wants to talk about. Tey do need the help of parents, or,
if they are not around, adult authority fguresespecially
when it comes to sex and relationships. But the British gov-
ernment, social workers and all of society teach the exact
opposite.
Tese social workers are at the forefront of our any-
thing goes society. To them, these young girls were just
making a lifestyle choice by sleeping with older, married
men. If they werent shocked by this today, then chances
are in fve or 10 years time, the rest of us wont be either.

Te Whole Head Is Sick
Te whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint, reads
Gods description of our society today. From the sole of
the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but
wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not
been closed, neither bound up, neither mollifed with oint-
ment (Isaiah 1:5-6). Britains sick society has completely
failed to protect some of its most vulnerable little children.
Te report gives 15 more detailed examples of abused
girls. Each story is tragic. One girl, for example, was lef so
convinced of her own worthlessness that she tried to kill
herself through serious overdoses and trying to throw
herself in front of cars. She should have been happily
preparing for the rest of her life, instead she wanted to be
hit by a car.
Another girl came from an abusive family background
with parents who had mental health problems. She was
very naive and desperate for afection. Instead she was
sexually exploited by adult males she thought were her
boyfriends.
Multiply that tragedy by 1,400 and you see what has
happened in just one city in Britain. What a sick society to
allow that to happen. What a weak and faint government
and police force to not stop it.
To avoid rocking the multicultural boat, local leaders
fed 1,400 children to the sharks, concluded the Tele-
graphs chief interviewer, Allison Pearson.
Shes right. But there is no quick solution to Britains
head-to-toe sickness. Everything, from the family, to the
government, to the whole of society, needs to be fxed.
God does plan to fx all of it. For more on Gods solu-
tion to Britains problems, read our article Te Hope Tat
Politicians Cant Give You.
Follow Richard Palmer: Twitter
ROTHERHAM from page 1
COVER: NIGEL RODDIS/GETTY IMAGES