Thursday, February 10, 2011

Updates: In the Middle East

Mubarak remains in power, passes some authority to Suleiman

Hundreds of thousands of protesters endured a disheartening anticlimax Thursday night as Hosni Mubarak dashed hopes of an early resignation by vowing to stay in office until September's presidential elections.

Mubarak said in a national television address that he would delegate some powers to Vice President Omar Suleiman but that he would ignore "diktats from abroad,” and would “carry on and protect the constitution and the people and transfer power to whomever is elected next September in free and transparent elections.” The embattled president reiterated that he would not run as a candidate.

At this stage it is still unclear as to the role the army and Suleiman will play because Mubarak's comments were so ambiguous.


This is pretty much where things stand as of this writing. However, Debka has turned up some interesting information which is pertinent to this situation:

Deep US-Saudi rift over Egypt: Abdullah stands by Mubarak, turns to Tehran

The conversation between President Barack Obama and Saudi King Abdullah early Thursday, Feb. 10, was the most acerbic the US president has ever had with an Arab ruler, DEBKAfile's Middle East sources report.

Those sources disclose that the call which Obama put into Abdullah, who is recuperating from back surgery at his palace in Morocco, brought their relations into deep crisis and placed in jeopardythe entire edifice of US Iran and Middle East policies.

The king chastised the president for his treatment of Egypt and its president Hosni Muhbarak calling it a disaster that would generate instability in the region and imperil all the moderate Arab rulers and regimes which had backed the United States until now.

Abdullah took Obama to task for ditching America's most faithful ally in the Arab world and vowed that if the US continues to try and get rid of Mubarak, the Saudi royal family would bend all its resources to undoing Washington's plans for Egypt and nullifying their consequences.


You can say what you want about the Saudi leadership, but one thing is for sure, they have their finger on the pulse of the Middle East situation far more than the U.S. does (at the risk of stating the obvious).

According to British intelligence sources in London, the Saudi King pledged to make up the losses to Egypt if Washington cuts off military and economic aid to force Mubarak to resign. He would personally instruct the Saudi treasury to transfer to the embattled Egyptian ruler the exact amounts he needs for himself and his army to stand up to American pressure.

Through all the ups and downs of Saudi-US relations since the 1950s no Saudi ruler has ever threatened direct action against American policy.

Abdullah stressed he had more than one bone to pick with Obama. The king accused the US president of turning his back not only on Mubarak but on another beleaguered American ally, the former Lebanese Prime Minister Sa'ad Hariri, when he was toppled by Iran's surrogate Hizballah.


It gets even worse:

DEBKAfile's intelligence sources add that replacement aid for Egypt was not the only card in Abdullah's deck. He informed Obama that without waiting for events in Egypt to play out or America's response, he had ordered the process set in train for raising the level of Riyadh's diplomatic and military ties with Tehran. Invitations had gone out from Riyadh for Iranian delegations to visit the main Saudi cities.

The initiation of dialogue between Riyadh and Tehran is the most dramatic fallout in the region from the crisis in Egypt. Its is a boon for the ayatollahs who are treated the sight of pro-Western regimes either fading under the weight of domestic uprisings, or turning away from the US as Saudi Arabia is doing now.

The opening of the Saudi door to the Iranian push toward the Red Sea and Suez Canal tightens the Iranian siege ring around Israel.


We'll just have to keep watching this situation as it develops. But seeing the Saudi's begin to pull away from American influence is simply one more step in the diminishing influence that the U.S. has in the world, as we watch our decline continue.

But it has to be this way.

America is no where to be found in the detailed descriptions of the various world powers who are in play during the 7-year Tribulation. Additionally, it is impossible to imagine the events of the Tribulation playing out as described with a powerful, free America. The America that we have known for the past century would have never allowed a world dictator to seize control with a centralized government along with world financial control. These are just two of many reasons that we know a potent America won't be a factor in these remaining years.

What a paradox. We know that a fading U.S. will be part of the overall plan. It is both difficult and painful to observe. However, if it brings us one day closer to being with the Lord, in Paradise, then bring it on. Lets get these remaining events - events that are unavoidable and pending - done and done soon.

I'm ready to go home. How about you?

Maranatha. Come quickly Lord.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

With our present "leadership", I believe the U.S. has already reached to that level of decline of world power. It's hard to imagine America coming back quickly (assuming we're that close to His return)and having an impact on world events during the trib.

Scott said...

I honesty don't think we can come back. We really haven't even faced the financial crisis that is coming. Plus, we are having major energy problems as the administration continues to squeeze us from having energy. We've shut down drilling in the gulf and new EPA measures and shutting down coal plants left and right now. We will also face an energy crisis in the coming future. And this is just the beginning.

The sad thing is - our demise is self-inflicted. That really hurts. But as stated, we have to keep our eyes on the prize, as they say :)

Anonymous said...

Scott, I give you credit...in ways
you are like me, you want it to end. i am like that, since I have
someone named SILVER waiting for
me. My mother's dog that died in
JUNE 2002.

And I want to be with her badly.

She was a cocker spaniel.

I never did care much for this world AND I never will.

I need to be with SILVER

and I hope soon.

Stephen in Hawaii !!!!

Anonymous said...

Yes Scott!! Bring it on and let's get her done!

That's similar to what I am praying about. My prayer is, for my life's purpose to come to a completion. And, God be the Glory thru it all!!

GOD'S GIRL!!

Expected Imminently said...

Stephen

Most of us know how you feel about this world - but you were born for such a time as this, The Lord needs you where you are for His witness, and even though the world rejects you, it needs you to be there so Jesus can reach out to them through you.

It isn't what Stephen can do; but what Jesus can do through Stephen - it is a spiritual battle don't forget.

God bless you sweetheart.
Sue
x

Mrs.C said...

Amen and Amen Sue! :)