the

TRUMPETweekly

chill PAGE 3 africa PAGE 4 resentment PAGE 6 bubble PAGE 7 blessing PAGE 9
A DIGEST OF SIGNIFICANT WORLD NEWS FROM THE PHILADELPHIA TRUMPET STAFF FOR THE WEEK OF APRIL 10-16, 2011

The real Golden Rule,
it has been said, goes
like this: He who has
the gold, rules.
The rising threat of an
Iranian Winternuclear
or otherwiseis likely to
outlast and overshadow
any Arab Spring.
So are we about to see
the return of German
troops to North Africa?
Not much to
apologize for there!
You would have to have
your head in a kangaroos
pouch not to realize that
Australias housing bubble
is headed for a big pop.
W
hen you have been watching
Europe and the Middle East
from a prophetic perspective
for as long as this magazine and its pre-
decessor (the Plain Truth under Herbert
Armstrongs editorship) have, there
are certain events that literally leap off
the news pages today in terms of their
relevance to the events prophesied to
occur toward the end of the age of man.
One such prophecy which our editor
in chief highlighted in a recent Key of David television pro-
gram is that which we term the Psalm 83 alliance.
Having exposed this prophecy years before it hasin
very recent timestaken on a greater signifcance as a
current-day emerging reality, it is worth revisiting in the
midst of the current North African and Mideast turmoil.
The Psalm 83 prophecy takes on powerful import when
considering the developing alignments of the Gulf states
and Germany, especially in relation to current Mideast
turmoil.
It is Germany in particular that is being ignored by the
press and mass media at large when it comes to consider-
ing this so-called Arab spring. Yet it is Germany that holds
the key to fully understanding the relevance of the current
Mideast and North African crises.
As Gerald Flurry showed recently on The Key of David
program titled The Psalm 83 Prophecy, we have already
written on the high level of involvement that Germany has
in the Middle East. Most especially this involvement is more
recently being centered on the provision of arms and the
training of security and police personnel for certain Gulf
states which fgure prominently in the Psalm 83 alliance.
Remember that prophecy was penned by King David 3,000
years ago. But its application to current world affairs today
has really only leaped into focus this Arab spring of 2011!
As this volatile Arab spring continues to gather momen-
tum in a continuous rippling revolutionary phenomenon
throughout the Middle East, it is most signifcant that the
European Unions largest defense enterprise, the Franco-
German aerospace corporation eads, is gearing for rapid
development of its Middle East markets.
Yet once again the story is broken by our friends at
German-Foreign-Policy.com: With the help of business
deals with Arab dictatorships, the German-French eads
Corps armaments sector will double its sales. This was
announced by Stefan Zoller, the ceo of the sector. According
to Zoller, who is German, this branch of the corporation,
which changed its name last autumn from eads Defense
and Security to the more PR-compatible Cassidian, will
seek its clients mainly in threshold countries because EU
arms budgets are stagnating. Alongside India and Brazil,
according to Zoller, the countries receiving the most atten-
tion over the next few years will be Saudi Arabia and the
United Arab Emirates (April 4).
The Balkan wars were important to Germany for creat-
ing the opportunity for the Luftwaffe to enter combat for
the frst time since World War ii, thus creating a precedent
for further Bundeswehr combat involvement such as is oc-
curring now in Afghanistan.
Yet, though Germany has so far refused a combat role
in Libya, that war is important to eads as it is trialling its
Eurofghter aircraft in combat conditionswith French
pilotsfor the frst time.
In relation to the deployment of the Eurofghter in the
current Libyan war, Cassidian says that the plane has
given a very good performance in this attack (ibid.).
This is important to one of eads prime customers, Saudi
Arabia. A few years ago, Saudi Arabia had already pur-
chased 72 Eurofghters. This dictatorship at the Gulf has
become a regular Cassidian customer, which has set up
a busy branch offce in Riyadh. In early 2008, the Saudi
Arabian regime ordered command and control centers for
ground-based anti-aircraft defenses, at the time, from eads
Defense and Security Division (ibid.).
The importance of these developing arrangements
between Saudi Arabia, the most powerful Gulf state, and
Germany, in relation to their developing alliance in re-
sistance to Iran, is highlighted in one particularly astute
observation by German-Foreign-Policy.com: Germany is
supporting the Saudi Arabian military and other repres-
sive organs, to stabilize the Gulf dictatorships and position
them against Iran, the recalcitrant potential leading Per-
sian Gulf power. [T]he Saudi regime is living up to its side
of the deal and insuring the necessary stable conditions
on the Arabian Peninsula and now has intervened in the
repression of the rebellion in Bahrain (ibid.).
see MEET page 10
RON FRASER
COLUMNIST
the mideast and europe
Where news and Prophecy meet
Middle east
I
ran is expanding its ties in Latin America, a top U.S. military of-
fcial said April 5 as he described developments the United States
is watching with concern. Gen. Douglas Fraser, the U.S. Southern
Command head, said Iran has almost doubled the number of embassies
it has in Latin America, from six in 2005 to ten in 2010. Tehran is also
building cultural centers in 17 countries in the region, he said. Last year,
Tehran hosted heads of state from three of the regions nations: Bolivia,
Guyana and Venezuela. Irans strengthening ties with Latin American
countries are being built on staunch anti-American footing as these na-
tions angle to bring the U.S. down.
The Egyptian
government has halted
construction of an
underground secu-
rity fence between its
border and the Gaza
Strip. Initiated by the
Mubarak government
two years ago, the
barrier was designed
to stop the fow of
arms to Hamas from
Egyptian soil through
the hundreds of smug-
gling tunnels connect-
ing the two regions.
The construction refected Egypts desire to do its part in diminishing
the terrorist capabilities of Hamas. As the world anxiously wonders
whether post-Mubarak Egypt is going to keep its peace pact with the
Israelis, this construction freeze is an early indication that it will not.
The Israel Defense Forces reported Monday that 3,656 humanitarian
supply trucks entered the Gaza Strip last month, despite the escala-
tion of rockets being fred from Gaza. During March, terrorists in Gaza
launched more than 90 rockets and mortar shells aimed at Israeli civil-
ians. Israel also allowed an additional 1,100 trucks into Gaza carrying
building supplies for construction projects.
EU OBSERVER | April 14
brussels meeting is birth
certifcate for statehood
T
he Palestinian Authority has welcomed endorsement of a UN
report on institution building as a birth certifcate for statehood
amid Israeli concern over a potential unilateral declaration of
independence.
The Ad-hoc Liaison Committee (ahlc) on Palestine at a meeting in
the EU capital on Wednesday (April 13) endorsed a UN report which
says that in six key areasrule of law, the economy, education, health,
social protection and infrastructurein the West Bank government
functions are now suffcient for a functioning government of a state.
The ahlc is an international body comprising the EU, U.S., Israel,
Canada, Norway, Russia, four Arab countries, the UN, the World Bank
and the imf. The endorsement comes ahead of a UN meeting in Septem-
ber in which Israel fears the Palestinian side will unilaterally declare
independence in territories under its control before the 1967 Arab-
THE TRUMPET WEEKLY April 16, 2011 2
SAID KHATIB/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
the arab risings,
israel and hamas
another israeli assault on Gaza might
generate forces that beneft Hamas.
Moreover, with the uprising losing
steam, a war in Gaza might re-energize
Hamas, using what would be claimed as
unilateral brutality by Israel to bring far
larger crowds into the street and forcing
a weakened Egyptian regime to make the
kinds of concessions that would matter to
Hamas.
[Additionally], if Hamas could cause
Hezbollah to join the war from the north
then Israel would be placed in a chal-
lenging military position perhaps with
the United States, afraid of a complete
breakdown of its regional alliance system,
forcing Israel to accept an unfavorable
settlement.
Hamas then resumed its attack this
weekend. We dont know its reasoning,
but we can infer it: Whatever Turkey, Sau-
di Arabia, Syria or anyone else wanted,
this was Hamas historic opportunity. If
Egypt returns to the status quo, Hamas
returns to its trap. Whatever their friends
or allies might say, missing this historic
opportunity would be foolish for it. A war
would hurt, but a defeat could be turned
into a political victory.
It is not clear what the Israelis limit is.
Clearly, they are trying to avoid an all-out
assault on Gaza, limiting their response
to a few airstrikes. Hamas appears
to have plenty of rockets, and it will use
them until Israel responds. Hamas will
use the Israeli response to try to launch
a broader Arab movement focused both
on Israel and on regimes that openly or
covertly collaborate with Israel. Hamas
hopes above all to bring down the
Egyptian regime with a newly energized
movement. Israel above all does not want
this to happen. It will resist responding
to Hamas as long as it can, but given the
political situation in Israel, its ability to
do so is limitedand that is what Hamas
is counting on.
For the United States and Europe, the
merger of Islamists and democrats is
an explosive combination. Apart, they
do little. Together, they could genuinely
destabilize the region and even further
undermine the U.S. effort against jihad-
ists. The United States and Europe want
Israel to restrain itself but cannot restrain
Hamas. Another war, therefore, is not out
of the questionand in the end, the deci-
sion to launch one rests with Hamas.

STRATFOR, GEORGE FRIEDMAN | APRIL 12
Egyptian soldiers guard the Rafah border
point between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.
THE TRUMPET WEEKLY April 16, 2011 3
Israeli war due to a stalemate in Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
Speaking after the event in Brussels, Palestinian Prime Minister
Salam Fayyad said: This very important meeting effectively recog-
nized the reality of a state of Palestine being projected on the territory
occupied in 1967, which amounts effectively to a birth certifcate for the
reality of Palestinian statehood.
WALL STREET JOURNAL, JOHN BOLTON | April 15
iranian Winter could
chill the arab spring
S
ince the Arab Spring began four months ago in Tunisia, U.S.
media have focused constantly and generally optimistically on the
turmoil in the Middle East. Unfortunately, the rising threat of an
Iranian Winternuclear or otherwiseis likely to outlast and over-
shadow any Arab Spring.
Irans hegemonic ambitions are embodied in its rapidly progress-
ing nuclear-weapons program and its continued subversion across the
region. In a case that emphasizes the fragility of aspiring democracies,
Iranian Winter has already descended upon Lebanon, where Irans
infuence has helped replace a pro-Western government with a coalition
dominated by Tehrans allies, including Hezbollah.
Then theres the Victoria, a ship containing tons of weaponry bound
for Hamas that the Israeli navy seized last month. Irans support for
Hamas is even more important now that Egypts blockade of the Gaza
Strip, porous as it sometimes was, has now effectively ended with the
fall of Hosni Mubarak. Hamas, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Mus-
lim Brotherhood, is now free to transfer arms and operatives between
Gaza and Egypt, sowing trouble in both places.
The real tip of the spear in the Middle East may be Bahrain, home of
the U.S. Fifth Fleet. No longer oil-rich, the tiny monarchy is separated
from Saudi Arabia only by a causeway. Popular protests in Bahrain, a
Sunni monarchy ruling a 70 percent Shiite population, pose the stark-
est potential confict between U.S. principles and strategic interests.
Iran would happily welcome a free election in Bahrain, which would
likely bring to power a pro-Tehran leadership.
Inside Iran, we now have confrmationthanks to disclosures this
month by an Iranian opposition group, which have been confrmed by
Iranian offcialsthat the regime has the capability to mass-produce
critical components for centrifuges used to enrich uranium to weap-
ons-grade levels. Thus Irans weapons program proceeds full steam
ahead, which only emphasizes to would-be proliferators that persis-
tence pays.
The Arab Spring may be fascinating, and may or may not endure.
Sadly, Irans hegemonic threat looks far more sustainable.
europe
F
rances ban on Islamic face veils came into force on April 11. The
law makes it illegal to cover the face in public, meaning that the
niqab and burka, face coverings worn by an estimated 2,000
women in France, are both banned. Those who fout the ban could be
fned 150 (us$215) or be forced to take citizenship classes. Harsher
penalties apply for those who force others to wear veilsup to a year in
prison and a 30,000 fne (us$43,000), or twice that for forcing a mi-
the coming
geopolitical
upheaval
in cairo, the latest conventional wisdom
sees a groundswell of Islamist fundamen-
talism cloaked in moderate colors moving
adroitly center stage. Following elections
in the fall, the Muslim Brotherhood is ex-
pected to deliver about 40 percent of the
vote, possibly even a majority. Either way,
it will change the geopolitical calculus for
the worlds major players.
In Cairo, the street has spoken. Pru-
dently, a majority of Egypts small class
of billionaires are abroad. Some of the
elder brothers of the Brotherhood are
closer to Irans theocrats than they are to
Americas democrats. Behind Cairos
political stage, says one ranking Egyptian
on a private visit to Washington, Irans
mullahs and Egypts Brothers are unob-
trusively sidling up.
Four weeks ago, Turkish President
Abdullah Gul, a former Islamist, few
to Cairo for a two-hour huddle with
Brotherhood leader Mohamed Badie.
In one of his weekly sermons last year,
Mr. Badie displayed his baddie colors:
Arab and Muslim regimes are betray-
ing their people by failing to confront
the Muslims real enemies, not only
Israel but also the United States. Waging
jihad against both of these infdels is a
commandment of Allah that cannot be
disregarded.
Governments have no right to stop
their people from fghting the United
States, Mr. Badie said. And those who do
are disregarding Allahs commandment
to wage jihad for his sake with [their]
money and [their] lives, so that Allahs
word will reign supreme over all non-
Muslims.
Mr. Badies title for this sermon: The
U.S. Is Now Experiencing the Beginning
of Its End. On other occasions, Mr. Badie
has reminded his combative fock that
waging jihad is mandatory. Asked how
he compared the Egyptian and the Libyan
crises, an Egyptian veteran of the past
30 years replied, Libya is now Somalia
on the Med. Whats happening in Egypt
is a major game-changer for the United
States.
Warning: Watch three ships of state
Egypt, Turkey and Iranchange direction
to sail roughly parallel courses. Iran has
seen what happened to Libya after it relin-
quished its nuclear paraphernalia in 2004.
It is not about to make the same mistake.

WASHINGTON TIMES | April 11
nor to wear a veil. France is the frst EU nation to ban veils nationwide,
but others are planning to follow suit. Last year, Belgiums lower house
of parliament passed a similar ban, but it still needs to be approved by
the senate. Dutch politician Geert Wilders is pushing for a burka ban in
the Netherlands, and hopes one will passed into law this year. Several
towns and cities in Spain, including Barcelona, have banned the full
face veil in some public places. Watch for Europe to continue to push
back against Islam.
German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schuble admitted for the frst
time on April 13 that Greece may have to restructure its debt. Addi-
tional steps must be taken if the European Central Bank and Euro-
pean Commission show it is unsustainable, he said. Schuble is the
frst senior eurozone fgure to admit this may be the case; others have
maintained that Greece will be fne, out of fear of making Europes
fnancial crisis worse. Europes bailout did not solve Greeces problem,
and Athens may still be forced to quit the euro or default on its debt.
Greeces credit rating is little better than it was a year ago. Spiegel On-
line reports, Players on the fnancial markets simply dont believe that
Greece will be able to stand on its own two feet anytime soon. With a
Portugal bailout in the works, Europe still faces many more potential
crises.
ECONOMIST | April 8
return of
the africa Korps?
G
ermany has a complicated relationship with military force, for
reasons that are more than understandable. But what is one to
make of its contortions over the intervention in Libya? One mo-
ment Germany is Europes most awkward critic of the air campaign to
save Benghazi; the next it is frst to put up its hand to volunteer forces,
including the dispatch of ground troops if necessary, to deliver humani-
tarian aid to Misrata.
So are we about to see the return of German troops to North Africa
for the frst time since the defeat of Erwin Rommels Afrikakorps in
the Second World War? Maybe. The German government has taken a
decision in principle to take part in a humanitarian mission as part of
an EU force, should the UN ask for assistance to deliver aid. This is a
remarkable turnaround from the country that, rather than vote with
its European partnersFrance and Britainchose instead to side with
China and Russia in abstaining in the UN Security Council vote to
authorize military action. Worse, it then withdrew its ships from a nato
mission to enforce the UN-mandated arms embargo on Libya.
[L]ast week the EU quietly decided to set up a military headquarters
in Rome to run a possible humanitarian mission (even though nato has
also done contingency planning for such an eventuality). For now, say
senior European offcials, this is just a precautionary step, to be ready
to act quickly should it be needed. [T]he EU operation already has a
name, eufor Libya, and Italys Rear Adm. Claudio Gaudosi has been
appointed to head it.
The EU is supposed to have two battlegroups, contingents of about
1,500 troops ready to deploy at a few days notice. Germany contributes
about 800 men to one of the battlegroups currently on the roster. A
German military source yesterday said they could be ready to deploy
within 10 days.
The EU has felt sidelined in the military phase of the Libya crisis (it
has been the main forum to discuss sanctions). It has long wanted to
develop more muscular military capabilities, but has been repeatedly
THE TRUMPET WEEKLY April 16, 2011 4
first Panic in
assad regime
damascus was alive with rumors Thursday
that President Bashar Assad and his family
were preparing to fee to Saudi Arabia. They
were sparked by the discovery that several
high-ranking Syrian offcials and army off-
cers were evacuating their families from the
capital to Persian Gulf emirates.
U.S. intelligence offcials also disclosed
that Iran was secretly helping Assad crack
down on his own people, providing gear to
suppress crowds and assistance in blocking
and monitoring protesters Internet and cell
phones. Those offcials did not refer to the
Iran-backed Hezbollahs active aid in the
government crackdown. However, as the
anti-government demonstrations pervade
dozens of Syrian towns, even the second
largest Aleppo, Assad is relying for survival
less on the army and police and increasingly
on the 10,000-strong armed Shabbiha gangs
drawn from the Assad tribe of the minority
Alawite community and trained in urban
combat by Hezbollah and Iran. In normal
times, the Shabbiha are regularly employed
by the Iran-Hezbollah arms and drug smug-
gling rings.
[T]he Syrian ruler is clearly at his wits
end for means to stem the onrushing threat
to his regime after live ammunition failed
to deter the protesters and halt the spread
of their uprising. Bashar Assads grip on
power is clearly loosening under the con-
stant battering of protest. Assad fought
back against the expanding threat to his
survival by mobilizing all his military and
security resources, including the loyal young
thugs of the shabbiha gangs. They have
orders to shoot to kill and not permit ambu-
lances to collect the wounded. Tanks seal the
most restive towns of Teraa, Banias, Latakia
and Hama.
A grave humanitarian crisis is spreading
with the unrest. Army outposts and road-
blocks have cut off main roads linking the
north to southern and central Syria, as well
as telephone and internet services and even
food deliveries in many places. Mass arrests
of thousands take place nightly including,
according to debkafiles sources, members of
the Syrian ruling establishment for the crime
of appealing to Assad to abandon his violent
methods of repression and meet some of the
protesters demands for reforms.
For the frst time, debkafiles sources re-
port that the protesters began returning the
fre against security forces on Monday, April
11, in a number of places, especially Deraa in
the south and Banias in the north.

DEBKAFILE | APRIL 14
thwarted, especially by Britain. Now it thinks that, precisely because it
has a softer and less martial reputation, it may be ideally placed to help
out in Misrata. Until recently everybody thought European defense
was dead, says one senior source. But now it may be rising from the
ashes.
It would be a cruel irony if Germany, in its attempt to restore its
battered credibility among its allies, were to expose its forces to greater
danger on the ground in Misrata than if it had taken part in the air or
maritime operations to begin with.
EU BUSINESS | April 12
china Willing to buy
more spanish Debt
C
hinese Premier Wen Jiabao told Spains visiting prime minister
Tuesday that Beijing is ready to buy more Spanish public debt,
voicing confdence in Europes recovery. Prime Minister Jose
Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, who will also visit Singapore, is seeking new
investments to shore up Spains economy as it tries to avoid a crisis in
refnancing and raising new debt.
The European Union and the International Monetary Fund bailed
out Ireland and Greece last year and have now offered to help Portu-
gal. Spains economy is as large as that of Ireland, Greece and Portugal
combined.
China is a responsible and long-term investor in the European
fnancial market, and supports the relief measures by the EU and the
International Monetary Fund, the Chinese premier said. I am con-
vinced that Europe will certainly realize its stable economic and social
development.
Zapatero said Chinas support had helped to strengthen Spains
confdence and ability to overcome diffculties and had been an asset
to Europes overall economic stability.
asia
I
n a landmark development, China and India determined on Wednes-
day to restore full defense cooperation between the two massive
countries whose combined population is 2.5 billion. A high-level
delegation of Indian military offcials will travel to China in June, a
visit Beijing had declined to host on Indias terms up until now. The
deal emerged after Chinese President Hu Jintao met with Indian Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh in Sanya, China, on the sidelines of the brics
summit currently under way there. The agreement marks an end to
the freeze on high-level defense deals between Delhi and Beijing that
began in July 2010, when China refused to issue a proper visa to Indias
Northern Army commander. During the 50-minute meeting, Hu and
Singh also agreed to continue high-level talks regarding economic co-
operation in order to achieve what Hu called a win-win result. China
is already Indias largest trade partner, with bilateral trade in 2010
totaling more than $60 billion, and both sides are aiming to boost that
fgure to $100 billion worth of bilateral trade by 2015.
The Wall Street Journal wrote on Thursday that the heroic and
indispensable actions of Self-Defense Forces (Japans military) in the
wake of the March 11 earthquake may have changed Japans rela-
tions with its military forever. Since the end of World War ii, Japan
THE TRUMPET WEEKLY April 16, 2011 5
does Germanys lack of support for action in
Libya refect softness and introversion?
No. Just as with the invasion of Iraq in
2003, the debate over the military interven-
tion in Libya tells us as much about geopoli-
tics within Europe as it does about geopoli-
tics beyond Europe.
Germanys abstention in the UN Security
Council vote authorizing military action is
most signifcant. The public split between
France and GermanyEuropes engine
has led many to proclaim the death of the
EUs Common Foreign and Security Policy.
Some argue that Germanys softness and
introverted attitude towards the use of force
are to blame for Europes split over Libya. But
Germanys attitude is a sign of assertive-
ness and not timidity. Softness or assertive-
ness must be judged by paying attention to
Germanys overall grand strategy and not to
its attitude to the military instrument alone
(which is, ultimately, a tactical tool).
Given its location and economic power,
a unifed Germany representsby def-
nitiona challenge to the power of other
Europeans. As a result, restraint has been
a prerequisite for German success since
unifcation in 1871; twice during the 20th
century, failure to exercise restraint led to
war and decades of German weakness.
Since the end of the Cold War, that
restraint has increasingly come wrapped up
in a soft power narrative. Germany does
understand the importance of hard power
in international politics, but calculates that
its allies commitment to European stabil-
ity and a global free trade system exempt it
from hard power obligations. Soft power
is most instrumental for consolidating a
pan-European settlement with Germany as
its hub, while the resulting image of German
neutrality has bolstered its status as a trade
superpower. In short, it is a grand strategic
calculation that drives restraint and not
restraint that drives German grand strategy.
Standing up to the United States over
Iraq in 2003 was already signifcant
enough. But back then, Germany had
France by its side and could point, in
justifcation, to the lack of political and
legal cover for the invasion from the UN
Security Council. Standing up to both the
U.S. and France is of much greater signif-
cance. That Germany is currently assert-
ively using economic instruments to expand
its infuence over Europe adds to the impor-
tance of Germanys step.
the (geo)politics
behind europes
libya split

EUROPEAN VOICE | April 13
has struggled over the legitimacy of its armed forces, and, for more
than fve decades, constitutional restrictions on Japans military have
marginalized the nations role in global affairs. Attempts at expanding
that role have always met resistance from the Japanese public, which
is suspicious of moves toward militarism because of Japans actions in
that war. But the Japanese militarys rescue missions in response to
the March 11 earthquake and tsunami are causing the Japanese public
to develop a newfound acceptance of the countrys armed forces. Over
100,000 troops, 40 percent of Japans military, were deployed in the af-
termath of the disaster to work alongside U.S. forces in stabilization ef-
forts. The wsj said the Japanese publics shifting attitude could change
how Tokyo chooses to normalize the role of the military in protecting
Japans interests abroad.
A special report published by Reuters on Thursday says that, in
this era of increasing cyberspying between China and the U.S., many
experts believe Beijing has gained the upper hand. [A] series of secret
diplomatic cables as well as interviews with experts suggest that when it
comes to cyber-espionage, China has leaped ahead of the United States,
the report says. U.S. investigators say China has already stolen tera-
bytes of top-secret American data, including passwords and usernames
for State Department computers and blueprints for multibillion-dollar
weapons. And cyberattacks from China are on the rise. The attacks
coming out of China are not only continuing, they are accelerating,
said Alan Paller, research director at a Washington d.c.-based informa-
tion-security training group. In the light of such reports, its becoming
increasingly obvious that Chinas rise bodes poorly for the West.
latin aMerica/africa
G
erman comPanies should invest more in Colombia, President Juan
Manuel Santos said after meeting German Chancellor Angela
Merkel on April 13. There are big opportunities in Colombia
thanks to the programs we have begun, he said. He spoke on the same
day that trade offcials formalized a trade deal between the EU and Co-
lombia. Merkel stated, The agreement ought to be able to go into force
in 2012 at the latest. Germany and Colombia also both hold rotating
seats on the UN Security Council. We have agreed we will cooperate
very closely with one another on the matter of reforming the Security
Council, said Merkel. Spain also promised to invest in Colombia. We
have special interest in the development plan for Colombia from 2011
to 2014, with an expected investment of $300 billion, and we want to
be involved, said the president of Spanish business group ceoe, Juan
Rosell, local media reported on April 12. The day before, several Span-
ish members of the European Parliament expressed their support for
the free-trade agreement between the EU and Colombia. Earlier, Santos
said he was desperately seeking Spanish investment. He also stated:
Colombia needs Spanish technology, its investment and important
works, and you require, with the diffculties that Spain and Europe are
suffering, business opportunities. Colombia is clearly turning to Eu-
rope to help develop its economy. Watch for Europe to continue to build
strong economic and political links with Latin America.
Ivory Coasts former President Laurent Gbagbo was arrested by op-
position forces on April 11, ending the fghting in the nation. Gbagbo
narrowly lost a contested election to Alassane Ouattara four months
ago. Ivory Coasts constitutional court ruled that Gbago won 51 per-
cent of the votes, and Ouattara 49 percent. However, the Independent
Electoral Commission says that Ouattara won. Gbagbo refused to step
down, and so Ouattara, backed mainly by French forces, removed
Gbagbo by force. This fghting in Ivory Coast, as well as fghting in
Libya, shows Europes growing will to get involved in foreign conficts.
THE TRUMPET WEEKLY April 16, 2011 6
Watch closely. Germany will use this crisis
to force Europe to unite more tightly. In the
process, some eurozone countries will be
forced out of the union. When that happens,
the pundits will say European unication is
dead . Dont listen to them! Every country
that leaves the EU puts us one step closer to
seeing the German-led 10-nation European
superstate!
Trumpet, Gerald Flurry, February 2011
the real Golden Rule, it has been said, goes
like this: He who has the gold, rules. They are
trying that in Europe these days. Germany has
the gold and it sees no reason other countries
should not do as the Germans say.
The prescription for the so-called periph-
eral countries of the eurozone is simple: Enact
the reforms Germany thinks are needed. Cut
spending. Take wage and beneft cuts. Reform
your tax system to produce more revenue,
which may mean raising tax rates or just
forcing people to comply with existing laws.
Require people to work longer and retire later.
Follow austerity as far as the eye can see.
Do all those things, and the rest of Europe
will provide grudging assistance. To some with
the gold, this is simply a morality play. They
had their fun, a former European central
banker told me a few weeks ago, speaking of the
peripheral countries. A different offcial used
the same words last week. In each conversation,
I was reminded that the creation of the euro led
to interest rates declining sharply in peripheral
countries and to economic booms. Those coun-
tries lost competitiveness in export markets
because they tolerated infation and did not
hold the line on wages. Now, those who partied
deserve the pain of hangovers.
It is probable that countries will follow the
German prescription. From the perspective of
a national government, the alternatives may
seem worse. But democracy can be messy. Will
populations go along?
In a speech in New York this week, Andreas
Dombret, a member of the executive board of
the Bundesbank, Germanys central bank, said
national governments in the eurozone re-
mained in charge of sound fscal and economic
policies, but there was now a strict framework
that exerts pressure toward discipline in order
to ensure that every country acts in a way that
is consistent with the interest of having a stable
common currency.
In other words, elected governments can
make decisions, so long as they are good ones.
resentment is
rising in eurozone
NEW YORK TIMES,
FLOYD NORRIS | April 14
anglo-aMerica
J
udGes at the European Court of Human Rights (echr) ruled that
Britain must reverse its 140-year-old ban on prisoners voting,
on April 12, in a blatant attempt to overrule Britains Parliament.
The court gave Britain six months to change its laws. This comes two
months after Britains Parliament voted by 234 votes to 22 to keep the
ban. The showdown with echr judges (no actual experience judging is
required to become a echr judge) is causing the British public to rally in
support of their Parliament against any organization that challenges its
sovereignty, whether it be the echr or the European Union. Watch for
Britain to grow more assertive in maintaining its own sovereignty, even
if the government caves in on this issue.
After capturing 17 Somali pirates in February, the Royal Navy frig-
ate hms Cornwall simply fed and then released them, journalist Tom
Mangold said on bcc Radio 4 on April 12. They were given a nice cup
of tea, he said. Their cigarettes were taken away. They were only
allowed one cigarette a day and one guy who suffered from nicotine
withdrawal was given a nicotine patch. And they were taken together
with their skiff and taken back to homeland Somalia and put on the
beach and let go. The pirates were caught aboard a hijacked boat they
used as a mother ship with nine ak47s and a rocket-propelled grenade
launcher. The Brits do not want Somali pirates on trial in London,
said Mangold. I dont know why. I suspect theyre slightly worried that
if the pirates are found not guilty theyll claim asylum. Commenting
on this debacle for the Telegraph, Con Coughlin observed, In Nelsons
time the Royal Navy made its name by striking fear into the hearts of
Britains enemies through its daring and ruthlessness. Now we fnd
that our Senior Service is more committed to observing the strictures
of human rights and health and safety legislation than the defense of
the realm (April 12). No wonder the Royal Navy has lost its effective-
ness.
THETRUMPET.COM | April 12
australia: house bubble
has Popped
Y
ou would have to
have your head
in a kangaroos
pouch not to realize
that Australias hous-
ing bubble is headed
for a big pop. Fair
warning: The bubble
is pricked. Expect a
rapid exodus of hot
air from realtors for
why prices will not fall.
Meanwhile, prices will
plummet, banks will
fail, and the economy
will enter into a tail-
spin.
According to the
Australian, buy-
ers are deserting the
A block of newly built houses stand ready for
occupancy in Sydney, Australia.
THE TRUMPET WEEKLY April 16, 2011 7
GETTY IMAGES
the brics group of emerging-market pow-
ers kept up the pressure on Thursday for a
revamped global monetary system that relies
less on the dollar and for a louder voice in
international fnancial institutions.
Meeting on the southern Chinese island of
Hainan, they said the recent fnancial crisis
had exposed the inadequacies of the current
monetary order, which has the dollar as its
linchpin.
What was needed, they said in a state-
ment, was a broad-based international re-
serve currency system providing stability and
certaintythinly veiled criticism of what the
brics see as Washingtons neglect of its global
monetary responsibilities.
The brics are worried that Americas large
trade and budget defcits will eventually
debase the dollar. They also begrudge the
fnancial and political privileges that come
with being the leading reserve currency.
In another dig at the dollar, the develop-
ment banks of the fve brics nations agreed
to establish mutual credit lines denominated
in their local currencies, not the U.S. cur-
rency.
The calls by the brics for a new monetary
order are not new. But, coming hours before
a meeting in Washington of fnance ministers
from the Group of Seven industrial nations,
the traditional power brokers of the world
economy, Thursdays communiqu showed
the growing confdence of emerging markets.
Burdened by heavy debt, the United
States, the eurozone and Japan are struggling
to shake off the lingering effects of the 2008
global fnancial crisis. Rich countries will
grow 2.4 percent this year and 2.6 percent
in 2012, the International Monetary Fund
forecast this week.
By contrast, less-well-off countries have
emerged relatively unscathed. The imf is
forecasting that emerging and developing
countries will grow 6.5 percent both this year
and next.
The brics caucus is a work in progress.
Thursdays brief meeting, held under tight
security, was only its third summit and
the frst to include South Africa. The group
brings together fve countries that, though
frequently united in their disinclination to
do the Wests bidding, are a political and
economic mosaic.
Our economic potential, political infu-
ence and our development prospects as an
alliance are exceptional, Russian President
Dmitry Medvedev said.
brics Demand
global monetary
shake-up

REUTERS | April 14
housing market at a pace that threatens a slump in housing prices and
a risk to the economic outlook. The number of new housing loans
approved by the banks dropped to a 10-year low in February. Origina-
tions fell 5.6 percent, after experiencing a similar drop in January. The
number of loans for brand new homes is falling even quicker: down 12
percent in February. Since December, they are down almost 36 percent.
On Saturday, the Fraser Coast Chronicle reported that some high-end
properties are struggling too.
Unsurprisingly, unsold inventory is piling up. sqm Research says
there are currently 356,600 properties for sale in Australiaalmost 50
percent more than last year at this time. So it should come as no shock
that the latest fgures from RP Data reveal house prices fell in every
capital city except Sydney in February.
As the bubble continues to defate, at some point, the economy will
take a drastic turn for the worse. Builders, brokers, appraisers and
real-estate agents will be the frst to feel it. But as consumer spending
contracts, job losses could easily spread to other sectors.
DAILY MAIL | April 9
Wildfre could be among
Worst in texass history
A
massive wildfre that has burned more than 61,000 acres in West
Texas remains out of control and could shape up to be among
the worst in the states history. Fire chiefs said they expected
the blaze to continue spreading with dry, windy conditions in the area.
Alan Craft of the Texas Forest Service said on Saturday that the fre was
zero percent contained.
About 100 members of the Texas Forest Service have been fghting
the fre by land and air, with help from local volunteer fre departments.
Tanker planes have dropped more than 58,000 gallons of fre retardant
on the land, but the spread of the fre continues .
CBS | April 10
country facing regime
crisis similar to the civil
War
W
hile washinGton averted a government shutdown this week,
California Gov. Jerry Brown continues with his budget battles.
The governor may feel like hes in a recurring nightmare these
days. Everywhere he turns with a proposed budget fx it gets shot
down.
If we dont get taxes, if we dont get cuts, were gonna have a hard
time balancing the budget, Brown said. But Republicans who
show up to protest at many of the governors events these days say its
Brown whos not living up to his words. This week Brown has been
using Civil War metaphors at his public events to describe the deep
divisions in California, and the entire country for that matter, preach-
ing with the passion of a born-again that the country is dangerously
polarized.
We are at a point of civil discord, and I would not minimize the risk
THE TRUMPET WEEKLY April 16, 2011 8
Would a better
budget solve
americas Problems?
some PeoPle apparently
think a government shut-
down would be the end
of the world. The wran-
gling over the new federal
budget nearly resulted in a
shutdown last week, until
this was narrowly averted
when a deal was struck late
Friday night. If the gridlock had continued,
hundreds of thousands of federal workers
would have been laid off and many public ser-
vices halted. One angry Democratic congress-
woman told Fox News the shutdown threat
was the functional equivalent of bombing
innocent civilians.
A comparatively paltry $38.5 billion spend-
ing cut for the remainder of the fscal year
was agreed onby a government with a $1.6
trillion defcit in fscal year 2011. Republicans
hope for greater success in the future. Paul Ry-
ans Path to Prosperity, a 10-year budget pro-
posal, is being hailed by many as the answer.
Under this radical plan, federal debt would be
about 48 percent of gross domestic product
by 2040. After three decades of revolutionary
spending cuts and policy changes, the national
debt situation would be no better than it was
during the Great Depression (45 percent).
Getting such a budget passed, however, is
another thing entirely. Some say it may take a
Republican president, but even that would be
a long shot. Up until the current administra-
tion, every presidential term since World War
ii that has seen an increase in debt-to-GdP
ratio has been a Republican administration.
We can state with sober certainty that the
Path to Prosperity will not be implemented,
and that America will not stop digging itself
deeper and deeper into debtuntil the ship of
state has sunk.
It is the nature of government to expand.
Government benefts are highly addictive.
Thus government becomes an ever-costlier
operation, demanding increasingly more of
the peoples wealth to sustain. Today, even as
evidence of governmental failure mounts and
conservatives clamor for reduced spend-
ing, Americans will continue to vociferously
demand (and vote for politicians who prom-
ise to provide) the generous provision of the
government.
In times of trial, people often cry for help
from those more powerful than themselves.
The pious look to God. The worldly look to gov-
ernment. Trouble is, putting faith in something
other than God always has nasty kickbacks.

JOEL HILLIKER | COLUMNIST
to our country and to our state. It is not trivial. Ive been around a long
time, Im a student of history, Im a student of contemporary politics.
We are facing what I would call a regime crisis. The legitimacy of our
very democratic institutions are in question, Brown said.
TELEGRAPH | April 14
food Prices have entered
the Danger Zone
R
obert Zoellick, World Bank president, said food prices are at a
tipping point, having risen 36 percent in the last year to levels
close to their 2008 peak. The rising cost of food has been much
more dramatic in low-income countries, pushing 44 million people into
poverty since June last year.
Another 10 percent rise in food prices would push 10 million into
extreme poverty, defned as an effective income of less than $1.25 a day.
Already, the worlds poor number 1.2 billion. Mr. Zoellick said he saw
no short term reversal in the damaging effect of food infation, which is
felt much more in the developing world as packaging and distribution
accounts for a far larger proportion of the cost in the advanced econo-
mies.
Asked if he thought prices would remain high for a year, Mr. Zoellick
said: The general trend lines are ones where we are in a danger zone
because prices have already gone up and stocks are relatively low.
The problem has been exacerbated by weather problems in Russia,
Ukraine, North America, China. Making matters worse has been rising
fuel prices, which go into fertilizers and energy.
CNBC | April 12
infation actually
near 10 Percent
I
nflation, usinG the reporting methodologies in place before 1980, hit
an annual rate of 9.6 percent in February, according to the Shadow
Government Statistics newsletter. Since 1980, the Bureau of Labor
Statistics has changed the way it calculates the cPi in order to account
for the substitution of products, improvements in quality (i.e. iPad 2
costing the same as original iPad) and other things. Backing out more
methods implemented in 1990 by the bls still puts infation at a 5.5
percent rate and getting worse, according to the calculations by the
newsletters web site, Shadowstats.com.
Near-term circumstances generally have continued to deteriorate,
said John Williams, creator of the site, in a new note out Tuesday.
Though not yet commonly recognized, there is both an intensifying
double-dip recession and a rapidly escalating infation problem.
Given ongoing infation problems with food and the spreading im-
pact of higher oil-related costs in the broad economy, reporting risk is
to the upside of consensus expectation, said Williams, citing a 10 per-
cent jump in gasoline prices in March, in the note. While the federal
government would have us believe the numbers are rather tame, our
own personal gauge leads us to believe infation is running between 5
percent to 6 percent annually, wrote Alan Newman in his latest Cross-
currents newsletter that refers to Williams statistics.
THE TRUMPET WEEKLY April 16, 2011 9
imperial britain
Was a blessing,
not a curse
British Prime Minister
David Cameron was in
Pakistan last week and
was asked for his view on
Britains role in settling the
dispute between India and
Pakistan over Kashmir. To
this rather unremarkable
question, Mr. Cameron gave
a remarkable answer: I dont want to try to
insert Britain in some leading role where, as
with so many of the worlds problems, we are
responsible for the issue in the frst place.
Of course, British imperial rule, which
reached its zenith in the late 19th century, cer-
tainly was not above reproach. But to say it is
responsible for many of the worlds problems
reveals a stunning ignorance, or blatant rejec-
tion, of the facts of history. Truth is, the British
Empire has given far more to the world than it
has taken.
For example, consider global trade and com-
merce. No nation or empire in history has done
more to promote the free fow of goods and
capital around the world than Britain at the
height of its empire. It was Englands prosper-
ity in the 18th and 19th centuries, thanks to
the Industrial Revolution and rapid economic
growth, that created its insatiable appetite for
raw materials for industry and for luxury items.
Overfowing with cash, English bankers went
on a global buying spree.
The colonized responded, often eagerly,
working harder and fasterbuilding, sowing,
diggingto sell their wares and get their cut of
English wealth. As Englands demand for goods
grew, so did the gush of money fowing into the
colonies, and the trade between the colonies
and England. Between 1750 and 1914, the total
value of global trade increased fvefold. During
the 1800s, global shipping tonnage grew from 4
million to 30 million tons, thanks primarily to
Britains promotion of free trade.
When we measure British imperialism on
the merits of its contribution to its colonies
and to the world in general, it has no parallel.
Historian Andrew Roberts summarized: The
British Empire provided good government,
uncorrupt public administration, inter-tribal
peace, the rule of law, free trade, the abolition
of slavery, famine relief, the abolition of bar-
baric customs , huge infrastructural advances
such as railways, roads plus irrigation projects,
and in every colony nurtured its native peoples
towards running their own countries once they
were ripe for independence.
Not much to apologize for there!

BRAD MACDONALD | COLUMNIST
That intervention involved the use of German-manufactured weap-
ons specifcally designed for the repression of insurrection, with train-
ing in their usage and in police techniques designed for such circum-
stances provided by Germany.
Can you put this together?
This is the Psalm 83 alliance literally building before our eyes, and
no one, outside of the Key of David television presenter, Gerald Flurry,
editor in chief of the Trumpet, has drawn attention to this vital proph-
ecy for our times! Our writers have taken his lead and delved into
researching its ongoing development. We shall continue to air news
of this vital prophecy to our audience as it grows in importance and
fnally leaps into full focus following the prophesied whirlwind attack of
Germany on Iran.
And when that occurs, remember, you viewed it frst on the Key of
David television program, and you read it frst in the Trumpet and our
booklet The King of the South!
THETRUMPET.COM, RON FRASER | April 13
Defanging the royal navy
I
f it were possible, Nelson would have rolled over groaning in his
grave at the latest debacle involving the once invincible Royal Navy.
In an incident publicized Tuesday via both press and television in
Britain, a British naval vessel captured a group of pirates off the coast
of Somalia, took them aboard, fed them, gave them cigarettes and
promptly sent them on their merry way to continue repeating their
dastardly crimes on the high seas.
A couple of recent trips to Britain convinced me that the nation is
beyond hope, this side of Christs return. Its a literal basket case. It
has sold its birthright blessings down the drain to the highest bidders
most often its traditional enemiesand exchanged its once roaring lion
of an image to that of a hopeless, silly dove (Hosea 7:11). I have some
great friends in Britain, friends whose hearts yearn for a unifed British
leadership with the backbone of yesteryear, having the fortitude to tell
the European Union to get lost and to put some moral courage into the
British people once again.
But theres no unity of purpose in the British political establishment,
and the best voices crying out for regaining British sovereignty from
the imperialists in Brussels and Berlin remain on the fringe. As for the
churchlong ago feminized and homosexualizedas historian Paul
Johnson once opined, it would be best simply disbanded and put out of
its agony.
So now we have the Senior Service, the once proud possessor of
battle honors won under great heroes such as Drake and Nelson, being
forced by the nations political leadership to trash its once proud image
of ruling the waves in exchange for that of a compromising coward.
Commenting on this debacle for the Telegraph, Con Coughlin observed,
In Nelsons time the Royal Navy made its name by striking fear into the
hearts of Britains enemies through its daring and ruthlessness. Now
we fnd that our Senior Service is more committed to observing the
strictures of human rights and health and safety legislation than the
defense of the realm (April 12).
That the Royal Navy was once the pride of Britains power, to the
point of its ships only having to roll up off the coast of a recalcitrant re-
gime to force a change in their behavior for the better, is a documented
fact of history. Often the desired result was gained without even fring
a single shot. Just the mere presence of British naval power was suf-
fcient.
THE TRUMPET WEEKLY April 16, 2011 10
MEET from page 1
las veGas is a city with a
warning for America. Emp-
ty suburbs, exposed ribs
of unfnished mega-casinos,
and a desert reclaiming
lost territory for coyotes
and barrel cacti. Its a stark
reminder of what threatens
Americas other big cities.
Thanks to an unabashed penchant
for aggressively feeding human vices,
Las Vegas was one of the worlds hottest
economies for over a decade. In 2007, it was
ranked 14th out of the worlds largest and
best metropolitan areas. It was Americas
fastest-growing city. Houses were going
up so fast that the common joke was that
construction workers were building homes
for construction workers. Migrants legal
and illegal focked to the city for a piece of
the action.
Walking down Las Vegas Boulevard,
seeing the sparkly high rises, the smiling
faces, the hustle and bustle, you might be
tempted to think that life continues as usual
despite the Great Recessionbut it is just
one colossal bluff.
Underneath Sin Citys most famous
casinos is a secret world: a matrix of food
tunnels that run for miles. Yes, Las Vegas
has another kind of underground commu-
nity: peopleeven familiesliving like rats.
And when it rains, sometimes drowning
like rats, too.
It is estimated that the population of
the underground could be as many as 700.
Granted, that is just a fraction of Las Ve-
gass 14,000 homeless, and most have drug
and alcohol problems, but the collapsing
economy has added to these ignoble rolls.
On occasion Matthew OBrien, author of Be-
neath the Neon, sees teddy bears and other
toys in the makeshift shelters, evidence
that children are living in the damp, dark,
cockroach-infested, broken-glass-and-
hypodermic-needle-strewn tunnels too.
It is a terrible picture, made the more so
by the show of gaudy consumption and ex-
travagance just feet above their heads. But
for many people living in Vegas, the money
is just show.
Now Las Vegas leads the country in other
ways besides debauchery. It is ground zero
for mortgage delinquencies, foreclosures,
unemployment and mortgage fraud.
Las Vegas was a symbol of American pros-
perity unlike any other city. Post-economic-
crash, it still is a symbolonly now it stands
as a reminder that in the end, sin never pays.
Heed the warning and look around: What
happened in Vegas isnt staying there.
Vegas is a Warning
ROBERT MORLEY | COLUMNIST