Paranoid Leaders of the Middle East

The revolutions in the MIddle East are all over the news and the uprisings are spreading like wild fire. There are analysts from every walk of life chiming in with their two cents about why it is happening now and what the future holds.

But, I want to point out something, a theme that I see flowing through almost every article I've read. It seems that all the leaders that are facing pressures from their country men have one thing in common. There are completely ignorant to the fact that it is their country men revolting against them.

Someone needs to tell Mubarak, Saleh, and Ahmadinejad that the crowds they see in the streets are crowds of Egyptians, Yemenis, and Iranians. It is not Americans and Europeans. It is not always the CIA. In all of these current situations, each of these leaders has said that they will not succumb to foreign pressures and that the U.S. should stay out of domestic issues. Now, it is a given that the U.S. has been known to do its fair share of meddling in the MIddle East. But, this time I really think that Arabs and Persians are speaking for themselves.

Maybe it is some condition where these leaders can not even fathom the idea that their "faithful followers" would ever turn against them. Maybe they really believe that they are perfect rulers, with no faults, and placed there by God. I don't know but it is interesting to see just how blind or ignorant or paranoid these leaders are.

From Grieving to Standing Up

Sarah tried to hold back to much emotion and excitement when we first found out we were pregnant with our first child. I guess she knew somehow, had some kind of mother's intuition. But, I was the opposite, I was ecstatic, and I think it caught on to her although she wanted to hold a "guarded joy." She had some questionable problems with the pregnancy in the first few weeks before we got in to see a doctor.

At the appointment that her mom got to accompany her to, they saw the little baby and heard the heartbeat. Sarah began to let herself feel more comforted and embrace the baby. She was able to trust that it would go the whole nine months and that in August we would welcome Baby August into this world and hold it for the first time. A month passed, and on Friday February 4, 2011 we went together for the 2nd appointment. I was anticipating hearing my child's heartbeat for the first time, but there was no heartbeat. There was no life in my child anymore. I looked at my broken wife on the examining table and I had no idea what to do. I felt completely helpless, but not hopeless. I had so much anger in me, not surprising if you know me. But, what could I do besides cry and hold onto the only person who knew what I was going through right that moment, Sarah. The doctors apologized and left the room, I've been through some serious pain in my life, but I'd never felt so empty.

I wanted to be angry with God, not because I didn't believe in Him, but because I did... and I knew how powerful and sovereign He is. I thought that He could have done something so that this didn't need to happen. How selfish. I just didn't want Sarah and me to have to go through all this pain. But Baby August is okay and the first voice my child got to hear is the voice of God, and the first music my child gets to listen to is the lullaby of Angels. The more I understand this, the easier it has been to wipe away the tears and to laugh again. The more I try to see this whole dark mess through the eyes of God, the more I am comforted and at peace. But, I still wish that I didn't have to wait for Heaven to hold and kiss my first child. To tell my baby how much I love 'em while it can hear my voice. Sometimes I ask Jesus to give Baby August a hug and kiss for me, like a parent does for another parent when they are out of town.

Who Will Decide Afghanistan's Future?

External forces are vying for an influence in Afghanistan’s political future as the war drags on for over eight years. There are plenty of opposition groups within Afghan borders that need to reach a settlement in order to create a representative and efficient government. While there are many sub-groups for the various tribes, two main ethnic groups sum up most of the population, Pashtuns and Tajiks.

Unfortunately, the decision may not be left entirely in Afghan hands. Certainly the U.S. has a vested interest in Afghanistan’s future in ensuring that the country does not again become a base for terrorism. To that end the U.S. has been reluctant to engage certain groups of the country, such as the Taliban. Two other countries that see their own self interest at stake in Afghanistan are Pakistan and Iran. Both of these bordering states have the ability to interfere in Afghanistan if they do not believe that their own interests in the region are protected. Pakistan desires a Pashtun leadership in Kabul that will be sympathetic toward the Pashtun population in Pakistan. It is important for Pakistan to have a close ally on its western border to offset its Indian foe to the east. The Pashtun population of both nations straddles the mountainous border region and is very strategic to the security of both countries. The Pashtun tribe is the tribe of the Taliban and this adds a unique dynamic to Pakistan’s hand in dealing with Afghanistan. Pakistan has had the most recent success in killing and detaining Taliban leaders. It is apparent that Pakistani authorities and ISI have a handle on the Taliban and can take down their leaders when they are put under enough U.S. pressure to do so. Pakistan has historically allowed the Taliban to operate fairly freely from their land; the current crackdown is only an attempt to save face with the West.

The alternative to a Pashtun leadership is a Tajik leadership. They are another powerful and strategic tribe that controls much of the northern areas. The Northern Alliance is a Tajik militia that was formed out of the Mujahedeen after the victory against the Soviets, much like the origin of the Taliban. Pakistan is very hesitant to encourage a Tajik leader in Kabul because of the tribe’s ties to India. However, it is Iran that has the most interest in seeing the Tajiks rise to power in Afghanistan. Tajiks speak Persian and descend from the same Persian ancestors as do modern day Iranians. Iran would benefit in significant economical and influential means by having an Afghan ally. Iran also has a notably large Tajik population; actually Iran holds the largest refugee population in the world, mostly Afghani Tajiks. Iran’s leadership has been seeking more international recognition and looking for outlets to spread their power beyond their borders. Afghanistan was once part of the Persian Empire, and Iran may have a moment of nostalgia if they can attain some of their former influence. Strong ties between Kabul and Tehran would be viewed as an American defeat at a time when broad international pressure is needed against Iran.

Perhaps it would be easier to overlook a couple states seeking influence in Afghanistan if one was not currently a nuclear power and the other on the verge of enriching uranium to weapons-grade. Additionally, both of these countries have a disturbing past with reference to terrorism and possible proliferation. Prior to 9/11 and since then the U.S. has worked with the Northern Alliance to dethrone the Taliban and take control of the majority of the country. The upper ranks of the interim government after the invasion, with the exception of President Karzai, are evidence of America’s favor toward the Tajiks. This has come at a cost as Pakistan undermined Afghan security by allowing the Taliban to escape across the border and regroup and rebuild. Scholars and U.S. administration officials have taken note that a stable Afghanistan relies heavily on a friendly Pakistan that will control their unruly side of the border. The three powerful nations of the U.S., Iran, and Pakistan have kept their dispute over Afghanistan’s future out the headlines because they each want to be perceived as allowing Afghanis to dictate their own future.

A Changing Tide in a Troubled Region: Success for Bush and Obama

Reports from many experts agree that a new tide seems to be turning in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Elections are just around the corner in Iraq and there is much progress to talk about from Iraq’s last election when violence ruled the streets and many boycotted the polls. Given the fact that just today insurgents have started they bloody attempt to disrupt the attempt with several suicide attacks at polling stations, with over a dozen killed. It might be easy to hear this news and write off the elections, but here are a few points we can reference to see the success of Iraq with out Saddam and Bush’s troop surge. Last year the Parliament passed 50 bills and has been able to move forward from the basic issues such as water, electricity, and health clinics. Sunnis, Shiites, and Kurds have found some common ground and jointly working on a few new bills. Iraq’s media is the freest in the region and willing to even go to bat against corrupt businessmen and politicians. The judiciary is broad and deep and willing to convict shady senior officials that do not have Iraq’s best interest in mind. Culture and social life are returning to the streets and parks are staying open later at night. The voice of women’s groups is gaining sound and finding a few ears. The military is highly respected by the general public, but is not showing the historical signs of political ambitions and a future coup. Iran’s internal struggles have hindered its ability to meddle in Iraq. However, most of all… “There is more of a sense of an Iraqi national identity.” -Phoebe Marr.

Obama’s plan for Afghanistan is also seeing success as the Taliban’s influence and ability to find support are dwindling (of course the Taliban tells a different story). Despite the Pashtun majority in the Taliban ranks, only one in four Pashtuns favor the insurgents. They, however, are seeking the stability that a relationship with the West provides. Collateral damage by the US is down 30% while indiscriminate killing by the Taliban is up 60%. After three consecutive years of declining Afghani support for US troops, support increased last year. More important then growing support for US troops is growing support for Afghanistan’s Army and Police amongst civilian populations. ABC News reported that 70% are favorable toward the Army and 62% toward the Police. We are seeing Taliban control fall even in their prized Helmand province. Perhaps the missing factor in moving Afghanistan along with leaps instead of baby steps is a transparent, legitimate government with a respectable leader. (Charney Research)

If these two nations continue down the right road for the next couple years, the US may be able to re-evaluate its foreign policy without having Iraq or Afghanistan at the focal point.

The Enemy of My Enemy is My Friend

This ancient proverb descends from the Arab World and it could be what transpires as the current history of the Middle East is unfolding from the Persian streets of Tehran to the Arab alleyways of Palestine. A vast majority of world citizens define the major conflict in the Middle East as The Arab/Israeli conflict. This is the conflict that has waged through times of relative quietness and pounding war since 1948. Hundreds of thousands have died in this conflict, leaders have risen and fallen, peace initiatives signed and later violated , land has been lost and regained.

However, this conflict did not very heavily precede 1948 and it deserves to be compared to another conflict that spreads across the Middle East. This first blood spilt by this conflict was in the 7th century. This is the conflict that began after the death of Muhammad and at the beginning of Islam’s conquest, the split between Sunni Muslims and Shia Muslims. This is the conflict, the war, the hatred that has caused blood shed for 14 centuries in the Middle East. An exact count of the lives that have been claimed by this age-old conflict may be impossible to find, but it is certain that more have died in the battle between Sunni and Shia than between Israelis and Palestinians.

The relevance right now in considering these conflicts is to attempt to see where the current events taking place are going to lead the region. Both conflicts remain much as they have since they started long ago. There does not seem to be a prospect of peace on the horizon for either, but should we be so bold as to ask if a third conflict could force battling sides to find a middle ground in the interest of survival. Iran has an impeccable talent for changing not only the political landscape of their region of the world, but of the entire world. They are superior at grabbing the headlines as they did in 1979 and as they have done repeatedly in the last several years.

Once again, they may cause a quake in the Middle East, but one that is not expected or anticipated. With the brutal force that Iran has exerted over elements of its population and its growing nuclear ambitions and possible threat, the Arab States to its west must be plunging their greatest minds into deep debate about what their future holds. There is not much love between many Arab nations and their distant Iranian neighbors, there is also not much love between the Arab nations and their Israeli neighbors. However, if not to long from now they will be sitting between a nuclear Iranian foe and nuclear Israeli foe then they may want to make an alliance with an enemy of an enemy. The debate lies in the question of where will nations like Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the Gulf States turn. Syria and a Shia-led Iraq will be likely allies of a nuclear Iran, and Lebanon seems to often to be at the behest of Hizballah.

Egypt and Jordan do have peace agreements with Israel and normal relations with Iran, but there is little depth in those relationships and they are fairly superficial. An alliance where there is a shared interest in the well being of each nation is what is being looked at here. In all fairness, the Arab States would have many grievances and much animosity to deal with before investing itself in an alliance with the Jewish State. However, when held in comparison to the Islamic Shia Republic of Iran and its unpredictable leadership, Israel may come out as the lesser of two evils in Arab eyes. As far as conventional and nuclear military force, Israel heavily out weighs Iran in fire power and technology. It is hard to imagine all this playing out in the near future without considering the United State’s position, but we would do well to evaluate how the Arab States may look at this situation from a regional stand point with two armed and able neighbors.

Saudi Arabia and its Sunni royal family has always stood strongly against Israel, and has become the de facto leader of the Arab World because of its wealth that is used through out the Arab world and its position as the guardian of Mecca and Medina. Saudi Arabia has been consistently out spoken against Iran's nuclear program and has several times warned that the nuclear program is not for peaceful purposes. The Saudis view Iran’s moves as a desires to challenge them as a regional leader and there is the age old issue of the whether it’s called the Persian Gulf or the Arabian Gulf. As Saudi Arabia evaluates Iran's intentions and just how far the Islamic Republic is willing to go to reach its aspirations of power and prestige, it may see the small Israeli nation as a nuclear ally against Iran. Saudis and the other Arab leaders may also take note that Israel has never used its nuclear capability, and Iran may seemed poised to use it as soon as possible with the past history of testing long range Shabab3 missiles. Israel may simply seem the saner partner in a nuclear conflict.

Battle lines between Sunni and Shia have lasted much longer than the battle lines of the West Bank and Gaza, and we have seen the brutality of this sectarian violence in recent events in Iraq. It seemed that while US military forces were still present in Iraq, the insurgents all but forgot fighting US troops and took up the ancient battle between Sunni and Shia. At the outbreak of the war the insurgents fought heavily against the coalition forces, but the hatred and history between religious sects in Iraq is deeply dividing and the animosity between them soon seemed to out weigh the animosity toward US military forces.

Obviously the issues of land and refugees would not be forgotten with regard to Israel and Palestine, but every time peace has been attempted it has failed. Perhaps the inability to build lasting peace is due to the attempt to solve all the issues before engaging in relations, maybe there needs to be some event that forces an alliance between the sides and allows the long-standing conflicts to be dealt with at a later date. This is probably more controversial and unlikely then many would care to consider, be but sometimes we need to think outside the box.

My Response to St. Matthews Church

This is a letter that I am sending to St. Matthews Church, they send out these "payer rugs" and flyers all over the country, if you are not familiar with them they have a webiste that might explain it if interested, www.aboutsaintmatthewschurches.com


It seems to me that many churches don’t consider the negative impact that their actions can have on pushing people further away from Jesus.

God’s will is not for everyone to be wealthy and all of our problems fixed. Many times our problems are our stepping stones to faith and learning to trust Jesus as we walk through them, not just having them miraculously fixed. You are much better off encouraging people to seek God’s own Son to help them by reading The Bible and learning about and accepting what Jesus did for them. Only to the true God can He step into our lies of sin and work on them. God cannot interact with sin that has not been dealt with by that person covering themselves with Jesus’ blood; therefore He can not answer prayers of someone who does not pray in Jesus name just because they have a rug. Encourage them to seek God, not just fixes to their problems.

I am not a Bible scholar, but I am familiar with much of Scripture and I am wondering where you are pulling much of this from. You seem to be deceiving people that this is some magic formula to get God’s help, how ridiculous and even more, how dangerous. You don’t even know who is getting this letter and rug, what kind of people that don’t know anything of the Messiah will think this piece of paper with Jesus picture has some Holy power and they can get some money or something from God despite never giving any bit of their life to God.

And what about the people that chose to believe that this will work and God will bless them? But nothing happens because it is not God’s will for this person’s life right now. (We are called to pray according to His will). Will they be pushed even further away from God and not believe He exist because He didn’t answer the prayer. When they should only be upset at your misleading and trickery.

The exact steps in your letter (i.e. both knees, place it in the Bible, the exact timing of everything) what an appalling disregard for the simplicity of accepting Jesus’ sacrifice to save us and change everything from the inside out. Instead of letting people know that it’s okay that they don’t have a Bible, you should encourage them to read it. Maybe provide some good versus to start with if it’s their first time. Perhaps you also should pick up your Bibles there at the Church and read them. People are much better seeking help from the Word of God that has existed from the beginning of time, than a 59 year old church.

All of this I say because if you and I are brothers then we are accountable to speak truth in love to each other for the sake of the Gospel.

A little bit about me...

I have been instilled with strong old-fashioned values by my parents. I was raised in a small farm town and I believe that the way they raised me has had an impact on my character and personality today. I am someone that takes my work seriously and I have a strong, determined work ethic. I was raised to be dependable and respectful of others and to help people when I can. I try to put others before myself and I hold true to promises and oaths that I have made. I am able to build relationships and find common ground with a wide variety of people; varying in hobbies, interest, religion, and ethnicity.

I have always done well in schooling and because of that I enjoy learning and I have an aptitude for retaining new information quickly and being versatile. I am a curious and analytical person; I take pleasure in finding the answers to how things work and learning the reasoning as to why things are the way they are. I can easily see myself being a life-long student in some sense. I never want to stop learning about this world we live in and the people that make it what it is. If I had the financial means, I would currently be enrolled in more university classes to strengthen and expand my education. I enjoy the academic setting and spending time in a culture of new ideas.

I have a leadership personality, though I do not always assert myself as a leader. When the situation arises where a leader is needed I am able to inspire others into action. My leadership abilities rely on my organized nature. I am able to work effectively at most things due to organizing and prioritizing my tasks. As a child I was also very clean and organized and I guess that has held on into adulthood to my benefit. I do not usually shy away from conflict, but I do attempt to find a resolution when I am involved in conflict. Making peace between other parties is something that I have had a knack for within my circle of influence. I prefer to resolve conflicts, if possible, before a ridge of resentment and animosity severs a relationship. I have strong convictions about my beliefs, which are centered on God, family, and country and I hold these convictions in high esteem. I stand up for the principles that I believe in, but I do not force others to share the same principles.

I consider myself an active person who likes to be healthy and in good physical condition. I was involved in high school sports and recreationally in college. In the past year I have been determined at increasing my amount of exercise and taken up running, swimming, and biking. I feel that I am intellectually sharper when I am physically active and spending some time enjoying the outdoors. I like to change things up occasionally and mix a variety of activities in my day. Sometimes I burnout and hit a wall when I spend and excess amount of time focused on one thing. When there is the opportunity to work on a few things at a time, my mind stays fresh with new ideas.

While a small town, family-centered upbringing gave me the foundation to build on; I also tend to push the envelope in new experiences. I am an oddball among my family and friends. I do not have any family connections to the International field or the Middle East, but I am drawn to them and I am passionate with regard to them. I am an independent person most of the time and a self-motivator. While living abroad, I was responsible for arranging daily life and travel for my wife and I. From childhood I imagined that my life would be important and have a vast effect. I want to do something significant with my life and the talents I have been given.