World News and Trends
Beyond Today Magazine
Good News Magazine: July - August 1999
Course Content
Romano Prodi, nominated for president of the European Commission, has called for the creation of a European army as the next logical step in Europe's integration.
Signor Prodi spoke of Europe being marginalized unless it possessed its own defense forces rather than having to rely so heavily on the United States military.
The British government was shocked by Mr. Prodi's replies to an interview on the BBC's On the Record. John Maples, Conservative Party spokesman on military matters, was pointed in his rejoinder: "This is yet another step towards a European state. The single currency, a single fiscal policy, a common foreign policy and joint armed force constitute a state."
In the wake of recent accidental bombings in Yugoslavia, some have suggested scrapping NATO. Wrote British journalist Robert Fisk: "As a citizen of the new, modern Europe ... I don't want Europe to be 'protected' by the U.S. If that means the end of the Atlantic Alliance, so be it ... Until it is, Europe will never—ever—take responsibility for itself or for the dictators that threaten our society ... Until NATO is dead, there will never be a real European defence force."
The drive for European unity appears to be relentless. While Mr. Prodi spoke of achieving an army separate from NATO, "Germany's [minister for defense] Rudolph Scharping gave a December 2000 deadline for the establishment of a rapid response infrastructure that will end dependence on the U.S.," reported Mr. Fisk.
Actually, NATO itself has already taken a significant step in the direction of such an army. According to a Daily Mail report from Washington, "NATO agreed to make a huge chunk of its military capability available to the European Union to use as it pleases when conflicts flare across the continent." This decision was made during NATO's 50th-anniversary celebration in the United States.
The British are nervous about these developments and say they feel seriously threatened by the steady, unabated erosion of their national sovereignty. Leaders in the highest echelons on the Continent have periodically spoken of a United States of Europe that eventually would wield enormous powers over member states. (Sources: The Times [London]; The Daily Mail [London]; The Independent [London].)
John died on March 8, 2014, in Oxford, England, four days after suffering cardiac arrest while returning home from a press event in London. John was 77 and still going strong.
Some of John's work for The Good News appeared under his byline, but much didn't. He wrote more than a thousand articles over the years, but also wrote the Questions and Answers section of the magazine, compiled our Letters From Our Readers, and wrote many of the items in the Current Events and Trends section. He also contributed greatly to a number of our study guides and Bible Study Course lessons. His writing has touched the lives of literally millions of people over the years.
John traveled widely over the years as an accredited journalist, especially in Europe. His knowledge of European and Middle East history added a great deal to his articles on history and Bible prophecy.
In his later years he also pastored congregations in Northern Ireland and East Sussex, and that experience added another dimension to his writing. He and his wife Jan were an effective team in our British Isles office near their home.
John was a humble servant who dedicated his life to sharing the gospel—the good news—of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God to all the world, and his work was known to readers in nearly every country of the world.
Scott Ashley is managing editor of Beyond Today magazine, United Church of God booklets and its printed Bible Study Course. He and his wife, Connie, live near Denver, Colorado.
Mr. Ashley attended Ambassador College in Big Sandy, Texas, graduating in 1976 with a theology major and minors in journalism and speech. It was there that he first became interested in publishing, an industry in which he has worked for more than 40 years.
During his career, he has worked for several publishing companies in various capacities. He has been employed by the United Church of God since 1995, overseeing the planning, writing, editing, reviewing and production of Beyond Today magazine, several dozen booklets/study guides and a Bible study course covering major biblical teachings. His special interests are the Bible, archaeology, biblical culture, history and the Middle East.
