World News and Trends- Australia
Beyond Today Magazine
Good News Magazine: September - October 2003
Course Content
The Middle East is far from the only area on the globe troubled by serious conflicts.
Reporting for The Financial Times, correspondent Anna Fifield assessed the "Land Down Under" in terms of the current situation in Asia. She began by noting that Australian soldiers were recently dispatched to the Solomon Islands as a peacekeeping force to restore order and stability to the island archipelago troubled by five long years of conflict.
"Alarmed by the rise of instability and Islamic fundamentalism among the near neighbours," Fifield stated, "Canberra is adopting an increasingly interventionist stance that aligns it closely with Washington in the war on terror."
Another recent bombing in Indonesia seems to support the necessity of the current policy. After all, the first bombing in Bali last year killed 89 Australian tourists. And despite protestations to the contrary, ties to predominantly Muslim Jakarta have been troubling.
Increasingly the new economic and financial infrastructure emerging in Asia apparently excludes full Australian participation. The Land Down Under is increasingly viewed as "a white outpost more attuned to the interests of America and the United Kingdom" (ibid.). One professor of Asian studies at Adelaide University noted that "Australia is now increasingly perceived in Asian capitals as a self-appointed deputy to the U.S."
According to Fifield, "The unresolved question is whether—and at what cost—Australia can align itself with Anglo-Saxon partners on the other side of the world without jeopardising its position among its neighbours in Asia."
This raises an even more fundamental long-term question. Why did Australia willingly send its soldiers halfway around the world to fight in two world wars alongside Britain and the United States? Why is it supporting American policy now? The underlying answer is found in our full-color booklet The United States and Britain in Bible Prophecy.
(Source: The Financial Times [London].)
Jerold Aust has served in the ministry for 52 years, as a public speaker for 58 years, a published writer for 38 years, and is employed by UCG’s Media and Communications Services. He is a Senior Writer, interviewer, and editor for Beyond Today Magazine and has taught Speech Communication for UCG’s ministerial online program and the Book of Revelation for ABC.
Jerold holds a BA in theology from Ambassador College, Pasadena (1968), an MA in Communication from California State University, Fullerton (1995), a distance-learning Ph.D (2006), and a Famous Writers School diploma in non-fiction writing (1973). Additionally, he studied post-grad communication at University of Southern California (1995), radio, TV, voice-overs, and Public Relations at Fullerton College (1995-1996), and graduate communication at Wichita State University (1978). Jerold has taught communication at the University of South Alabama (7 years) and ABC (17 years). His published works include, Ronald Reagan’s Rhetoric: Metaphor as Persuasion and EZSpeakers: Public Speaking Made Easy in 7 Steps. Jerold's overarching goal is to share with humankind its incredible destiny!
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.
