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PASTOR GENERAL'S REPORT, JUNE 5, 1981
PAGE 8
ON THE WORLD SCENE
MOSCOW'S ROLE IN FILLING THE EARTH WITH VIOLENCE It is for good reason that
Jesus Christ singled out "wars and rumors of wars" as being one of the
hallmarks of the end-time age. Wars there
have
been since time immemo
rial--but warfare in our day has taken on new and frightening dimensions.
Much of the bloodshed is now caused by a worldwide terrorist network, with
the spokes of the wheel leading back to Moscow.
Author Claire Sterling in her new book The Terror Network (excerpted in
the May, 1981 Reader's Digest) divulges the terror lines emanating from
Moscow through such countries and places as Libya, radical Palestinian
factions, South Yemen, Cuba and KGB-staffed Soviet embassies, onto the
various "national liberation fronts" and so-called "peace forces" around
the world.
Soviet-inspired terrorism either foments or aggravates nearly every trouble
spot in the world. And the aim everywhere is to tear down the power of the
United States, Britain, the nation of Israel (Judah) and other Israelitish
governments.
Just look at the three most intractable disputes in the world today-
Northern Ireland, the Middle East and southern Africa. Moscow's hand is in
all three regions.
In Northern Ireland the fasting suicides of Bobby Sands and three asso
ciates have drawn enormous sympathy for the cause of the Provisional Irish
Republican Army in strife-torn Ulster. The press in America, where so many
people of Irish extraction live, is overwhelmingly pro-IRA and has been
completely swayed by its propaganda. Little is said about how the small
number of terrorists in the "Provos" wing of the IRA victimize their own
Catholic countrymen in the six-county province. Nor are the linkups of the
Proves to the worldwide terrorist network given much play.
In the Middle East, the fuse is still lit over the crisis in Lebanon.
Israel has shown remarkable patience in not forcibly taking out the SAM-6
missiles the Syrians, under Russian prodding, moved in. Prime Minister
Begin has let Arnerican and Saudi Arabian negotiators try to persuade
Damascus to remove the missiles peacefully, so far without success. As the
Israelis feared, the delay has worked to their disadvantage. The Soviets
have shrewdly taken advantage of the situation in order to move more
"advisors" into Lebanon to strengthen Syria's hand.
In South Africa, minor disruptions caused by the outlawed African National
Congress (employing Communist-made weapons) damped the 20th anniversary
"Republic Day" celebrations. And for the past few days coloured students
near Johannesburg have rioted over the arrest of a student activist.
Civil rights groups in the United States are up in arms over doquments
leaked to the press (probably by a Carter Administration holdover in the
State Department) which recommend closer U.S.-South African ties.
The
documents reportedly stress the importance that Washington attaches to
"constructive internal change" in South Africa, but, even more importantly,
voice U.S. concern for Soviet domination in the African subcontinent. This
concern undoubtedly has been heightened by the announcement this week that
Moscow will set up an embassy in Salisbury, Zirnbabwe--formerly Rhodesia-
certain to be staffed with oodles of KGB agents.