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10
THE GO's
there were 4 indepcndent nations in Af–
rica. By the end of 1969 there were 43.
By 1969, ten of Black Africa's 36 na–
tions - comprising
47
pcrccnt of Black
Africa's populahon -
werc undcr
military rule with no elections yet in
sight.
The fratricida) war bctwcen Nigeria
and Biafra, near the cnd of the decade,
has blurred thc memory of Africa's first
horror story of the Sixtics: the Congo.
The very first days, after Belgium
granted indepcndcncc to the Congo in
July, 1960, were markcd by civil strife
and violence. Mutinous soldicrs went on
a rampagc of· looting and raping of
whites.
In Latin America, dissatisfaction with
thc ratc of cconomic and social progress
was expressed in many countries during
thc Sixtics by a risc in governmental up–
heavals. Therc werc actuaUy fewer
democratically
elect~:d
govcrnmcnts in
power in
L
969 than 1961.
Therc is insufficient space in this ar–
ticle to list all the coups, strife, and po–
lítica! upheavals that occurrcd around
the world during thc dccade. They
number in the hundreds.
No, dcmocracy ccrtainly didn't blos–
som forth during thc Sixties; and the
Seventies promise thc samc intcrnational
problcms.
The Middle East
The eyes of thc world wcrc continu–
ally drawn to the Middle East during
the Sixties. Periodic threats of war be–
tween the nation of Israel and her Arab
neighbors finally erupted in the famous
Six Day War in June, 1967.
Once again, Israel, as in 1948 and
1956, proved she could more than hold
her own against fantastic odds. But few
comprehend the tremendous price both
side:s have been paying since the June
\Xfar.
During the War, lsrae:l suffered 2,800
casualties, including 800 deaths. Since
theo, another 1,800 casualties havc: beco
infficted, 500 of them fatal. Arab forces,
too, havc suffered heavy losses.
It is, as Egypt's Gama) Nasser has
said, a deliberate war of
attrition. However, thc
Arab camp remains di–
vided, and all attempts
to form a united front
against Israel have, thus
far, met with failure.
It
is plain that Israel,
with a population of
under three million,
cannot keep up the
deteriorating situation
indefinitely. Even eco–
nomically, the drain is
tremendous.
The question is, who
can the Israelis tu
rn
to?
Not to the Soviets who
are openly pro-Arab. Not
to the United States,
whose policy, while sen–
timentally pro-lsrael, is
ambivalent, based on
maintaining the status
quo.
Watch the Seventies.
Israel could begin to build up firmer
ties with Western Europe, especially
with West Germany and thc other
nations of the Common Market.
Tel Aviv is striving for a preferen–
tial trade agreement with the Common
Market. Prospects look good for reduced
tariffs for Israelí exports to thc EEC.
Israelí officials are aiming for ultimate
association status within the EEC, such
as Greece and Turkey currently cnjoy.
Decline of Religion
Despite certain highJy publicized
events, it was not religion's decade.
Church membership rolls grew numer–
ically, but the buffetings by the tides of
moral, social and economtc changes
made them more meaningless than cvcr.
The whole world of organized Chns–
tianity, Catholic and Protestant, saw its
inffuence and respect plummet. Tradi–
tions, values, beliefs, doctrines were in–
creasingly viewed by growing segments
of the population in the Westero world
as "outmoded," "sterile" and "irrele–
vant" in modero society.
The decade began with a Rurry of
calls for Christian unity. The first big
major boost was when, in L962, Pope
Wide
Wwld
Phofo
Above, the membership of the
U.N. grew quickly during the
decade, but the world's "last
chance" for peace was basically
ineffective in stopping major
conflicts among nations.
John XXIII opened the 21st Ecumen–
ical Council, officially designated as
Vatican II, with a call for Christian
unity.
Meanwhile various Protestant denom–
inations began merger procedures.
A Gallup poll conducted io 1969 re–
vealed that almost 70 percent of Ameri–
cans thought religion was "losing'' its
influence on American life. Twelve
years earlier, in 1957, only 14 percent
held such a view. This was "one of the
most dramatic reversals in opinion in
the history of polling," said George
Gallup.
The decade saw the "sins" of its gen–
eration increasingly justified by theo–
Jogians and ministers promoting "situ–
ation ethics" and "the New Morality."
In fact, the word "sin" became basically
meaningless and undefined.
Lying, cheating, stealing, adultery,
prc-marital sex, homosexuality and sim–
ilar acts were increasingly viewed as