Hi friends…welcome back!  I pray that what you find here is a blessing.  Thanks for stopping by!

We’ll take a look at three geopolitical questions over the next few days.  (Posts may not be daily, so please check back if you don’t find a post each day!)  These are important questions that Americans should consider, so here’s the first of those three:

Should Americans be Concerned about Syria?

Syrian civil war has raged for a couple years now, but is it simply a Syrian national conflict or is it bigger than that?  Should Americans be concerned with what goes on in a country half way around the globe?  The conflict in Syria is complicated, to be sure.  However, it is my contention that Americans should be concerned, and I’ll try to provide some reasons why.

Syria has long been ruled by the Assad family, whose rule has been cruel and dictatorial.  Bashar al-Assad is currently the Syrian president and hard evidence points to the fact that, during the current conflict which began in 2011, he has attacked his own people with chemical weapons, and his administration has murdered over 100,000 Syrian citizens.  USAID reports 9.3 million Syrians in need of humanitarian assistance, 6.5 million internally displaced, and 2.4 Syrians displaced to neighboring countries.  The Assad regime is especially heinous.

Syria has huge stockpiles of chemical weapons, in danger of being used further…or worse still, falling into the hands of al Qaeda.  WMD in the hands of terrorists would almost certainly be turned on Israel, and ultimately the US.

Equally troublesome, though, is the fact that the American administration made bold proclamations about stopping the atrocities, yet sat still while it happened.  That opened the door for Russian president Vladimir Putin to step in and broker a deal (September, 2013) that supposedly will rid Syria of its chemical weapons.  However, Russia is a strong ally and supporter of Syria, leaving questions about motives and what sort of secret deals are going on behind closed doors.

While the US hemmed and hawed, Putin asserted himself (which he has no trouble doing!) and has become the most powerful man in the world.

Meanwhile, Syria has not exactly fulfilled its promise to disclose all WMD sites in order for UN weapons inspectors to remove those weapons and, to this point, Russia has not enforced the agreement they brokered.  In fact, only 5% of chemical weapons have been given up and the danger grows that those weapons could end up in al-Qaeda’s hands.  (Click here for more info.)

So, why do I think Americans should be concerned about Syria?

• Syrian citizens continue to face the tyranny of a cruel dictator.
• American leadership is showing a significant lack of direction and world leadership, and America’s enemies are chomping at the bit to prove their superiority.  (BTW – our leaders need our prayers, not sniping.)
• Ezekiel 38-39 describes an invasion of Israel from the north (Russia), whose leader is known as Gog (probably a title, not a name).  We don’t know who Gog will be, but Vladimir Putin seems to have the key characteristics, as described in prophecy.  (This invasion likely happens just before or just after the rapture.  Could we be that close!?!)
• Isaiah 17 and Jeremiah 49 predict the future destruction of Damascus, Syria.  Is groundwork being laid for that destruction?

These are certainly not things that Christians should worry about.  After all, we’ve read The Book and we know how it ends…with Christ on His throne!  However, these are things Americans should be concerned about if America is to remain a strong nation, blessed by the Lord.

Next up: Should Americans be Concerned about the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict?