Monitor The Strategic Trends

Introduction:

The ancient people called Magog are commonly believed to have been the ancestors of the Russian nation. The prophet Ezekiel spoke of an invasion of Israel by Russia, which has not yet been fulfilled. What could cause Russia to come against the tiny nation of Israel -- which has no oil and no real strategic value? This question has puzzled Bible scholars for centuries. However, recent developments in the Middle East have for the first time in history lent credence to this long-awaited prophecy.

NEW! The Damascus High Wire: Russia's Ties to Syria January 31, 2012

Up And Down, Russia's Glory and Pain July 12, 2011

Two-Faced Russia April 12, 2011

Europe and Russia Cozying Up October 19, 2010

Iran To Start Up First Nuclear Plant In Days August 17, 2010

Part 2 of a Series: Who Are the Edomites? by Chuck Missler

A Surprise in Psalm 83? The Magog Invasion: An Alternative View by Chuck Missler

Strategic Trends Update: The Treacherous Trio of Ezekiel 38 Part 3: Russia by Mary Miller, Koinonia Institute

Strategic Trends Update: The Treacherous Trio of Ezekiel 38 Part 2: Iran by Mary Miller, Koinonia Institute

Strategic Trends Update: The Treacherous Trio of Ezekiel 38 by Mary Miller, Koinonia Institute

Documents

The Constitution of the Russian Federation - Ratified December 12, 1993 - Includes Romanov Double Eagle Crest

Photo of Romanov Crest -

Related Sites

Russia Today - Daily news coverage of Russia

News Sources

Russia Defends Syria at UN - Russia, which sells weapons to Syria and maintains a naval base there, is poised to veto today a United Nations resolution threatening "targeted measures" against the regime headed by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. European nations have been seeking UN action since April to stop a crackdown that has killed more than 3,500 since protests began in mid-March. The proposed resolution is "unacceptable" to Russia because it still contains the prospect of sanctions and amounts to interference in the internal affairs of a state.

Iran Wants to Expand Nuclear Cooperation With Russia - The head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Fereidoon Abbasi announced that the country is willing to further develop its cooperation with Russia in building more nuclear power plants. Tehran has offered a proposal to Moscow on the building of new nuclear plants using Iranian-made nuclear fuel. Referring to the 'step by step' proposal of Russia to settle the standoff between Iran and the West, he said any nuclear proposal either step by step or all at once must guarantee Iran's nuclear rights.

Should Russia Let the North Caucasus Secede? - Over the past 15 years, Russia's North Caucasus has become a byword for war, destruction, human rights abuses, extrajudicial killings, corruption, economic collapse, and Islamic terrorism. Last year, 754 people were killed in ongoing low-level hostilities - two a day on average. The specter of terrorism already deters most investors from financing projects even in those republics where the insurgency has made only minimal inroads to date. Moreover, the maladies afflicting the region are immune to a "quick fix," even if large-scale investment could provide one. Russian nationalists increasingly advocate allowing the North Caucasus to secede. But that would play into the hands of the Islamic militants fighting to transform the virtual Caucasus Emirate into a functioning state.

Russia Working On Gaddafi Exit - Russia has stepped up its efforts to negotiate a resolution to the war in Libya, with Moscow officials receiving the Secretary-General of NATO and the South African President, Jacob Zuma, who has offered his services as a mediator. To date, with Colonel Gaddafi refusing the Libyan rebels' demands that he leave the country, none of Moscow's forays have borne fruit.

Former Russian Intelligence Officer Charged With Treason - After a group of Russian sleeper agents were arrested in the United States last summer, an angry Vladimir V. Putin, Russia's prime minister, promised to punish the person who betrayed them. Now, a former Russian intelligence officer suspected of blowing the agents' cover (to the benefit of America) has been officially charged, and could, if he is ever caught, face up to 20 years in prison in Russia. The officer, Aleksandr Poteyev, was charged in absentia with treason and desertion a spokesman from Russia's Federal Security Service said on Tuesday. Apparently, relations between the US and Russia are not quite as warm and transparent as we'd all like.