Pro Western powers all over the world were horrified and shocked when news of the execution of Imre Nagi, former Premier of Hungary, was released by the Soviets. Nagi along with several other leaders of the Hungarian revolt against the Communists were presumably killed a short while before the Russians told the world of their deed. The announcement came on the anniversary of the 1953 East Berlin revolt. Authorities doubt that a trial of any sort was even held, preliminary to the executions.
To what intent was this killing? Why did the Russians wait for 18 months to carry out the death sentence. These questions are being asked by many in the free world, in an attempt to analyze this sudden move on the part of Nikita Khrushchev. Undoubtedly, one purpose was to effect an insult against the pro-Western world. It also served as a warning to all Communist dominated satellites that Russia was taking a stricter and more forceful hand to achieve her aims. It would almost seem that Russia is conforming more and more each day to the character she is to evidence in the latter days, when, consumed with evil thoughts, she makes her predicted move southward in an attempt to dominate all Europe and Asia.
There was one development that probably Russia did not anticipate, and which seemed to boomerang on them. France’s DeGaulle flatly refused to have anything to do with the Soviet Union, and announced his Pro-Western intentions. Such a policy, as far as Bible students are concerned, can only be temporary however. According to the details outlined in Ezekiel’s prophecy, France is to be allied with the king of t h e north when she with all her bands takes the greater part of Palestine. The manner in which France is to fall under Communistic influence is not clearly stated in Ezekiel, but the language seems to suggest an ally rather than a defeated enemy. Whether this is to come about with a change in France’s present government policy, or through a change in the government itself through civil strife remains to be seen. DeGaulle’s position as dictator is still not substantially secure to insure a continuation of his Western sympathies.
In Lebanon, as this article goes to press, the government is as near to being toppled over as it could possibly be without actually collapsing. All the world is watching intently the internal strife in the small, but significantly located state. The destruction of the present government could mean political and national disaster in the Middle East.
Dag Hammarskj old was sent to Lebanon in the hope that an all out rebellion could be averted. His trip was partly successful, and contributed in part at least to the temporary quieting down of border fighting. His plan to maintain watch on the borders (with the aid of 100 spotters from nine countries) was observed rather cooly by President Camille Chamoun. His request to the United Nations for a force of several thousand soldiers to seal off his Syrian border against further United Arab Republic infiltration was ignored. Chamoun had earlier announced that if this force were denied him he would appeal to both Britain and the United States for troupes. Under the Eisenhower doctrine the Lebanese government felt the U.S.A. duty bound to give them the requested protection to block Communist aggression.
Such a move on either England’s or America’s part would only be done as a last resort. Observers recognise that if Lebanon’s pro-West regime were to fall, the entire U.S. position in the Middle East would be jeopardized. The ground work for such a move may even now be in the process of being laid. The U.S. sixth fleet, with 3,000 combat equipped Marines has decided to remain in the Eastern Mediterranean, while the British have increased her troupes in Cyprus to 37,000. What was the Soviet’s reaction to such a threat? As many had expected, she after deriding the West for their “materialistic war plans against Le-baron,” suggested that Russian “volunteers” might be sent in to defend the rights of the Lebanese people. Many in the United States can well remember the long, costly, drawn out Korean affair, when not only Russian volunteers, but modern Russian planes, armoured tanks and other heavy war equipment was rushed in to aid t h e Communists. A repetition of this sort of fighting is not relished, and it is hoped that Hammarskjold’s visit to Cairo to discuss settlement will be successful.
The plan of air surveillance (Hammarskjold plans to use helicopters to help keep a watch on things) as it now stands, in the words of one of the U.N.’s three supervisory commissioners ; “Our way is the moral way. We hope to stop the infiltration by bringing it to international attention.” The effectiveness of this “moral” way is questionable in view of Russia’s apparent disregard for world opinion. Her conduct in the treatment of war prisoners and her methods employed in Communist dominated states would suggest she cared little or nothing for World opinion.
Israel has been unusually quiet about the internal strife of her Arab neighbours. This, in spite of the fact that Lebanon’s overthrow would be almost disastrous to her. Perhaps she feels that her mightier and more resourceful friends could not stand by and watch the U.A.R. take over in Lebanon. In contrast to her bordering states, Israel is concerning herself on internal expansion. David Ben Grunion still dreams of bringing in more Jews to the small nation, and doubling its present population of 2,000,000. Though, as one correspondent put it, “what is mostly left around the world are Jews in Communist countries who can’t get out, or American Jews who don’t want to leave,” the Arabs are quite apprehensive about such expansion. It is felt that Israel could only support such an increase by pushing her eastern borders to the Jordan. In spite of this a Ben Gurion advisor said that the way out is not to expand territoriality, but scientifically ; more productive land, more deficient machinery, etc. Such a dream is idealistic, and will undoubtedly only be realised in the Kingdom of God when the increase from a handful of corn shall shake like the trees of Lebanon, and when the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the trader of grapes him that soweth seed. A dream such as this can and will only come to pass when the Lord removes the curse from the earth, and when, in place of the thorn will come up the fir tree and in place of the brier shall come up the Myrtle tree.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One