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THE CUTTING EDGE

Dr. Wood, Dean, Center For Naval Warfare Studies, introduced Dr. Kurth. He called Dr. Kurth as the "smartest man in the world". Dr. Kurth reciprocated by calling Dr. Wood "the wisest man in the world", tongue in cheek, of course, as the result of recognizing that Dr. Kurth IS the "smartest man in the world".

1. Themes and Trends in World Today

1. Introductory Remarks to Set Stage For Discussion

1. These themes and trends, while global, are being actively promoted by USA and its leaders.
2. Opposition to these themes and trends is growing, but is unevenly developed
3. This fact is especially true in countries such as Russia, China, and the Middle East

1. Four Global Trends Shaping the New Information Technology (I.T.) Era

1. Development of an I.T. economy that is global.
2. Development of a Global Economic Economy of goods and services
3. Development of a Post-Modern Society
4. Decline of the traditional nation state, replaced by multi-cultural entities

1. Consequences of These Global Trends

1. Development of I.T. economy reinforces democracy and freedom
2. Development of I.T. economy amplifies ideas of open society
3. Development of I.T. Economy strengthens and promotes the global economy
4. These trends converging makes it inevitable that democracy and freedom will be underpinnings of the emerging global economy.

1. Open Economy -- Consequences

1. Limits national sovereignty by removing the "driver" of sovereignty
2. Erodes Bureaucracy that underpins national sovereignty
3. Individuals can more easily express themselves in the I.T. Age, especially on the Internet. [A later speaker also said in this vein that the Internet specifically and Mass Media generally, gives a single person or a very small group the ability to project a message far in excess of their actual numbers.]
4. Multi-cultural society is replacing homogenous states.
5. Open society coupled with Internet has revived old ideologies and hatreds and divisions.
6. Open society coupled with Internet and Mass Media has revived the extreme interest in Human Rights as an issue. This trend reached maturity in the 1990's, and is now providing justification for humanitarian intervention, as we saw in Kosovo. Kosovo was the first purely humanitarian war, a war fought for reasons other than vital National Security reasons.
7. American Elites leaders are pushing these ideologies and trends. Common Americans are not pushing them. Thus, we see America intervening not only in Kosovo, but in Somali, Haiti, and Iraq on behalf of the Kurdish minority.
8. Lack of support outside the Elite circle is the reason the Clinton Administration did not want to go to Congress for approval for the Kosovo war, even though current law "required" him to do so. Clinton knew that average American did not support going to war for "humanitarian" reasons, so the war was pursued without Congressional approval.
9. American public does not accept these four (4) trends in paragraph II.
10. Real opposition outside of the USA to these trends is springing up in countries like Russia. Russia is currently re-defining itself, returning to its historic Eurasian and Eastern Orthodoxy roots as a basis for society. Thus, they are turning away from their experiment with a purely Western Free Market economy and government and turning toward a controlled economy and government.
11. Eastern Europe, however, is currently making satisfactory transition to the Western Free Market economy and toward Democracy.
12. Middle East is not integrating into the Global Economy, and certainly is not going toward Democracy.
13. The Asian economic crisis has cast doubt that the region could participate in the Global Economy in the minds of the leaders of the countries affected by the crisis. Therefore, China, Singapore, and Taiwan see Asian values as a more proper guide than Western values. They are controlling their Economies even as they participate in the Global Economy.
14. The USA and Western Europe are well on their way to a Post-National, Post-Modern, and Post-Industrial world.

1. Strategic Concepts of USA

1. Balance of Power
2. Sphere of Influence - Even though American and other Western leaders have already rejected this old Sphere of Influence concept, Russia and China are pursuing it vigorously. Globally-minded American leaders consider Spheres of Influence outmoded. Russia has encouraged countries of Eastern Orthodoxy to become nominally independent states, even though Russia wants to control their overall direction. Russia may annex these states again.

   USA is very concerned by the Balkans area, since these states are in the Russian Sphere of Influence. The Kosovo/Serbian war was a direct challenge to the Russian Sphere of Influence. A continuous US presence in the Balkans would be a continuous irritant to USA/Russian relations. Russia may thus be tempted to intervene in the Balkans against the USA.

3. Deterrence
4. ----

1. Chinese Sphere of Influence

1. Korea, Taiwan, East and South China Sea
2. Current Chinese Leaders want this old sphere of influence reestablished
3. Taiwan is part of formal China. Hong Kong going back to Mainland Chinese control is seen as a prototype of Taiwan returning to China.
4. USA should protect China from attacking Taiwan but Taiwan should refrain from a unilateral declaration of independence.
5. Taiwan needs to stay functioning as an independent economy while officially staying as a part of the Chinese Sphere of Influence. This fine line will take the utmost in diplomacy but can and should be done.
6. South China Sea -- US Navy needs to maintain open sea lanes, thus preventing Chinese and Japanese arms race.
7. Korea is another source of potential conflict. North Korea may be dissolved into the South just as East Germany was dissolved into West Germany.
8. China is a threat in the future. We need to guide Chinese power to support the world order. [Emphasis added]
9. USA needs to maintain overwhelming military. If America continues to be over-stretched, we have trouble brewing.
10. Needs 15 Naval Carrier Battle Groups, 2 of them permanently stationed in the China Seas and two more in the Middle East.

Are you spiritually ready? Is your family? Are you adequately protecting your loved ones? This is the reason for this ministry, to enable you to first understand the peril facing you, and then help you develop strategies to warn and protect your loved ones. Once you have been thoroughly trained, you can also use your knowledge as a means to open the door of discussion with an unsaved person. I have been able to use it many times, and have seen people come to Jesus Christ as a result. These perilous times are also a time when we can reach many souls for Jesus Christ, making an eternal difference.