News is a daily commodity. A car bombing, an election, a coup.

Specific events can be earthshaking—but it’s their cumulative effect that truly matters. Step back from the brush strokes of individual events and view the entire global canvas, and what do you have?

The Fall of Giants

Since the beginning of the 19th century, the Anglicized world has dominated global politics—from the reign of the British Empire at its peak to the rise to superpower Dom of the United States.

Great Britain rose to the pinnacle of power following the end of the Holy Roman Empire’s dominance over Europe and the fall of Napoleon in 1815. By the early 20th century, it had become the largest empire in history.

Across the Atlantic, the newly independent United States took a huge step with the 1803 Louisiana Purchase—the largest real-estate transaction to that point in history. Though at first the budding country had no real global influence and remained relatively uninvolved in foreign affairs, this changed with the dawn of the 20th century as Europe’s Great War lured America out of isolation. Finally, after World War ii, with the decline of Britain’s global empire and the fall of the pound sterling as the world’s reserve currency, America (along with its currency) achieved global supremacy.

The only power strong enough to counter the U.S. after 1945 was the Soviet Union. Tension between this Communist union of “republics” and America became a Cold War. This ended when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, which left America the world’s lone superpower—an unprecedented achievement for any single nation to that point.

Three Rivals Emerge

Later during the 1990s, however, three power blocs began forging to challenge America’s global dominion.

When the Soviet Union—which had largely squelched Islamist sentiment—fell, radical leaders and politicians came out of the woodwork in Mideast politics. The Islamic Republic of Iran soon became the center of gravity in the Middle East.

Iran’s promotion of terrorism led to a global escalation in terrorist attacks. The heights that terrorism reached on Sept. 11, 2001, are still being felt: The U.S. has since been embroiled in a crusade against terror—a military operation that is testing its strength and will.

Of the three emerging blocs, the Islamic power is currently the most visible (see page 8), but two more colossal powers are rising—largely unnoticed by the world.

Return of Europe

Germany’s reunification in 1989 marked a turning point for Europe. The fledgling European economic zone adopted the euro in 2002, and the combined gdpsof its member nations surpassed that of the U.S. as the world’s largest economy.

Accompanying Europe’s rise as a power bloc, its largest and most powerful nation also rose to new heights. In fact, the EU provided Germany a viable cover to help it regain its status as a major nation. After creating a crisis in the Balkans by recognizing Croatian and Slovenian independence, Germany rallied the EU behind the cause that gave Germany an excuse to embark on its first real military venture since World War ii. (Request our free booklet The Rising Beast for more on how the Balkans campaign contributed to the growing influence of a German-dominated Europe.) The Union accelerated the building of its own military—taking over several nato operations in the region. After all, the rationale for nato’s existence had been lost when the Soviet threat disappeared—providing further impetus to the EU’s military development.

Its Balkans “remedy” (i.e. conquer and occupy) gave the EU a certain prestige in geopolitics. It began sending more of its troops to peacekeeping missions the world over—to the point now where Europeans do more policing in conflict areas than the U.S. In fact, Germany’s Bundeswehr is now the primary international peacekeeper in Afghanistan.

On the diplomatic front, Europe has taken a leading role in the Israeli-Palestinian imbroglio. It is the only power considered a viable mediator concerning Iran’s clandestine nuclear program.

In May 2004, the Union expanded to a massive federation of 25 countries. Later that year, national leaders agreed on the text for a draft constitution.

This year, however, Europe and Germany arrived at a crossroads. A leadership vacuum was exposed when a majority of French and Dutch citizens rejected the constitution. Europe is growing too large, critics said; it’s out of touch with the people. Meanwhile, the ruling party in Germany, experiencing a crisis of its own, called for early elections.

Herein lies Germany’s—and Europe’s—intersection of destiny. If the troubled nation’s newly elected leadership also fails to revitalize its economy and its people, Germany will continue to falter, and the EU will buckle under the weight its troubles. But if the new government is more successful at addressing the woes of the German people and building a prosperous, focused nation, its leader will also speak for the European people.

Rising in the East

In the East, after the Cold War, Asian giants also built muscle.

Asia’s economies developed in outstanding fashion, starting in Japan, then moving into Southeast Asia, Taiwan, Singapore and South Korea, and finally China—which officially entered the World Trade Organization at the end of 2001. India also joined the world economy by embracing capitalism, and its economy has grown steadily ever since.

Although the Soviet Union’s fall stagnated the Russian economy, it wasn’t long before a shrewd Vladimir Putin brought a sense of stability back to the bear, albeit by strong-arm tactics so characteristic throughout Russian history.

Further east, after a huge financial meltdown toward the end of the decade, East Asia renewed efforts to increase economic cooperation. As its economy took off in the 1990s, China expanded its empire—regaining Hong Kong and Macau. Chinese businesses expanded their interests in strategic waterways around the world—investing heavily in a vital Pakistani port at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, vital choke points in the Caribbean, and also the Panama Canal.

Japan’s military—banned by the U.S. after World War ii—got back on the job under the guise of supporting U.S. military operations. Japan’s parliament has been proposing several forms of legislation ever since to revise the charter’s pacifist Article 9. Meanwhile, its prime minister has made numerous controversial visits to a war shrine that honors the soldiers who inflicted grave atrocities upon the region during World War ii.

Asia also held global attention by obtaining nuclear materials: India and Pakistan, the bitter rivals of South Asia, both went nuclear, and apparently so did the rogue Stalinist regime in North Korea.

In similar fashion to the European continent, the great powers of the East are finding strength in unity. The two behemoths of the region—China and Russia—with their fickle love-hate history—now cooperate more than ever in the form of energy agreements and joint military exercises (for more, request our free booklet Russia and China in Prophecy). China and its once-bitterrival India have even participated in joint naval exercises, and relations between China and Japan are stronger than ever (see our July 2004 article “The Competition Myth”).

Ganging Up on U.S.

So here we stand: Radical Islam is wearing down America’s will through relentless terrorist attacks in Iraq. Oil prices continue to break records, with Washington unable to reverse the trend. Europe’s euro challenges America’s dollar, and the EU’s defense force rivals nato. Many Asian nations, once strong allies of the U.S., now look to regional powers like China and Japan.

On top of these developments, these three power blocs collude to marginalize and diminish the influence of the greatest single nation on Earth.

Europe drives this coalition—visible in its economic romance with Russia, China and other regional powers in Asia, and its opposition to the U.S. approach in Middle Eastern affairs.

The EU doesn’t hide its motive: to challenge U.S. supremacy. Military research and development initiatives announced earlier this year are part of “a strategy to become a military superpower and close the defense technology gap with the United States” (Times Online, March 2).

Many of Europe’s foreign policies in the Mideast and North Africa, though economically beneficial to European interests, exist additionally to counter Washington’s efforts. Europe uses the Middle East as a sparring ground against many U.S. policies and plays both friend and foe to rogue nations, depending on which tactic better limits American influence. It consolidates trade links and diplomatic relations with rogue states like Iran, Syria and the Sudan—much to America’s chagrin—and once it has exhausted that ploy, cracks down on these nations in order to preempt any bold moves attempted by Washington.

Asian banks, in concert with European banks, loan billions to Iran to develop its natural gas fields. Even Japan, Washington’s strongest Asian ally, agreed to a $2billion deal early in 2004 to develop an Iranian oil field, ignoring U.S. pressure to the contrary.

China, Indonesia, India and Japan have looked to the EU economically, politically and technologically. India and the EU (India’s largest trading partner) signed deals at the end of 2003 to boost trade and investment. Over the last couple of years, China has worked more intensely with the European Space Agency.

Both China and India invested millions in the EU’s global satellite system, Galileo. Through this project, the EU is forming a technology bloc to rival the U.S.

Germany’s strategic partnership with Russia, according to the Ludwig von Mises Institute, “covers the Euro-Asian continent, the geostrategic heart of the world. It represents an alliance that is ready and capable of challenging U.S. influence in almost any aspect” (March 9).

Even the euro exists specifically “to challenge the global hegemony of the dollar” (T.R. Reid, The United States of Europe). In trade, the EU pursues trade agreements with both Asian and Latin American trade blocs, largely leaving the U.S. out in the cold.

But Asia is the continent where the U.S. has enjoyed the stronger influence. Alliances and strong relations with Japan, South Korea, the Philippines and Taiwan, to name a few, give Washington considerable leverage in international politics. But even these political bulwarks are crumbling. Lately, U.S. allies in Asia (like Japan and South Korea) have distanced themselves from America while others (like China) are using their increased strength to firm up intra-Asian relations and neutralize U.S. influence.

And it is no secret that Moscow, Beijing and New Delhi have batted around the idea of forming a triple axis to counterbalance Washington. Though Russia and India have had strong ties for many years, China and India have been historic adversaries. They have never shared such sunny relations as they do now. In addition to enjoying unprecedented military cooperation, the two powers are bolstering their economic ties.

Why is this happening? Two bitter rivals do not just change their policies toward each other for no reason at all. Again, the motive is to contain U.S. influence in the East. As the New York Times recognized, “China’s rivalry with the United States in Asia and Latin America isn’t a side effect of economics; it’s an explicit ambition” (Dec. 26, 2004).

When it comes to besieging U.S. influence in Asia, China stands at the helm. The pin holding Washington’s Asian influence in place is its relationship with Japan. But U.S.-Japanese ties weaken as their interests diverge. Watch for further contention in this alliance, likely triggered by America’s deepening economic woes, which may cause Japan to untie itself from the U.S. As Tokyo’s relations with Beijing continue to improve, China’s ability to round up Asia and counter U.S. hegemony in Asia will be realized.

Where the Global Reordering Is Leading

What will this hot wash of seething global events produce? For the answer, we must turn to the only truly reliable source for accurate geopolitical forecasting—the Holy Bible. According to prophecy, the seemingly invincible United States of America will not merely be marginalized by its enemies, but surrounded and besieged!

Prophecies in Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28 list the blessings and curses to befall the latter-day nations of Israel (which include the U.S., Britain, Israel and other English-speaking nations) were they to follow God or turn from Him. Because America has turned from God, its reign as a superpower is nearly finished. It has already begun to reap the curses God warned about—including terrorism, broken national will and failure in foreign policy and military ventures (Leviticus 26:16-19).

These curses will climax in a nightmare: America’s fall to another nation, which prophecy shows to be “Assyria,” or modern-day Germany (Isaiah 10:5). Deuteronomy 28:49-50 read, “The Lord shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand; a nation of fierce countenance ….” The same Hebrew phrase for “fierce countenance” is used in Daniel 8:23, where God describes the man who will lead Germany in the end. Germany—that nation which flies as the “eagle”—will deal the deathblow to the U.S. as a political power, taking it off the world stage altogether.

“And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates, until thy high and fenced walls come down, wherein thou trustedst, throughout all thy land: and he shall besiege thee in all thy gates throughout all thy land, which the Lord thy God hath given thee” (Deuteronomy 28:52). The fact is, God gave America its power—domestically and in foreign policy. But because the U.S. has forgotten this and insists on trusting in its own strength, God tells this nation, twice in the same verse, that it will be besieged by a greater power.

Bible prophecy reveals that once the superpower seat is left vacant, the three power blocs rising to dominance now will clash in a colossal global power struggle—a period the Bible specifically calls the “times of the Gentiles” (Luke 21:24; Revelation 11:2; see page 16). Current events show how dreadfully near we are to this time, when nations will vie for the superpower slot!