The Bundeswehr’s ex-Inspector General Klaus Naumann exclaimed, “Germany has dared to go it alone for the first time since 1949.” This once most senior military officer of the Bundeswehr was commenting on the decision by the German government to pull out of the nato campaign in Libya.

In an apparent about-face, Germany swung overnight from being among the first to send its navy to waters off the Libyan coast to completely withdrawing from its nato Mediterranean mandates. In the meantime, France revved up its military machine and even lobbied to lead the nato intervention in Libya. But whereas France has been overt in its support of the nato initiative, Germany backed off pronto.

Noting the difference between the European Union’s two leading nations in their approach to Libya, German-Foreign-Policy.com observes that “about two weeks ago, Paris became a loud supporter of the Libyan rebels and a proponent of military attacks against the Qadhafi regime. Since the beginning of the year, France has suffered a dramatic loss of influence in North Africa, especially in Tunisia, but also in Egypt, while Germany has sought—not without success—to use the upheavals to its own benefit” (March 22). And there’s the rub.

German elites readily read that a campaign of this nature—with no clearly agreed end goal, with marked division within the alliance garnered to support the UN resolution that enabled the operation, with the United States disinclined to lead it, and with all other parties unable to agree which nation should play the patsy in the replacement leadership role—had failure written all over it from the beginning. Now nato is stuck with the lead role and the challenge to keep 28 member nations on track in the process.

By withdrawing from nato’s Libyan alliance, Germany is now in the ace position to retain a clean skin in terms of its considerable investments and interests in Libya, regardless of who eventually leads Libya when the dust finally settles.

But there’s more, much more at stake here than just the outcome of the Libyan affair. At issue is who will ultimately dominate Europe politically, militarily and diplomatically as well as economically. That contest which has been a thorn in the side of France since the inception of the EU is about to be won hands down by Germany—and that outcome will be accelerated by France’s failure in the Libyan campaign. In fact, this campaign, rather than bolstering Nicolas Sarkozy’s electoral chances, may well prove his entire undoing.

But the real key to understanding just how significant the Libyan affair is to the prophesied rise of German leadership of Europe and its future impact on the Middle East is to comprehend just how historic is Germany’s lone stand against the Western alliance of which it has been such an integral component since the founding of nato.

“For the first time in postwar history, Germany has publicly taken a position contrary to virtually all of its major allies. The fallout of Berlin’s abstention from coalition operations in Libya could be far reaching” (Deutsche Welle, March 25). Well, for a start, delete “could be” and substitute “without doubt will be”!

For the first time since its defeat in World War ii, Germany has demonstrated the confidence to step out and thumb its nose at its EU and nato partners and even at the once mighty usa! “By abstaining from the UN Security Council vote to intervene in Libya, Germany has managed to position itself against both the United States and Europe for the first time, said former nato General Klaus Naumann in an interview with the daily Stuttgarter Zeitung” (ibid.).

Germany has signaled that it is ready to chart its own sovereign course in foreign relations. That’s a course that Bible prophecy declares will end with Jerusalem surrounded by armies (Luke 21:20)—an early warning sign of the imminence of Jesus Christ’s return to this Earth! And that is a message that we have supported and helped to publicize for over 70 years.

John Kornblum, former U.S. ambassador to Germany, rightly observes that “Inside Europe—yes—there’s going to be an effect because European allies are already worried that Germany is taking a more independent approach than before” (ibid.).

Kornblum’s view is consistent with that of the most astute of German observers. As German-Foreign-Policy.com comments, the German abstention in the UN Security Council vote on Libya shows two things: “On the one hand, it shows that Berlin is no longer prepared to make foreign-policy concessions to European rivals, such as France. … On the other hand, it has become clear that Berlin is not only prepared to go it alone at the ‘European’ level—as in the case of the invasion of Iraq in 2003—but also to go it alone at the national level. This fact takes on more significance when it is taken into account that, in Berlin, it is being repeatedly discussed whether Germany would not ‘advance faster, further and better, alone’ than in the European Union. Berlin’s Libya policy could provide the first clues” (op. cit.).

This logic is consistent with the prophecies of Revelation 13 and 17 which foresee the fracturing of the present 27-nation EU into 10 distinct regions under 10 dictatorial powers yielding their power to one great overarching authority.

Make no bones about it. Germany’s singular stance on the Libyan affair is but the start of a newly confident Germany beginning to show its teeth in both European and international affairs. The outcome is destined to be ultimately fraught with future trauma on a hugely international scale.

For the biblical revelation on the events leading up to that cataclysmic outcome and what it is that lies beyond it—an outcome which will affect all humans who have ever been born of woman—read our booklet Daniel Unlocks Revelation.