Lucis Trust's Warriors

Karen Armstrong, an apostate nun and Alliance of Civilizations High Level Group personality, has much to say about religious “fundamentalists”. Her tone often is one of disdain and marginalization towards the adherents of the monotheistic faiths. One such example may be found in a UN press release where “she observed that the three major religions -- Judaism, Christianity and Islam -- were rooted in a dread of annihilation. For example, it was a common view of Protestant Christians that the liberal society wanted to “wipe them out”; or, in the case of Islam, that western mores were a “lethal assault” on Islamic societies. When attacked, such people became ever more extreme.”

What about Armstrong’s assessments? Are monotheists’ fears unfounded? The very movement that Armstrong advances-- the spiritual work of Lucis Trust and the United Nations-- has made it clear that “cleansing actions” are part of an evolutionary process that cannot be stopped. Lucis Trust labels people it “cleanses” as the “resistant form”. Writings such as these have weighed heavily on my mind and set me at watch for the rise of an agent that would be willing to carry out such deeds. I found that the writings of the New Age visionaries reinforce those of Lucis Trust’s. It is the Alliance of Civilizations that I found to be a likely implementation partner.

It was in the mid part of the 1980s that I first learned of the New Age. At first I thought of it as a style—music, literature, etc. As time went on, I realized it to be something quite different. It became hard to ignore that the movement was bombarding us with messages on how to get in touch with our inner selves, how to meditate, and all sorts of unusual things I personally considered to be nonsense. I became concerned as people around me were adopting this mindset. This massive indoctrination campaign, I later read, was what new agers referred to as an initiatory process being conducted upon the masses by a spiritual hierarchy. I began to search out books both in Christian and New Age bookstores. The two I found most helpful were The Hidden Dangers of the Rainbow by Constance E. Cumbey and New Age Almanac. Both books beautifully laid out the New Age Movement but came from very different perspectives. The almanac had a page devoted to Constance Cumbey identifying her as an enemy of the movement. By this time, I knew I liked her. The almanac had two sections that caught my interest, those concerning the foundations of the modern New Age Movement and a section devoted to the visionaries. It was the visionaries section that brought me to the works of Barbara Marx Hubbard. One title of Hubbard’s books, The Book of Co-creation, sparked my interest.

I was not able to immediately locate The Book of Co-creation but found a smaller book that contained excerpts from it. That book was entitled Happy Birthday Planet Earth. As I read, I could not believe the words it contained. I learned that, according to Hubbard, a “selection process” was about to take place on earth. A portion of the population had evolved to a higher species Hubbard called homo universalis, and the species would become divine once it transcended through a process she called the “quantum transformation”. Those of us who were weeded out of the collective whole were to face personal extinction. Now I really wanted to read more. I contacted the publisher requesting a copy of The Book of Co-creation, The Revelation. At first they denied the book existed. I expressed my disappointment as I had seen it was available in New Age Almanac. I was then allowed to order the manuscript. It arrived as a bound photocopied booklet. The words on those pages were even more incredible than the ones I had read earlier.

How the book came into existence was that one day Hubbard read scripture as her spirit guide channeled to her the interpretation. The interpretation of the 666 in Revelation 13 was that although some may view the number as a mark used by an evil dictator, others would view it as a process leading to liberation. But what was really alarming to me was the interpretation of the pale horse, death. The passage read:

“Out of the full spectrum of human personality, one-fourth is electing to transcend…One-fourth is ready to so choose, given the example of one other…One-fourth is resistant to election. They are unattracted by life ever-evolving. One-fourth is destructive. They are born angry with God…They are defective seeds…There have always been defective seeds. In the past they were permitted to die a ‘natural death’…We, the elders, have been patiently waiting until the very last moment before the quantum transformation, to take action to cut out this corrupted and corrupting element in the body of humanity. It is like watching a cancer grow…Now, as we approach the quantum shift from creature-human to co-creative human—the human who is an inheritor of god-like powers—the destructive one-fourth must be eliminated from the social body. We have no choice, dearly beloveds. It is a case of the destruction of the whole planet, or the elimination of the ego-driven, godless one-fourth who, at this time of planetary birth, can, if allowed to live on to reproduce their defective disconnection, destroy forever the opportunity of Homo sapiens to become Homo universalis, heirs of God…Before this stage of power can be inherited by the God-centered members of the social body, the self-centered members must be destroyed…Fortunately you, dearly beloveds, are not responsible for this act. We are. We are in charge of God’s selection process for planet Earth. He selects, we destroy. We are the riders of the pale horse, Death. We come to bring death to those who are unable to know God…The riders of the pale horse are about to pass among you. Grim reapers, they will separate the wheat from the chaff. This is the most painful period in the history of humanity…”

When I first read this piece, “Out of the full spectrum of human personality, one-fourth is electing to transcend”, I remembered a passage from a book that I had long ago read called The Nazi Doctors: Medical Killing and the Psychology of Genocide by Robert Jay Lifton. Lifton writes: “Part of the cure is the experience of transcendence: of a psychic state so intense that time and death disappear. The cure must maintain, or at least evoke periodically, that psychic experience. One’s own sense of transcendence merges with the image of the endless life of one’s people. In that experience—or promise—of ecstasy, one may be ready to kill, or at least to sanction killing.” ( page 473)

Other visionaries had very similar writings. I found that the belief of a new species or super human was not uncommon. Enlightenment Magazine featured an article entitled Towards Homo Noeticus specifically about this evolutionary process. The Theosophical Society has long taught of a Coming Race. (Many thanks to Dorothy Margraff for sharing this with me.)

Within one month of the AoC High Level Group’s release of its final report, the Aquarian Age Community published a piece entitled “Aspiring Humanity and the Spiritual Work of the United Nations” where it announced that the AoC initiative emphasized the truth of the “One Humanity”. The community expects that the work of the AoC will bring the “One Humanity” into recognition of its divinity.

Clearly, Lucis Trust and the New Age visionaries have planned for our destruction. I personally believe that Karen Armstrong is well aware of this plan to “wipe us out”. Ultimately, it is those who elect to transcend who have a much bigger problem.

The Militarization of the Alliance of Civilizations

Over the months that followed the cartoon crisis, I paid very close attention to the Alliance of Civilizations’ web site. Daily search engine inquiries and AoC web visits had become routine. July and August yielded more than enough reading material. One such report, the OSCE contribution to the Alliance of Civilizations initiative, was released in June. The OSCE originated from the Helsinki Final Act of 1975 (also known as the Helsinki Process) and changed its official name to the Organization for Security and Co-operation of Europe in 1994. To this day, the Helsinki Process remains active working to implement a one world government. What I found was that the OSCE had been particularly impressed with how the EU’s High Representative Javier Solana and the Alliance of Civilizations had turned the cartoon crisis into opportunity. Now they were on board and had written of their unique position to contribute to the implementation of the AoC initiative. Although I found aspects of the report somewhat troublesome, it wasn’t until I read the Alliance’s July 17 Report of the Hearing with the International Community and Civil Society that I decided to give the OSCE a second in-depth look. The International Hearings report contains the following:

“The Military Staff Committee, instead of being abolished, should be revived so that meetings of military leaders at different levels could be introduced for the international practice.” (page 26)

It appeared that the defunct Committee was about to be revived! I also read: “On the national level, constitutional democracy does not entail the existence of a police state or military watchdog, but implies observation of the laws that have been worked out by the elected representatives, as well as the adherence to the value system.” (page 26)

This reminded me of a statement in the OSCE report that I found puzzling. They said that the OSCE is the world’s largest regional security organization, comprising of 56 participating states and that “decisions are based on consensus and are politically but not legally binding”. What did that mean? I found my answer in the Helsinki Process Papers--Building Democracy From Manila to Doha: The Evolution of the Movement of New or Restored Democracies as follows:

“Under its human dimension objectives, the OSCE has adopted instruments, created norms and initiated activities for the promotion of democracy and governance. The OSCE instruments are "politically binding commitments" for the participating states, and become effective upon adoption and implementable without having to wait for subsequent domestic approval or ratification. This process allows also the OSCE to react quickly to new needs.” (page 67)

Now I really had much more reason for concern considering:

• The United States is one of those participating states politically bound to OSCE decisions.
• The OSCE, which is connected to the European Union, sets mandates in crisis management situations (note that it was the OSCE that justified the relentless bombing campaign against Kosovo).

But exactly who enforces OSCE’s decisions? Before answering that let’s take a second look at NATO’s Working Together for Peace and Security chart.The circles so accurately portray the words of the Helsinki Summit Declaration of 1992. Page 5, section number 10 of the declaration establishes the OSCE as a crisis management organization which derives its power from:

• The Council of Europe
• The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
• The European Community (European Union)
• The Western European Union (WEU)

Isn’t it interesting that’s exactly the arrangement of the circles? Also stipulated in the Helsinki document is that a “peacekeeping operation, according to its mandate, will involve civilian and/or military personnel…and may assume a variety of forms including observer and monitor missions and large deployment of forces”. (See second section--Helsinki Decisions, page 19).

Notice how the Alliance of Civilizations is embedded into each circle. The outermost circle, the United Nations, is the administrator of the initiative. Moving inward, the OSCE has adopted the Alliance and, by treaty, politically binds its member states to the initiative.

The next circle, the Council of Europe, is administrator of the social dimension of the Barcelona Process. The Barcelona Process, established in 1995, set among its goals the responsibility of straightening out the clash of civilizations as well as combating religious fundamentalism worldwide. The Alliance of Civilizations intends to start operations within the framework of the Barcelona Process and then amplify the AoC initiative globally.

Next is NATO and the AoC. NATO is also on board with the Alliance of Civilizations and, unknown to most Americans, has split under the Berlin-Plus Agreement. In the event of a crisis situation, NATO assets are transferred to the European Union’s Political and Security Committee presently presided over by EU High Representative Javier Solana. Crisis management drills have already been conducted to test the Berlin-Plus arrangement.

Moving in we have the European Union which has at its disposal the crisis management Battle Groups which can simultaneously sustain multiple offensive operations. These battle groups are intended for rapid deployment while awaiting reinforcements from member states’ militaries and NATO assets. The European Security Strategy has committed to strengthening the United Nations so that it may fulfill its role in global governance. Anything that undermines global governance is considered by Solana to be a threat. Statewatch’s report, Arming Big Brother, provides an excellent analysis of the EU’s militarization. The EU is fully committed to the Alliance of Civilizations as it has appointed the Anna Lindh Foundation to oversee its implementation.

Finally, the innermost interesting circle, that of the Western European Union (WEU). The WEU is the 10-nation military alliance of the European Union. The Assembly of the WEU has in place crisis management Recommendation 666 which provides that military authority be granted to EU High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy in the event of an emergency. As noted above, this position is presently held by Javier Solana.

The Assembly of the WEU also adopted Recommendation 735, on a European initiative to strengthen the role of the United Nations in promoting peace and security. This recommendation is designed to strengthen the UN militarily in the event of a crisis situation. The WEU, having recognized that:

“The only common structure envisaged to assist the Security Council on military matters has never actually functioned: this is the Military Staff Committee composed of the chiefs of staffs of the permanent members of the Security Council.”

has committed to changing that situation as such:

“…The proposed provisions on tasks outside the European Union should state that the Union is ready to make its military capabilities available to the United Nations for the purpose of taking coercive action in the event of a threat to peace…”

Every organization represented by a circle on this chart has committed to the implementation of the Alliance of Civilizations initiative. That ought to debunk the myth that the United Nations is “insignificant” in world affairs. Incidentally, with all of these measures for crisis management in place, does anyone else detect another crisis in the very near future?

Daniel 8:25 “And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.”

1 Thessalonians 5:3 “For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them…”

Who's Calling Whom a Terrorist? The World According to Alliance of Civilizations' Mohammad Khatami

On an early September morning in 2006, in their usual morning routine, my parents poured some coffee and sat down in front of the television set to watch the news. My mother described my father’s reaction to the news report he had just heard in a somewhat humorous way. She said “I thought his eyes were going to pop out of his head and he started to choke on the coffee he had just started to swallow.” The report they had watched was that Mohammad Khatami, the previous Iranian president, was touring the United States and promoting the Alliance of Civilizations (AoC) initiative. See similar reports here:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5770663
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3298946,00.html

What had taken my father by surprise was not the Alliance of Civilizations which I had been discussing with him over the course of that year, rather, he was actually hearing about it in the media. He admitted that he though I was making a mountain out of a mole hill. He, as most Americans, had viewed the United Nations as an “irrelevant” organization.

What we had talked about a few weeks earlier was Khatami’s Dialogue of Civilizations—an initiative that the AoC has credited as providing much of its “philosophical heritage”. Noteworthy is that Khatami is a member of the AoC’s High Level Group.

In UN press release Terrorism Denies Universality of Values Implicit in Dialogue Among Civilizations , the following can be found:

“Finally, the Secretary-General reaffirms, a dialogue among civilizations was not only the answer to terrorism but also its nemesis in many ways. Terrorism sought to divide while dialogue aimed to unite. Terrorism was exclusionary and belligerent while dialogue was inclusive and accepting of the notion that no group was the exclusive owner of the truth…”

Here again, we see that they dislike anyone who believes in an absolute truth. This categorizes Christians as well as those in other faiths as terrorists. Now let’s take a look at who’s calling whom a terrorist. Below is a piece from Seraphic Secret, a blog I regularly visit. I trust it will adequately finish the Khatami story.

The Shame of the Episcopal Church
Former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami, a terrorist, a torturer, a human monster, has naturally been invited to speak at Harvard and Columbia Universities. I expect such moral blindness from our Ivy Leagues. But now this butcher has also been invited to speak at an Episcopal Church--all this during the week of 9-11. The question is: are these people merely stupid, or willfully blind to true evil, and therefore enablers of a world-class murderer, anti-Semite and Jihadist. There are no other choices.

The Very Rev. Samuel T. Lloyd III, Dean
Washington National Cathedral
3101 Wisconsin Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20016

Dear Rev. Lloyd:

The Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington is deeply disappointed and dismayed to learn that the Washington National Cathedral has decided to host former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami - a figure who has a long documented record of intolerance, anti-Semitism and human rights abuses. Under his leadership, and continuing today, repeated threats were made to destroy the Jewish state. As a prominent national church it is under no obligation to provide a platform to President Khatami. Quite the opposite; the cathedral's reputation is one of compassion and coexistence with other faith communities. This invitation belies that tradition. We ardently hope that you will consider withdrawing it.

Former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami is no moderate. His record is clear: during his time in office Iran expanded its support for international terrorism, pursued the acquisition of nuclear weapons, armed Hizbullah and other anti-Western extremists groups. In fact, as minister of culture, he presided over the creation of Hezbollah.

His reign, like that of his successor, has been repressive, intolerant, and autocratic. All the evidence contradicts his reputation as a reformer. We feel that the decision to invite President Khatami tarnishes the cathedral's tradition and reputation for promoting tolerance and mutual understanding among all people and is in conflict with its publicly stated mission.

At a bare minimum, considering his record as president, his earlier years of public service and the country he represents, he is an inappropriate individual to invite to participate in a discussion on religious tolerance. Your invitation bestows honor upon a dishonorable disseminator of hatred and intolerance.

President Khatami's reign was marked by repeated and public calls for the annihilation of Israel, unflinching progression towards the acquisition of nuclear weapons and the arming and financing of the terrorist group Hezbollah. When most Western leaders condemned Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's virulently anti-Semitic speech to the Organization of the Islamic Conference in October 2003, President Khatami called it "brilliant" and "logical." It was during President Khatami's rule in early 1999 that 13 Iranian Jews were arrested on sham charges of spying for Israel, including a rabbi and a 16-year-old boy. The trial violated all legal norms: it was closed to all observers, the judge served as the investigator and prosecutor, and no evidence was presented. Ten of the Jews were sentenced from 4-13 years in jail.

During President Khatami's rule internal repression continued unabated. Just one year into his presidency, his intelligence services murdered Darioush and Parvaneh Forouhar, leaders of Iran's National Party. More than fifty newspapers were banned, government-funded vigilantes killed unarmed students at Teheran University (with no one ever charged for the crimes) and in an effort to continue to monopolize all control over information to its population, the ban on satellite dishes was maintained and extended to private internet connections. In fact, it was during his rule that Iran accelerated its nuclear weapons program and the ballistic capability to deliver them.

His earlier behavior was not any better. As a member of the council under Ayatollah Khomeini, Khatami did nothing to prevent or protest the murder of 3,000 political prisoners in a single week in 1998. In charge of censorship for a decade in Iran, he banned over 600 books and he stated in the Iran daily Keyhan in 1980 that only clergy should serve in government.

As we have learned from history, one cannot separate the message from the messenger. President Khatami will take advantage of your heartfelt desire to promote peace and tolerance and use the platform to secure legitimacy for Iran's hard line positions. President Khatami may carefully craft his words for your audience, but that deception cannot hide his past actions and outrageous public pronouncements.

In the spirit of brotherhood towards all people, and peace, tolerance and love for all, we respectfully request that the invitation to President Khatami be withdrawn.

Sincerely,
Susan Weinberg, President
Ronald Halber, Executive Director

**********

Washington National Cathedral

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 22, 2006
Revised September 5, 2006

Contact: Greg Rixon
(202) 537-2198
GRixon@cathedral.org

FORMER IRANIAN PRESIDENT TO SPEAK
AT WASHINGTON NATIONAL CATHEDRAL

WASHINGTON – Former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami will present an address at Washington National Cathedral on September 7, 2006 at 7:30 pm. Attendance at the address will be by Cathedral invitation only. No additional requests for invitations can be accepted, but as many requests as possible that have been received will be honored.

President Khatami served as Iran's president from 1997 to 2005 and was the first reformist president following the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Elected with the broad support of women and young adults, Khatami is credited with the promotion of the rule of law, democracy, and the inclusion of all Iranians in the political decision-making process. His 1998 U.N. statement calling for a dialogue among the world's civilizations and cultures prompted Secretary General Kofi Annan to declare 2001 the U.N. Year of Dialogue Among Civilizations. In February of this year Khatami founded the International Institute for Dialogue among Civilizations and Cultures in Tehran.

Khatami presently participates in the High-Level Group of the United Nations' Alliance of Civilizations. He is one of 20 international leaders called together by U. N. Secretary General Kofi Annan and the prime ministers of Spain and Turkey to counter the deterioration of relations between societies and nations. The Alliance seeks to establish a relationship of mutual respect between civilizations and rejects religious and political extremism. His visit to the Cathedral will follow a meeting of the Group at the United Nations in New York, September 5th and 6th.

The Reverend Canon John L. Peterson, director of the Center for Global Justice and Reconciliation at the Cathedral noted that Khatami's visit is wholly appropriate at this time of increasing global tensions, since the former president intends to speak on the role the three Abrahamic faiths can play in shaping peace throughout the world. "The Cathedral is a place of reconciliation that opens its doors to people of all faiths, and we have a special commitment to embracing the children of Abraham. We have found that the Cathedral is an important platform for dialogue and open discussion," he said.

Of Khatami's visit Cathedral Dean, the Very Reverend Samuel T. Lloyd III said, "President Khatami's commitment to a dialogue between civilizations and cultures is an important component in the peace process. This is much needed in the world today." Dean Lloyd noted that Khatami is regarded as a man of peace and moderation.

Khatami will be speaking on the role the three Abrahamic faiths—Judaism, Christianity and Islam—can play in shaping the peace process.

One People -- One Goal -- One Faith: Alliance of Civilizations' Foundations

Shortly after the cartoon crisis settled down, I decided to read everything I could find written by the Alliance of Civilizations. Over the following months, I discovered the AoC’s web site that contained a scrolling message that stated its purpose was to counter the political, social, and religious forces that foment extremism. Also see Kofi Annan’s announcement of the composition of the High Level Group. The AoC’s agenda started to became quite evident to me. The first words on one of the documents spoke volumes: One People – One Goal – One Faith.

As I read through the large amount of documents on the Alliance’s web site, I realized there were words that should concern people of nearly every faith. For Example:

In Kofi Annan’s speech at the second AoC High Level Group (HLG) meeting, he identified the “clash of civilizations” problem as such: “It is important that we all realize that the problem is not with the faith but with a small group of the faithful – the extremists who tend to abuse and misinterpret the faith…”

The AoC’s working paper submitted by Spain further identified the problem with the faithful. The purpose of the AoC, it said, was “To counter the influence of those who feed on exclusion and claim sole ownership of the truth”. Christians who believe the words of Jesus in John 14:6 will no doubt find themselves on the wrong side of the AoC . Though for some, the Alliance intends to accommodate apostasy as one contributor to the process has said that the new age christ will redefine Christianity. A document published toward the end of 2006 tells us that it is the Alliance of Civilizations who grasps the truth and intends to supply it to us whether we like it or not. I will address this further in an upcoming blog post.

Not surprisingly, I found the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization to be an active participant in the AoC. Federico Mayor, past Director General of UNESCO is now the Co-chair of the AoC. In an address to the HLG at its third meeting, UNESCO called for restrictions on free speech where religious criticism was concerned: “Freedom of expression and freedom of the press are vital to cultural dialogue and must be defended as indispensable elements of democratic societies. HOWEVER, like other freedoms and rights, they must be exercised in accordance with respect for moral and religious convictions…” (emphasis mine)

Prime Minister Erdogan of Turkey chimed in with items that caught my attention:
1) That the AoC would “develop a list of concrete measures that both governments and civil societies will have to implement”; and
2) According to the HLG’s summary meeting notes of November 27-29 (no longer available online), the AoC philosophical heritage can be traced “to previous efforts aimed at bridging civilizations and cultures, notably the Dialogue Among Civilizations.” The UN Dialogue of Civilizations can be traced to Iran’s Mohammad Khatami. My next blog post will be devoted specifically to Khatami.

Finally, I noticed a common denominator in all of this. As I read Spains working paper, a portion stood out to me regarding the political and security panel: “The consolidation of a more fair international order; the promotion of democracy, national cohesion and human rights, in the framework of already existing initiatives such as the Barcelona Process and the Broader Middle East”. The common denominator I have noticed in the Alliance of Civilizations is Spain:

• Spanish Socialist Javier Solana is the initiator of the Barcelona Process.
• Spanish Socialist Zapatero introduced the AoC to the United Nations
• Spaniard Federico Mayor chairs the AoC.

I became seriously concerned and began to make phone calls to warn others. I remain very concerned to this day. Unfortunately, as you will see in future blog posts, things get worse.

Rich Peterson

Moments of Crisis Carry Seeds of Opportunity: The Cartoon Crisis

I first learned of the Alliance of Civilizations (AoC) in February of 2006 when tensions were high in the Middle East due to violent riots. I recall reading that the unrest was in response to Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten’s Sept. 2005 publication which contained inflammatory caricatures of the prophet Mohammad. The information that followed was very extraordinary and somewhat confusing to process. I noticed the following:

• People from both the United Nations and the European Union had stepped on stage to manage and diffuse the crisis.
• These same people called for restrictions on free speech.
• The United Nations had just introduced something big--the “Alliance of Civilizations”--that had quickly rooted through management of the crisis.
• An article entitled “The Betrayal of Denmark (and of Us All)” appeared in the Brussels Journal. It contained writing from a Jyllands-Posten journalist stating that the three most inflammatory cartoons that made their way into the Middle East were never part of the newspaper’s publication.
  
  As I read news accounts, I became convinced that the Alliance of Civilizations was something that was not going to disappear anytime soon. The Jyllands-Posten journalist asserted that this crisis may have been a staged “clash of civilizations”. I began to suspect likewise. I have since pieced together a timeline from the materials I’ve collected that have strengthened that suspicion. At the AoC’s Doha debates, Diana Buttu was asked if the events were orchestrated to bring about a desired response. Her response was yes, but she didn’t know who would benefit from it. I believe I have that answer.
  
  To understand the AoC, one must also examine the social dimension of the European Union’s Barcelona Process which was developed in 1995 by Javier Solana, EU High Representative for Common and Foreign Security Policy. The Barcelona Process is the political, social, and economic platform in which the EU operates. Two of the social dimension’s objectives are:

• To create favorable trade conditions for the EU within the Mediterranean basin ( enlargement, aka Euro-Med Partnership)
• To combat religious fundamentalism worldwide.

In 2005, the EU held a 10-year anniversary summit dedicated to the enlargement process. It was reported to have been a failure on a grand scale. Muslim states saw the EU as self-serving imperialists and had no desire to incorporate into the European Union. The Process desperately needed help and Solana had found some political allies in both Spain and Turkey. The following are events that correlate both the formation of the AoC and the ailing Barcelona/Euro-Med Summit:

September 2004, Spain's Prime Minister Zapatero introduced the concept of an Alliance of Civilizations initiative before the 59th session of the United Nations General Assembly. This initiative was co-sponsored by Turkey’s Prime Minister Erdogan. I suspect Zapatero discussed this initiative with Javier Solana as in March 1997 Solana had written in “NATO and the Mediterranean” that he ought to thank Samuel Huntington for his thesis on the “clash of civilizations” and went on to explain how the Euro-Mediterranean region could avoid such a clash.

March 22, 2005: Zapatero urged Arab leaders to back his AoC initiative. Islam Online reports that “His project is set to breathe new life into trans-Mediterranean dialogue and Barcelona is scheduled to stage a November summit to mark the 10th anniversary of the launching of the so-called Barcelona Process designed to that end.”

July 14, 2005: Kofi Annan announced for formation of the AoC.

July 27, 2005: Tony Blair welcomed the AoC.

September 8, 2005: UN Security Council adopted Resolution S/2005/567 establishing a Partnership of Civilizations which states that “moments of crisis carried the seeds of opportunity…” and also “This partnership will represent a powerful response to those who feed on exclusion and arrogantly claim the sole ownership of truth…”

September 30, 2005: Jyllands-Posten published the Mohammad cartoons.

October 3, 2005: Prime Minister Erdogan of Turkey warns the EU that “An Alliance of Civilizations is a must if the EU wants to be a global power…”

November 2005: The AoC reported that the High Commissioner of Human Rights received complaints about the cartoons.

November 27-28, 2005: 10-year anniversary of the Barcelona Process is held. It was reported that ‘The outcome of the Summit is seen by some as a success merely because it was saved from collapse”.

November 27, 2005: First meetings of the AoC High Level Group meet in Spain.

November 27, 2005: Javier Solana attends an Alliance of Civilizations meeting.

November 29, 2005: 35 Euro-Med member states welcome the Anna Lindh Foundation as the face to Euro-Med Partnership and instrument of implementation for the AoC.

Early February 2006, riots break out throughout the Middle East over cartoons.

February 15, 2006: Solana is reported to be touring the Middle East capitals to placate Muslim anger.

February 16, 2006: Zapatero thanks the Muslim community for its calls for calm. Muslim leaders give full support to the AoC initiative.

February 23, 2006: Solana again apologizes and attends AoC meeting with the Organization of the Islamic Conference.

March 10, 2006: EU asks Turkey to be a mediator in the cartoon crisis.

As the dust settled, two beneficiaries appear to have emerged from this crisis--namely, the AoC and Javier Solana. As I will show in future posts, the AoC is very pro-Islam and blames the west for all of the Mideast’s problems. Solana's incorporation of the AoC into the Barcelona Process has subsequently resulted in a favorable outcome for the Euro-Med Partnership. The flailing Barcelona Process had found new life. This past January 2007, Solana strengthened the Euro-Med Association Agreements for a period of seven years. The Arab partners must now incorporate and establish with the EU a trade zone by 2010. Alliance of Civilizations' implementation is targeted to start within the framework of the Barcelona Process and then be amplified globally.

For Javier Solana and the Alliance of Civilizations, this crisis indeed equalled opportunity.

(Note: I have supporting news articles for each date in the timeline. Unfortunately, most are no longer available online but have these archived for reference.)

What is the Alliance of Civilizations?

In November of 2006, the Alliance of Civilizations' High Level Group published its recommendations in its final report. The following month, I published a newspaper article warning of its contents. These recommendations came as no surprise as I had been following this group's activities since its inception. I have written several warnings about the Alliance of Civilizations which I intend to publish on this blogspace. I am starting with one of my latter articles since it is a good introduction to the initiative for those who need to familiarize themselves with it.

As published in December 2006:

The final report of the United Nations’ Alliance of Civilizations (AoC) initiative was released last month. In addition to its usual goal of combating exclusivist ideology, the report contains some interesting elements:

1) Exclusivist ideology is defined as “those who feed on exclusion and claimsole ownership of the truth. (Christians, read John 14:6 as you consider thisstatement.)

2) The core issue identified to be the bridge between the West and Islam is resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

3) The global and problematic players in this conflict have been identified as the adherents of the three monotheistic faiths.

4) Failure to resolve this conflict will result in a failed Alliance of Civilizations.

Also noteworthy is that the AoC has identified the European Union’s Barcelona Process as one of the frameworks in which it intends to operate. For those unfamiliar with the Process, it is the foundation of the EU’s political, economic, and social policy. The Process, also known as the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, is represented as the only platform that can solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The social dimension of the Process, with implementation facilitated by the Anna Lindh Foundation, cooperates with the AoC and shares the common goal to combat religious fundamentalism worldwide.So what happens to the adherents of the monotheistic faiths if the peace process fails? Lucis Trust, one of the contributors to the AoC initiative gives us an idea. In its publication The Rays and the Initiations, Lucis Trust says that those faiths are but three dead and gone religions with Judaism being old, obsolete, and separative. Christianity, they say, has served its purpose and the new age Christ will replace the Gospel with a new truth. As for Muslims, they will accept the new age Christ as their Imam Mahdi “who will lead them to light and to spiritual victory.”

The objective of the AoC, therefore, is “to enforce an Alliance of Civilizations against all those who…give prevalence…to a logic of division and confrontation.” Since the Alliance intends to be fully prepared to enforce its objectives by 2009, I suspect that’s when they will introduce their symbol. Timing is everything. The European Commission has just submitted a document to the author of the Barcelona Process that it is time to deliver.

If the planners of the AoC really mean what they say, may God help us all.