PATHWAYS TO ARMEGEDDON, AND BEYOND

CHAPTER 4

THE EUROPEAN PATHWAY

(News event ìMilestonesî through 7/2002)

The Pathway of Europe is paved with stones of conquest and unification attempts.Ý Early on, Imperial Rome expanded and conquered the civilized world.Ý This European culture has a long history ofÝ colonizing, evangelizing, and imposing its culture on the entire planet.Ý As a result, Europe's hybrid language -- English, Western culture, and Democracy have become defacto global standards.Ý The United States, the largest European colony, has greatly assisted in the spread of Western culture and values.

While Rome conquered the world by military might, today, Europe will overtake the world through economic might.Ý The world economy is about to experience the ultimate, "hostile takeover."Ý With the introduction of the Euro, the European Union has begun rivaling the United States to become the preeminent world economic force.Ý The final steps in this takeover bid will be launched by the Prince himselfÝ - - indeed, the final steps on this pathway.

How will we recognize the Princeís Kingdom?Ý Godís prophets have shared the following description of this final world governmentÖ

… It is a European empire¹

… It is a "divided kingdom": some parts weak, others strong³

… Its awesome strength is used to subject the whole earth to its control⁵

… It is "different" in nature from all the other kingdoms⁶

… Prior to the Princeís rise to power, there are ten kings (or seats of power)⁷

… During the reign of these ten kings, an eleventh king arises, who is "different" from the ten ñ the Prince'⁸

… he eliminates three of the ten kings⁹

… he wages war against God's People¹⁰

… he speaks out against God¹¹

… he has himself deified¹²

… he will honor a god of fortifications¹³

… he honors those who acknowledge him, and gives them ruling authority¹⁴

… he intends to change times and law¹⁵

… he will be given power for 3 ‡Ý years¹⁶

… he rules with a cabinet of ten men¹⁷

… his 'Cabinet Chief' wields the Princeís power as his own¹⁸

… his 'Cabinet Chief' institutes an global economic system which controls all buying and selling¹⁹

… It is judged by God and dominion is given to Messiah²⁰

Ý

How close are we to this Kingdom?Ý Letís seeÖ

THREE SECTIONS OF THE EUROPEAN PATHWAY

Ý

The European Pathway can be divided into three major sections: unification, division, and reunification summarized as follows:Ý

Section 1: EUROPEAN UNIFICATION:

… In the beginning, ìEuropeî was a land mass occupied by individual tribes and city-states

… The City-State of Rome grew to become the Roman empire through military conquest and the spread of the Roman culture throughout Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa- - creating the first unified European government

… The far reaches of this world empire were centrally controlled by the government in Rome.

… In addition to local gods, the emperor was also worshipped as a god

… Judeo-Christianity could not accept emperor worship and was persecuted.

… The central government lost control due to over-expansion and eventually collapsed

Section 2: EUROPEAN DIVISION:

… Germanic tribes invaded all of Europe and contributed to the fall of the Roman Government

… Germanic kings began to rule local areas.

… The geographic influence of local kings grew and the ages of the Absolute Monarchs and Nation-States was born.

… The Roman Church's political influence grew and was intertwined with that of the European Kings.

… Judaism and non-Roman Christianity was persecuted for not accepting the preeminence of Roman Church doctrine.

… A number of failed attempts were made to reunify central European government including: the Holy Roman Empire, the French Empire under Napoleon, the German Empire under the Kaiser (read ìCaesarî), and the Third Reich.

Section 3: EUROPEAN REUNIFICATION:

… The final reunification attempt occurred in 1951 with the merging of six nations into the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC)

… During the next half century, functional areas of a centralized European government evolved semi-independently including CSCE, EU, NATO, et al.

… The European empire is centrally controlled from Brussels, but will eventually be controlled from Jerusalem.

… The European empire will continue to coalesce, build in power and expand through economic 'conquest'

… Emperor worship will be re-instituted, resulting in the persecution of Judeo-Christian believers

… The Prince will struggle to retain global control and bring peace to the Middle East by eliminating Israel

… The Prince and the armies of the world will fall during the Battle of Armageddon and surrender to the leader of Israel's army,Ý Messiah Jesus

… Messiah Jesus will finally be successful in implementing a world government that lasts for a thousand years.

SECTION 1: EUROPEAN UNIFICATION

Imperial RomeÝ (264 B.CÝ toÝ 4-5 Century A.D.)

It may be difficult for us to imagine how the ëfriendlyí Europe that we know today could evolve into the brutal, global government described by the prophets.Ý We wonder why the peoples of the planet would willingly submit to this coming oppressive regime.Ý Perhaps there is a clue to this puzzlement in the nature of Imperial Roman government and religion.

Although it is hard to believe, Imperial Rome was characterized by political and religious tolerance.Ý It was the usual practice of conquering nations to enslave the local populations and force them to accept their appointed governors and alien religion.Ý This was not the practice of Rome.

The Romans were a practical people.Ý Their objective was to collect taxes.Ý Oppressed people are uncooperative; people do not pay taxes.Ý Therefore, Rome conquered through cultural assimilation.Ý The Romans built a vast network of roads throughout their empire.Ý Although the primary intent was for the movement of troops, in that they speeded communication, they also served as a conduit for Roman civilization.Ý The Romans taught provincial civil servants and magistrates the Roman method of government, then let them rule their own people.

The Romans themselves imported the "best" features of local cultures and religions and integrated them into the whole of Roman civilization.Ý "Rome" was therefore the sum of its parts.Ý Each race and religion was able to find suitable breathing room in this early "Common European House", with the notable exception of the Jews.

So extensive was this "unity in diversity", a concept that we hear so much of in our day, that by the first century A.D., few members of the Roman Senate were of Italian extraction.Ý Rome was not always viewed as an occupying force as the Romans were often more efficient and benevolent that the local governments that they replaced.Ý Provincial peoples treasured their Roman citizenship because of the security and legal benefits it bestowed.Ý We have an example of this in Acts 22 where the apostle Paul struck terror into the hearts of his Roman captors when he informed them of his Roman citizenship.

Roman religion was very eclectic.Ý It was a massive collection of amorphous beliefs and tribal gods.Ý There was no defined creed of dogma.Ý The gods of conquered nations were quickly assimilated into the whole.

The Roman viewed religion much differently than we who live in a society rooted in the Judeo-Christian tradition do.Ý Religion was not thought of in terms of salvation or individual behavior.Ý Rather, "religion" was the performance of proscribed public rites by the local magistrates.Ý To the very practical common man, religion meant little more than not working on the holidays.Ý But as most "practical" men of any era, when they sought the meaning of life, they turned to superstitions and crazes.Ý During this period there was a great influx of religious ideas and practices from the East.

Amidst this bouillabaisse of beliefs arose an Imperial cult.Ý In 12 B.C., Augustus Caesar, ruler of Imperial Rome assumed the role of chief priest of the official cult and its title ofÝ This is the same title currently held by the Roman Catholic pope, the Bishop of Rome.Ý Augustus used the position to revive the old Roman religious ideas.Ý These included linking respect for patrons, placating and invoking deities and the commemoration of great events and men to divine kingship.Ý In the provinces he allowed worship of his genius: a divine life-force within him.

Most provincial religions did not find the Imperial cult restrictive.Ý What's another god among hundreds of others.Ý The exception to this was the Jew.Ý Although not happy with their loss of sovereignty, they could reconcile themselves to paying taxes.Ý What they could not tolerate was the blasphemy of worshiping a Roman Emperor as a god.Ý This friction continued until open revolt broke out in 66 A.D. which ultimately resulted in the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 A.D.Ý

This destruction was prophesied by Daniel six centuries before Christ as part of his ì70 Weeksî prophecy (see Chapter 2 for more detail):

ìThen after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. ÖîÝ Daniel 9:26

He not only told us WHEN the Messiah would come and the city and temple would be destroyed(e.g. 483 years after 445 B.C.), he gave us a backwards reference to the lineage of the Prince.Ý Once Imperial Rome conquered the city and the sanctuary, we then knew that the ìthe prince who is to comeî - - the Antichrist would be European.

Ý

We are now seeing Imperial ìEuropeî employing the same Roman methods of world conquest - cultural assimilation and religious 'tolerance.'Ý Through worldwide electronic communications, English has become the world's common language, western civilization, western democracy has become the world leading form of government, and "religion" is whatever a man wants it to be. We all are becoming world citizens ñ European style.

SECTION 2: EUROPEAN DIVISION AND FAILED UNIFICATION ATTEMPTS

(4-5 Century A.D. toÝ mid-20th Century)

After seven centuries of unification, European central government fell.Ý The reasons for the fall of Rome literally fill volumes.Ý For our discussion it is important to note that the Germanic peoples have played key roles in the division and subsequent reunification of Europe.Ý The central government of Rome collapsed during invasions and migrations by Germanic tribes.Ý These tribes established Germanic kingdoms throughout Europe.

MAJOR GERMANIC CONQUESTS AND MIGRATIONS

AREAÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ GERMANIC TRIBES

BritainÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ Angles and Saxons

SpainÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ Visigoths

ItalyÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ Ostrogoths and Lombards

GaulÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ Franks, Burgundians and Visigoths

North AfricaÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ Vandals

Today, are not the British referred to by the Germanic tribal name "Anglo-Saxons"?Ý Have you heard of European ìGothicî architecture, coined to indicate its barbarism?Ý Are the people from Gaul not now called the "French" from the Germanic tribe of the "Franks"?Ý Does not Burgundy wine come from that area settled by the Germanic Burgundians in France?Ý It is also interesting to note that most, if not all of the European monarchies have Germanic roots.

Germanic blood and culture was infused throughout the continent of Europeóbringing a peculiar brand of unity even in division.Ý Despite this common heritage, Europe has been plagued with tribal warfare.Ý Perhaps this is what the prophet Daniel is alluding to when he says:

"And in that you saw the iron mixed with common clay, THEY WILL COMBINE WITH ONE ANOTHER IN THE SEED OF MEN; BUT THEY WILL NOT ADHERE TO ONE ANOTHER, even as iron does not combine with pottery."Ý Daniel 2:43

But the drive for expansion and pan-European unity and never died.Ý The lose groupings of Germanic tribes evolved into kingdoms and "feudal" domains throughout Europe.Ý As the geographic influence of local kings grew, the age of the Absolute Monarchy and the Nation-State was born.Ý

During this period of the Nation-State, successive attempts were made to centrally govern and reunify Europe.Ý Since the fall of Imperial Rome, these reunification attempts almost appear as a single, unbroken effort to reestablish a unified Europe.Ý

The Frankish Kingdom (482-814)Ý

King Clovis defeated the Roman armies in Gaul -- modern France.Ý He was king of the Franks, a Germanic warrior tribe.Ý His successors expanded his kingdom so that it encompassed nearly the whole of Europe.Ý They "... not only extended Frankish overlordship in the east as far as the middle Danube, but also conquered the Burgundians and drove the Ostrogoths from Provence."²¹Ý However, Clovis' heirs were known as "do-nothing" kings.Ý It was during their reigns that the power of the nobility grew.

A powerful lineage of nobles, the Mayors of the Palace, succeeded to the Frankish throne in 751 with the help of the Pope.Ý In exchange, King Pepin defeated the Germanic Lombards of Northern

Italy and gave the land to the Pope.Ý Pepin's son was Charlemagne.Ý After conquering the Lombards in Italy, the Moslems in Spain, the Slavs in Czechoslovakia and the Saxons in north-west Germany, Charlemagne was rewarded by the Roman Church.Ý In 800, he was crowned "Emperor of the Romans" by Pope Leo II.Ý Charlemagne's empire collapse upon his death in 814 and his title was unused until 962.

The Holy Roman Empire (962 - 1806)

The Holy Roman Empire "... was effectively established in 962 when the pope crowned Otto I, king of Germany, emperor at Rome.Ý At its height in the 10th and 11th centuries, it included all the German lands, Austria, and modern W Czechoslovakia, Switzerland, the Low Countries, E France and N and Central Italy.Ý The emperor was usually the dominant German sovereign, elected by the princes and until Maximilian I, crowned by the pope.Ý The empire was originally seen as a universal monarchy, modeled on the Roman Empire, the temporal equivalent and ally of the papacy.Ý From the 11th to the 13th centuries, however, it clashed continually with the papacy for European supremacy...The empire endured in name until Napoleon, as Emperor of the French ceased to recognize it in 1806; Francis II of Austria then abdicated the imperial title."²²

Perhaps this model of a European Head of State being elected by his peers and crowned by the Pope will be the model by which the Prince will ascend to his throne!

The French EmpireÝ (1804 - 1815)

In 1804, Napoleon changed France's government from a republic into an Empire.Ý He assumed the title of Emperor Napoleon I.Ý With the exception of Portugal and Britain, Napoleon's Empire dominated the continent of Europe from the Atlantic Ocean to the Russian border.Ý The rise of Napoleon was the demise of the Holy Roman Empire.

In addition to military conquest, Napoleon engaged in economic warfare as well.Ý He isolated Britain from continental markets by developing the "Continental System" and sought to overtake her colonial possessions as well.Ý Initially Russia, who was allied with Napoleon, agreed to boycott English markets.Ý However, after suffering economically, Russia resumed a trading relationship with Britain.Ý Napoleon attacked Russia and was forced to retreat.Ý This began the decline of Napoleon's Empire which ended at Waterloo.Ý After the fall of Napoleon's empire, rule of Europe by absolute monarchy was restored by the Congress of Vienna.

In that the Prince's primary area of control will be economic, perhaps it will be the fear of exclusion from a neo-Continental System that will cause nations to rush to be inside his ìFortress Europeî.

The German Empire (1789-1945)

The road to national German unity has been a long one.Ý Prior to the domination of Europe by Napoleon there were over 300 German states. ÝThrough consolidation, Napoleon reduced that number to 100.Ý The Congress of Vienna, which attempted to patch Europe back together after the Napoleonic disaster, further reduced the number of Germanic states to 38.

Between 1862 and 1971, Prussia, one of the larger Germanic states sought to unify Germans and create a single state.Ý Otto von Bismark sought to expedite unification by giving the Germans a common foe.Ý He intentionally provoked the Franco-Prussian War.Ý This war began a period of hostilities that would eventually precipitate two world wars.Ý In 1871, his scheming paid off and the German Empire was born.Ý William I was proclaimed Kaiser (Caesar).Ý This empire initially stretched through much of north-central Europe and Russia.

The northern Germanic states were predominantly Protestant, while the south was predominantly Catholic.Ý After the German Empire was created, Bismark began a legislative attack against the Roman Church called Kulturkampf -- "struggle for civilization."Ý The Roman clergy was placed under state control.Ý The Church could no longer influence education.Ý All marriages had to be civil ceremonies.Ý This renewed the tradition of religious persecution in Europe.

After many years of hatred and military build up, the Franco-Prussian war again erupted as World War I.Ý Then, on the pretext of defending German ethnic nationals, Germany and its allies conquered much of the continent of Europe during the 1930's.Ý This was Adolph Hitler's Third Reich and the beginning of World War II.

During this dark period, religious hatred again flared.Ý The Nazis controlled the Protestant Churches.Ý Those churchmen who would not cooperate were placed in concentration camps.Ý The Roman clergy was often framed and incarcerated.Ý Catholic education was discouraged.Ý The Nazi regime had a particular hatred for the Jews.Ý German Jews were deprived of citizenship, their synagogues were burned, their property was confiscated, their means of livelihood was removed, they were transported to concentration camps were they were systematically starved, tortured and murdered.Ý German domination of Europe, and the carnage of God's people was stopped when Germany was defeated by Russian, British and US forces.

Perhaps the German Empire will be the model for the Prince's religious persecution.Ý He, too, will take great delight in oppressing the Jews and will declare himself to be god their rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem.Ý He and his 'cabinet' of ten will also take great delight in burning Vatican City.²³

Since the breakup of Rome, there have been continuous efforts to "put it back together again" as the Humpty-Dumpty rhyme goes.Ý It would appear that God has stayed the hand of the unifiers for two millennia so that He could implement His own plan of grace.Ý Today, the unifiers are having increasing success.Ý One Nazi legacy was the seed of the current reunification effort -- the European Coal and Steel Community, but more on that later.Ý Soon a "Roman" based world government will be in place, with the Prince wearing its crown.Ý He will have studied his European history well, and learned its lessons of kingship, economic dominion and religious persecution.

SECTION 3: EUROPEAN REUNIFICATION: SUCCESS AT LAST

(mid-20th Century and Beyond)

The most recent experiment in European reunification is the European Union - - and it appears to be meeting with success at last!ÝÝ Surprisingly, it has its root in the Third Reich.Ý The European Union began as ECSC, the European Coal and Steel Community.Ý While it was founded in 1951, shortly after WWII, it was actually the natural outgrowth of the industrial complex put in place by the Nazis:

" Öthe Shuman Plan, gave birth to the first of the European Communities, the European Coal and Steel Community, which pooled the iron, steel and coal industries of France, Germany, Italy and the Benelux [Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg] countries (soon to be known as the Six) under the first supra-national body, the High Authority -- forerunner of the European Commission.Ý The other five nations had the common experience of German occupation and control over their industry.Ý Since the German industrial complex had been centrally directed to the war effort, there had been considerable co-operation between all six nations, especially in resistance to the demands which were being made on them by Albert Speer, the Nazi industrial supremo.Ý Grounded in part, therefore, on their recent experience, the coal and steel industries of the continent were a natural first step for formal collaboration.Ý The founding treaty of this first Community was signed in Paris on 18 April 1951."³⁰

The Member States have in recent years entered into an additional series of treaties expanding powers of the central EU government.

ÝìThe Treaty on European Union, which entered into force on 1 November 1993, sets the Member States an ambitious programme: monetary union by 1999, new common policies, European citizenship, a common foreign and security policy and internal security. Applying the review clause in the Maastricht Treaty, the Member States negotiated a further treaty, signed in Amsterdam on 2 October 1997, which adapted and strengthened the Union's policies and powers, particularly in judicial cooperation, the free movement of persons, foreign policy and public health. The European Parliament, the Union's immediate democratic voice, was granted new powers, confirming its role as joint legislator.î ⁷⁵

The European Union: Unity in Diversity

Membership has been continually growing, from the original six ECSC members to a number that may soon exceed twenty-five.Ý This growth is both a blessing and a curseÖwhile it expands the size and power of the marketplace, it also presents many challenges.

It is extremely difficult to achieve unity amid such great diversity.Ý Ever expanding membership means ever expanding variability and a decreased probability of speaking with ìone voiceî.Ý What interests divide the member states?Ý Well, nearly everythingÖ

State size:	Large	v.	Small
Level of Wealth:	Wealthy	v.	Impoverished
Level of Need:	Self-sufficient	v.	Needy
Government View:	Liberal	v.	Conservative
Economy:	Industrial	v.	Agricultural
Budget:	Balanced	v.	Deficit
European Vision:	Federalist	v.	International Association

The early treaties required a unanimous vote of all member states to take decisions.Ý The competing interests of the weak and the strong members frequently make consensus unattainable on all but the most simple issues.Ý A way must be found, and will be found, for Europe to speak with a single voice:

ìHenceforth, the Union has no choice but to progress still further along the road towards an organisation which is both efficient and democratic, capable of making decisions and taking action while preserving the identity of its constituent States. Unless it can strengthen its structures and rationalise decision-making the Union will be faced with the prospect of dilution or paralysis. A "Greater Europe" in gestation will only develop into an organised power if it is built in such a way as to be capable of speaking and acting as one.î ⁷⁶ Ý

Could this unusual union of unequal EU member states be what Daniel saw in his visions?Ý It is certainly a divided kingdom in search of a single voice.Ý Are France, Germany, and Britain the ìironî or the ìstrongî that Daniel refers to while Luxemborg, Portugal and other weaker nations are the weak, brittle ìclayî?

ÝìÖit will be a divided kingdom; but it will have in it the toughness of iron, inasmuch as you saw the iron mixed with common clay.Ý And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of pottery, so some of the kingdom will be strong and part of it will be brittle.î Daniel 2:41-42

The European Union: A Unique Form of Government

The European Union has evolved a complex organization structure to represent the interests and needs of people and governments at many levels.Ý As national governments have ceded portions of their sovereignty to the EU, the responsibilities and powers of these institutions have increased accordingly.

EUROPEAN UNION INSTITUTIONS AND THEIR ROLES⁷⁷

EXECUTIVE INSTITUTIONS	ROLE
The European ParliamentÖ	Öis directly elected, so it represents and coordinates the varied interests of the people of Europe
The Council of the UnionÖ	Öis composed of the heads of state from the Member States and therefore represents and coordinates the varied interests of the member state governments
The European CommissionÖ	Ö is appointed by the European Parliament, so it represents the interests of all Europe.Ý It is the driving force and executive body of the European Union.
The Court of JusticeÖ	Öis appointed by common accord of the Member State governments, and is charged with ensuring compliance with EU law
The Court of AuditorsÖ	Öis appointed by Member State governments, and is charged with ensuring the sound and lawful management of the EU budget
SUPPORT INSTITUTIONS	ROLE
European Economic and Social Committee	Expresses the opinions of organised civil society on economic and social issues
Committee of the Regions	Expresses the opinions of regional and local authorities on regional policy, environment, and education
European Ombudsman	Deals with complaints from citizens concerning mal-administration by an EU institution or body
European Investment Bank	Contributes to EU objectives by financing public and private long-term investments
European Central Bank	Responsible for monetary policy and foreign exchange operations

The EU is an ongoing experiment in human government.Ý It is a form of government unlike any other that has ever existed.Ý It is layered and each layer plays by different rules.Ý The layer closest to the people, including the European Parliament, is most likely to exhibit democratic methods.Ý The layer closest to power, the European Commission, is most likely to exhibit autocratic methods.Ý Also, it is neither a state government nor an international organization. Unlike a state that typically represents one ethnic group, the European Union stretches across the continent of Europe, encompassing all of its tribes and peoples.Ý And unlike an international organization, it increasingly wealds the full power and sovereignty of a state.Ý

ìThe European Union is based on the rule of law and democracy. It is neither a new State replacing existing ones nor is it comparable to other international organisations. Its Member States delegate sovereignty to common institutions representing the interests of the Union as a whole on questions of joint interest. All decisions and procedures are derived from the basic treaties ratified by the Member States.î ⁷⁸

When the prophet Daniel saw his visions of the four successive forms of world governments, he referred to them as ëbeastsí.Ý He described the characteristics of the final world government, the ìfourth beastî, and one of those characteristics was its uniqueness.Ý Could the European Union, this experiment in world government, which is neither state nor international organization, neither democracy nor autocracy be the unique ëbeastí described by Daniel?

ÝìÖa fourth beastÖwas different from all the beasts [kingdoms] that were before it...î Daniel 7:7

ÝìÖThe fourth beast will be a fourth kingdom on the earth, which will be different from all the other kingdoms...î Daniel 7:23

The European Union: Ambitions of World Power

The European Union would like to become the predominant global super-power. They have conquered their historical obstacles of tribal warfare, cultural difference and multi-lingualism.Ý The obstacles that it now faces in achieving its goal are all internal.Ý As soon as the institutions can be restructured to accommodate the growing size and diversity of the Union, nothing will be

The EUís limitations are all self-imposed, but not for longÖ

ìThe Union has already established itself as an economic, trading and monetary power. It now has the potential to become a political power too, if it is prepared to exploit all the opportunities created by the Maastricht Treaty. By now there is little distinction in practice between the Unionís economic and diplomatic activities on the world stage.î ⁷⁹ Ý

What was true when God spoke of the people of Babel, is true today:

ìBehold they are one people, and they all have the same language.Ý And this is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them.îÝ Genesis 11:6

The EU wants to attain economic and super-power parity with the US and eventually surpass it.

ìMr Prodi said the EU must acquire a diplomatic and economic machinery enabling it to compete on an equal footing with the United States. "It is time for the Union to shoulder its responsibilities as a world power," he said in the Commission proposal.."î ⁸⁰

From all indications, the EUís wielding of global power will not be benign, rather it will be confrontational and interventionist.Ý One area where the EU has begun challenging the U.S. is on the world currency market.Ý Already the European Monetary Unit (EMU), launched in January 1999 has achieved parity with the U.S. dollar and is seeking to unseat it as the most accepted world currency.Ý

The EU has also sought opportunities to restrict, control and punish U.S. businesses.Ý For example, in 2001, the EU denied approval of the merger of General Electric with Honeywell, thereby preventing the largest merger of two U.S. businesses and damaging both companies.Ý

In even more threatening moves, the EU is using the World Trade Organization to usurp the ability of other nations to control and provide their own governmental services.Ý For example, it was reported in April of 2002:

ìThe European Union is demanding that foreign companies be allowed to compete with the U.S. Postal Service as part of World Trade Organization talks that began last year. According to a draft copy of its demands obtained by The Washington Times, Europe also wants access to American markets for municipal water and waste services. It also will call for foreign companies to be given access to Small Business Administration loans. ÖThe European demands, which will be formally presented to the U.S. government by the end of June, mark the opening salvo in WTO negotiations on trade in services, an area that includes industries from finance to telecommunications to energy. ÖMany of the groups, especially in the United States, say new negotiations will force cities to sell municipal utilities such as water and electricity and could put them in the hands of far-off corporations.Ý "Now the cat is out of the bag," said Ruth Caplan, who handles trade issues for the Alliance for Democracy, a group critical of the WTO. "From the mail we receive to the water we drink, the European requests show that our basic public services are under threat." ⁸¹

The federalists in Europe have been pushing the EU to evolve from a mutual cooperation union into a sovereign super-state.Ý Globalists have similar dreams for a world government.