The New Age Movement

The New Age Movement (NAM) is both a religious and a social movement. In fact, Western culture is currently experiencing a phenomenal, spiritual, ideological, and sociological shift. It is a religious world view that is alien and hostile to Christianity. It's a multi-focused, multi-faceted synthesis, in varying degrees, of the Far Eastern, mystical religions, mainly Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, and Western Occultism, adapted to and influenced by Western, materialistic culture. It sometimes appears in secularized forms.

Prominent expressions of the NAM were carried on into more modern times in Europe and America by Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772), transcendentalists like Thoreau, Emerson, and Wordsworth (early 1800s), and Theosophy introduced by Madame Helena Blavatsky (1831-1891) (The New Age Rage, pp. 22-24). The decade of the sixties witnessed a revival of Eastern mysticism as traditional values were being challenged. Zen, Carlos Castañada, the Beatles, Transcendental Meditation, and yoga all became popular.

The New Age Movement consists of an incredibly huge and well organized network consisting of thousands of groups, trusts, foundations, clubs, lodges, and religious groups whose goal and purpose is to prepare the world to enter the coming "Age Of Aquarius." A small sampling of only a few of the organizations involved would include: Amnesty International, Zero Population Growth, California New Age Caucus, New World Alliance, World Goodwill, The Church Universal and Triumphant, The Theosophical Society, the Forum, Planetary Initiative for the World We Choose, the Club of Rome, Church Universal & Triumphant, Christian Science, and the Unity School of Christianity. This list, by no means all inclusive, demonstrates the diversity of organizations operating in economic, political, and religious spheres of influence. The New Age movement is not a unified, traditional cult system of beliefs and practices, even though its roots derive from Eastern religions and the occult. It has no official leader, headquarters, nor membership list, but instead is a network of groups working toward specific goals. One of its main goals is to bring to the forefront a one-world leader who is called "The Christ" or "Maitreya." Nevertheless, it is estimated that there are millions of worldwide followers of various New Age practices and/or holders of one or more of the major beliefs of the New Age.

The NAM has gained significant influence, affecting almost every area of the culture -- sociology, psychology, medicine, the government, ecology, science, arts, education, the business community, the media, entertainment, sports, and even the church. The movement expresses itself in widely divergent and various mutated forms, from the blatantly obvious to the subtle. It is expressed in organized religious forms such as Christian Science, Unity, and even forms of Witchcraft. Yet, it shows up in secular forms as well, in various human potential seminars, and much in between, i.e., transcendental meditation, some alternative holistic health practices, and certain curriculum in public (and private) schools. The book Networking lists over 1,200 organizations, centers, cooperatives, groups, communities, and networks in fields ranging from health care and spiritual growth, through politics, economics, and ecology, to education, communications, personal growth, and intercultural relations. There is hardly any area of human interest that does not have some people somewhere exploring it from a New Age point of view. Due to the lack of a central organization and the diversity of emphasis adhered to by the various New Age groups, there are literally hundreds of publications. Some popular publications and journals are New Age Journal, Body Mind Spirit, Yoga Journal, Gnosis, East West, Noetic Sciences, and Omega.The major goal of the New Age Movement is to bring peace to the world upon entering the Age of Aquarius. This will be accomplished primarily through the leadership of "the Christ" (also known as "Lord Maitreya"), who will supposedly come to teach us to live at peace with each other. Some of the other stated goals of the movement are to establish a World Food Authority, World Water Authority, World Economic Order, and an entirely New World Order. It should be noted here that one of the requirements for a person to enter the New Age is that he or she will have to take what is known as a "Luciferic Initiation," a kind of pledge of allegiance to the Christ of the New Age and to the New World Order. The primary goals of the movement then, are to prepare the world to receive the Christ and to enter the Age of Aquarius, thus establishing the New World Order.The New Age Movement professes a broad-minded openness to all religions, but its basic underlying philosophy represents a carefully calculated undermining of Judeo-Christian beliefs with various combinations of gnosticism and occultism. [Gnosticism is an ancient world-view stating that Divine essence is the only true or highest reality, and that the unconscious Self of man is actually this essence. It is through intuitional discovery, "visionary experience or initiation into secret doctrine" (not the plenary revelation of propositional truth in the Bible), that man becomes conscious of this true Self (Encyclopedia Britannica, Vol. 10, 1968, p. 506; New Bible Dictionary, J.D. Douglas, ed., pp. 473-474).] It bears a remarkable resemblance to the apostate world religion that H.G. Wells claimed as his own and predicted would one day take over the world. It also fits the description of "The Plan" for establishing the new world government that is described in various psychic communications from alleged E.T.'s and ascended masters. There is one more connection: the New Age Movement fits the description of the Antichrist's religion -- a rejection of the Judeo-Christian God and the declaration that Self is God. (Source: The Seduction of Christianity.) Douglas R. Groothuis, author of Unmasking the New Age and Confronting the New Age, identifies six distinctives of New Age thinking: (1) all is one; (2) all is God; (3) humanity is God; (4) a change in consciousness; (5) all religions are one; and (6) cosmic evolutionary optimism. Norman Geisler details 14 primary "doctrines" of New Age religions: (1) an impersonal god (force); (2) an eternal universe; (3) an illusory nature of matter; (4) a cyclical nature of life; (5) the necessity of reincarnations; (6) the evolution of man into Godhood; (7) continuing revelations from beings beyond the world; (8) the identity of man with God; (9) the need for meditation (or other consciousness-changing techniques); (10) occult practices (astrology, mediums, etc.); (11) vegetarianism and holistic health; (12) pacifism (or anti-war activities); (13) one world (global) order; and (14) syncretism (unity of all religions). [HJB] The New Age also encompasses a wide array of notions: spiritualism, astrology, bioenergy, Chi energy, chakras, nirvana, Christ-consciousness, Native American Spirituality, Prajna, out-of-body/near-death experiences, reincarnation, and the occult disciplines, as well as unorthodox psychotherapeutic techniques and pseudoscientific applications of the "healing powers" of crystals and pyramids. Some commonly used New Age terms are: guided imagery, reincarnation; positive thinking; human potential; holistic; holographic; synergistic; unity; oneness; transformation; awakening; networking; communal sharing; one-world/globalism/new world order (i.e., one language, one government, one currency, one religion); cosmic consciousness; etc. (See New Age Dictionary below.)

It is important for Christians to recognize even the most disguised forms of the New Age Movement. Some New Age practices are: rebirthing; inner healing; biofeedback; yoga; I Ching; reflexology; black and white magic; fire-walking; trance-channeling; therapeutic touch; transpersonal psychology; witchcraft; parapsychology; Magick; Tai Chi; Shamanism; hypnotherapy; acupuncture/acupressure; TM; martial arts; Zen; Relaxation; Erhard Seminar Training (est); Silva Method (formerly Silva Mind Control); visualization; etc. Some prominent New Agers are: Alice Bailey, Alvin Toffler, Dr. Barbara Ray, Benjamin Creme, Levi Dowling, George Trevelyan, Fritjof Capra, Abraham Maslow, Barbara Marx Hubbard, Ruth Montgomery, Shirley MacLaine, J.Z. Knight, Marilyn Ferguson, David Spangler, Jeremy Rifkin, Norman Cousins, Elizabeth Clare Prophet, John Denver, George Lucas, and Norman Lear. Many New Agers attach great importance to artifacts, relics, and sacred objects, all of which can be profitably offered for sale: Tibetan bells, exotic herbal teas, Viking runes, solar energizers, colored candles for "chromotherapy," and a plethora of occult books, pamphlets, instructions, and tape recordings. Crystals are the favorite New Age object. These are not only thought to have mysterious healing powers, but are considered programmable, like a computer, if one just concentrates hard enough. Other New Age objects would include the rainbow; butterfly; pyramid; triangle; eye in triangle/pyramid; unicorn; Pegasus (winged-horse); swastika; yin-yang; goathead on pentagram; concentric circles; rays of light; crescent moon; etc. New Age music is a term applied to the works of various composers and musicians who strive to create soothing audio environments rather than follow song structures. Born of an interest in spirituality and healing in the late 1970s, it is often used as an aid in meditation. The defining features of New Age music are harmonic consonance, contemplative melodies, nonlinear song forms, and uplifting themes. New Age performers may use traditional ethnic, acoustic, electric, or electronic instruments, or even sounds from nature. New Age music is meditative, almost invariably instrumental style with roots in Oriental, jazz, and classical music; often derivative, New Age compositions can sound like minimalist music or like lush evocations of the natural environment. Prominent New Age musicians include electronic-music pioneer Brian Eno, multi-instrumentalist Kitaro; solo-piano artist George Winston, vocalist Liz Story; harpist Andreas Vollenweider, and electric violinist Jean-Luc Ponty. Athletes are using guided imagery. Graduate schools of business are invoking Zen, yoga, and tarot cards in teaching courses on creativity in business (e.g., Stanford Graduate School of Business). Stock market gurus employ Fibonacci numbers and "wave theory" in their forecasting, both based upon astrology. Even some churches teach that the best way to get to know God is to visualize Christ, ignoring that visualization is a powerful occult device. (Visualizing an entity, even God or Christ, ultimately puts one in touch with a masquerading demon.)

In summary, the term "New Age" is an informal term derived from astrology, which indicates that this earth, if not the cosmos, is on the verge of an evolutionary transition from the Piscean Age (rationality) to the Aquarian Age of spirituality, bliss, and harmony of all things. Even though it is undergoing a significant revival, the "New Age" is hardly new. In fact, it is very old. A better term would be the "Old Occult."

Keeping in mind that the myriads of New Age groups are quite eclectic, drawing from several religious traditions mentioned earlier, the following is a general description of the more prominent unifying themes of the NAM. i.e., the highlights of what New Agers believe concerning their source of authority, God, Christ, sin and salvation, good and evil, Satan, and future life:1. Source of Authority. New Agers claim no external source of authority -- only an internal one ("the god within"). They believe the individual is the standard of truth, saying that "truth as an objective reality simply does not exist" (Shirley MacLaine, It's All in the Playing) (cf. 2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Pet. 1:21; Matt. 5:18). [HJB]2. God. New Agers confuse the Creator with His creation and think that God is part of creation, not separate from it. They borrow from Eastern religions the belief in monism -- that "all is One" -- only one essence in the universe, everyone and everything being a part of that essence. Everything is a different form of that essence (energy, consciousness, power, love, force). But the belief in monism is really Hinduistic pantheism (all is God). New Agers view God as an impersonal life force, consciousness, or energy (M. Ferguson, Aquarian Conspiracy, p. 382; S. Gawain, Living In the Light, pp. 7-8) (e.g., the "Star Wars Force"), rather than a Person. They believe that every person and thing is "intertwined" with God (evolving spiritually to the state of "the Christ" being), and use Luke 17:21 ("the kingdom of God is within you") to support this idea (despite the fact that "within you" in this passage means "in your midst"). They claim every human has a divine spark within him because of being part of the divine essence. The state of God is called by various terms among different New Age groups, i.e., God-consciousness, Universal Love, Self-Realization, the I AM, Higher Self, Brahman, Nirvana, etc. New Agers are obviously part of a religion of idolatry and self-worship. [HJB]3. Jesus Christ. A major idea in New Age thinking is that of the "Christ Consciousness." In other words, Christ is an office rather than an individual, such as Jesus, whom Christians know to be THE CHRIST. This idea of "Christ Consciousness" asserts that Jesus was not the only Christ, but that He equipped Himself to receive the "Christ Consciousness" (i.e., He was a great "spiritual master" who attained Christ Consciousness), as supposedly also did Buddha, Krishna, and Mohammed. [This is an old occult Gnostic teaching which stems from the ancient Babylonian mystery religions. New Agers also reinvent the historical Jesus by claiming that he spent 18 years in India (during His "silent years") absorbing Hinduism and the teachings of Buddha.] New Agers believe that Jesus received the Christ Consciousness at His baptism, and that it left Him at His crucifixion.4. Sin and Salvation. There is no place for the concept of sin in the New Age. There can be no sin because there is no transcendent God to rebel against. There are no rules or absolute moral imperatives. New Agers have a "New Thought" view of sin, which knows nothing of a representative man (Adam) by whose sin all men sinned. Nor does New Thought teach that there is any original sin, but that man's true essence is divine and perfect. Indeed, it finds nothing which is of the nature of sin. Instead, it speaks of "troublesome desires" which appear to be natural human impulses which direct men from consciousness to their identity with God, and, therefore, are troublesome but hardly sinful. Since New Agers believe that each person is god, thereby having endless potential for self-improvement, sin is denied as the Bible defines it (man being inherently sinful and utterly depraved -- Rom. 5:12). Sin is merely ignorance of one's "inner divinity." Because sin does not exist, there is no need for repentance or forgiveness, and Jesus did not die for our sins. They think that any perceived lack that man might have is merely a lack of enlightenment, thereby eliminating the need of salvation or a Savior. [In fact, salvation is not even an issue for New Agers. The soul is part of the universe and never dies. It is reborn or reincarnated in different physical bodies in a succession of future lives. The good or bad "karma" earned in the present lifetime determines one's subsequent incarnation. Humans should seek to progress to higher states of consciousness and higher planes of existence. There are many different paths to the goal of spiritual perfection. No one path is the only correct path. The assumed cycle of reincarnation and karma presupposes a salvation by works, contrary to the principle of salvation by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ (Eph. 2:8-9).]

5. Man's Destiny. The salvation of the world depends upon human beings. When enough people harmonize their positive energy and turn their thoughts to peace, the world will be cleansed or negative elements and New Age ideals will be realized in an era of spiritual enlightenment. Since man is intrinsically divine and perfect, his only real problem is ignorance of that fact. Man has a perception of finiteness which is, in reality, an illusion (Ken Keyes, Jr., Handbook to Higher Consciousness, pp. 125-29). Salvation in the New Age is for man to become enlightened through experiential knowledge (gnosis). New Age groups offer various occultic techniques to enable individuals, and ultimately the world, to evolve into this oneness (unitive) consciousness (James Redfield, The Celestine Prophecy: An Experimental Guide, pp. 243-60). These techniques may include altered states of consciousness (often transcendental meditation), yoga, crystals, channeling (spirit guides), psychics, past-life therapy, acupuncture, etc.6. Good and Evil. Mimicking the Eastern religions, New Agers distort the distinction between good and evil. They believe that because "all is One," ultimately there is neither good nor evil. They think that a person can transcend his consciousness and go beyond the bounds of moral distinctions, so that even murder sometimes becomes an acceptable way of serving one's gods (e.g., Charles Manson). [HJB] 7. Satan. The traditional view of Lucifer as the devil or Satan is clearly absent in New Age literature. Rather, he is described as a mighty being of light and the "Ruler of Humanity," as Alice Bailey, foundational apostle and leading writer of the New Age Movement, puts it. As to the history and achievements of Lucifer, Benjamin Creme, a leading lecturer and proponent of the New Age, says, "Lucifer came from the planet Venus 18.5 million years ago; he's the director of our planetary evolution, he is the sacrificial lamb, and the prodigal son. Lucifer made an incredible sacrifice, a supreme sacrifice for our planet."8. Future Life (Reincarnation). New Agers believe in the ancient [Hindu] Eastern religious concept of reincarnation -- that through a long process of rebirths, man can eventually reach spiritual perfection (cf. Heb. 9:27). New Agers often place animal rights above human rights, because many New Agers believe animals are reincarnated souls. They also teach the Hindu principle of "karma" -- that what a person sows in this life, he will reap in the next life in his reincarnated state. This belief in reincarnation has led to believing in the power of "spirit guides" or "channels" -- those who allow spirits from another dimension to speak through their bodies. [HJB] These entities always seem to repeat the three-fold error: (1) There is no death, (2) man is god, (3) knowledge of self is salvation and power (Brooks Alexander, Spiritual Counterfeits Project). New Agers misrepresent church history, the doctrines of Christianity, and often twist Scripture to support the idea that original Christianity taught reincarnation. They wrongly argue that the early church suppressed the doctrine and censored its teaching (Kenneth Ring, Heading Toward Omega, p. 158).

Will there be a Separate Palestinian State soon?

President Obama Allowed Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu To Show His Voters Back Home How Tough He Is In Resisting the President's Calls For A Palestinian State.We (refers to the Cutting Edge Ministries website) have long envisioned that only a Prime Minister, who wears the label, 'Conservative', could actually persuade Israel to accept a Palestinian State. In his meeting with President Obama, PM Netanyahu was allowed to acted tough, 'Conservative', in order to persuade Conservative voters that he is watching out for their best interests.

Then, Conservatives will allow him to create a Palestinian State because they have the confidence that if a genuine 'hardliner' like Netanyahu thinks Israel will be safe, they will trust him.

NEWS BRIEF: ""Palestinian Authority hails Obama's call for Palestinian state ", China View News, 2009-05-19

"RAMALLAH, May 19 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) Tuesday welcomed U.S. President Barack Obama's call for creation of a Palestinian state. Obama called for settling the Israeli-Palestinian conflict during Monday's talk with visiting Israeli right-wing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington."

When the President of the United States calls for a Palestinian State, that represents the most powerful endorsement possible. You simply cannot get a stronger diplomatic push.
Yet, Prime Minister Netanyahu resisted Obama's call.

NEWS BRIEF: "Netanyahu stands firm against demands from Obama", Telegraph News (U.K.), 19 May 2009

"Israel stood firm against demands from Barack Obama on Monday to cease the construction of Jewish settlements and embrace the 'two-state solution' to achieving peace in the Middle East."
Thus, Israeli Mass Media could trumpet to their constituents the very next day that the "Conservative" Prime Minister had stood toe to toe with the new President to resist these insane calls for a Palestinian State.

The stage had thus been set for Netanyahu to reopen the door just a tiny crack, without most voters being aware of this fact; after all the first story appeared on the front pages while the second story was reported only in non-Israeli news sources.

NEWS BRIEF: "Netanyahu ready to 'reignite' peace talks with West Bank Palestinians", New York Daily News, May 20, 2009

"WASHINGTON - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that Israel is ready for immediate peace talks with West Bank Palestinians even as Hamas in Gaza renewed rocket attacks. Netanyahu said he is working with President Obama 'to reignite the peace process' without waiting for action against Iran."

What kind of "re-ignition" of the Peace Process between Israel and the Palestinians is possible? Surely every conceivable plan which could be tried has been tried, all to no avail. But, if President Obama could find a different plan, he could receive the Nobel Peace Prize!

Just such a plan surfaced immediately.

President Obama will present a brand new plan!
NEWS BRIEF: "Netanyahu: US intends to present new plan", The Jerusalem Post, May 19, 2009

"Following his highly-anticipated meeting with US President Barack Obama at the White House, and after a 30-minute press conference, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu gave a special briefing to Israeli reporters late Monday night, and told them that the president planned to formulate a new Middle East peace initiative which would be presented soon."

Netanyahu called Obama's plan "interesting" and stated that its elements were crafted with Israel's security needs in mind. That statement is going to resonate well with Jewish Conservatives.

"Speaking alongside Netanyahu at the Oval Office earlier in the day, Obama stressed the importance the US attached to Israeli security and its recognition of how the Jewish state perceives the threat from Teheran, even as he defended his policy of engagement ... The policy differences were clear, with Obama emphasizing the importance of a 'two-state solution' and an end to settlement growth even as Netanyahu made no reference to an independent Palestinian country. Instead, the prime minister spoke of the possibility of a 'two peoples to live side by side in security and peace' if the Palestinians recognized Israel as a Jewish state and agreed to an end of conflict."

As you can see, the differences between the two leaders is purely semantic, but the average Jewish Conservative voter is likely to not realize that Netanyahu and Obama are really talking about the very same thing - a state for the Palestinians.

Today, the plan which President Obama intends to propose took more concrete shape.

NEWS BRIEF: "Obama calls for demilitarized PA state", The Jerusalem Post, May 20, 2009

"Amid much speculation over US President Barack Obama's upcoming address to the Muslim world, reports published on Wednesday outlined the details of his Middle East peace plan, which are said to include a demilitarized Palestinian state."

Lest you scoff at this proposal, believing it would have no chance whatsoever to succeed, please take note of the next segment, which reveals that this plan originated with Jordan's (Masonic) King Abdullah II and pro-West Saudi Arabia.

"The US president's initiative, which was formulated in consultation with Jordan's King Abdullah II during the two leaders' recent meetings at the White House, reportedly does not significantly stray from the pan-Arab peace initiative proposed in 2002. Rather, it bolsters certain details within the Saudi-proposed plan."

How could the Palestinians be disarmed? While Abbas' Fatah faction might lay down their arms, neither Hamas nor Hizbullah are likely to disarm. An Israeli intelligence chief commented on the fact that Hamas was a genuine threat so large that its intransigence alone could derail any peace effort.

NEWS BRIEF: "Intelligence Chief: Facts on the Ground Ditch US Peace Plan", by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu, Israel National News, 05/19/09

"U.S. President Barack Obama has 'hit the ground running' for a new Palestinian Authority state since his election victory, but Yuval Diskin, head of the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet), sees a steep cliff ahead. One day after President Obama told Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu that he is going full-speed ahead with plans for establishing a new PA state in Judea, Gaza and Samaria, Diskin told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Security Committee that there is 'no chance for an effective peace process so long as Hamas rules Gaza'."

That is a strong statement, but is entirely true. For this reason, when Israel launched her 22-day war against the Gaza Strip last year, I truly believed that the primary purpose was to overthrow Hamas so that this peace plan could go forward. That goal did not materialize.

However, given the strong support of the 22-nation Arab Federation for this peace plan, is it possible that their forces might enter Gaza and disarm Hamas? Arab disarming Arab, now that would be a war worth watching!

We can only wait to see how this entire scenario plays out. Remember, Palestinian Authority President Abbas visits the White House next week. He very well might face a brand new "Peace Plan" which would be far different than anything he has ever seen, i.e., an American/Israeli/Arab Federation Plan.

Events in Israel may become very interesting very quickly.

When referring to the Antichrist from the KJV Daniel Chapter 9, Verse 27: And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

Bilderbergers Exposed

When presidents, prime ministers, bankers and generals rub shoulders with European royalty at the annual secret Bilderberg meeting, they discuss the business of running markets and wars without being accountable to the public. They own all the money, therefore they do not seek money, but the greatest high of all, power, and absolute power over every man, women, and child on the planet. Bilderbergers are not really very nice people.

The Bilderbergers are setting up a world government, and have divided the world up into four sections, the North American Union, the African Union, The European Union, and the Asian Union, all of which equates to a New World Order.

The Bilderbergers make the Freemasons look like a Sunday school playgroup by comparison.

The Euro and the European Union are both brainchild’s of the Bilderbergers, and is the first of the four sections of the world mentioned above that has been brought into their plans for this New World Order. The European Union is right on the razors edge of completion and will be brought to a complete fruition when the Biblical Antichrist is appointed as the first ever full time European Council of Ministers President as from January 2009.

They plan two classes in society, the elitists, and their slaves, and with their plan to have only merger 500 million as their slaves they will try and reduce the world’s population by whatever means, including a Third World War, famine and pestilence.

Consequently, that will be the job of the newly appointed EU president when he takes control of the reigns of power over the EU as from January 2009. This is not a conspiracy theory this is a reality.

After the Bilderbergers main man takes over the running of the European Council of Ministers as from very early next year expect a Third World War, and a world war like there has never ever been since the nations were formed, with one third of the globes population being totally, and absolutely wiped out, annihilated.

The Bilderbergers are on the verge of finding the fountain of youth that will enable them to live forever, and when they do they will declare themselves to be Gods here on the earth, with the EU president the first one to travel down that path… it will be then that God will intervene and squash this modern day tower of Babel (and destroy the Antichrist) in just the same way as he destroyed the ancient tower of Babel. The time for the return back onto the earth of the Lord Jesus Christ is imminent, and is now very close indeed.

Bilderbergers Exposed By Daniel Estulin

The Bilderbergers Plans for the World The Bilderberg group's secret annual meeting determines many of the headlines and news developments that you will read about in the coming months. But the Establishment media completely black out any news of it and remain strangely reluctant to lift the curtain hiding this major event. A number of high-ranking members of the press who attend the annual meeting are sworn to secrecy, and news editors are held responsible if any of their journalists "inadvertently" report on what takes place. Yet few have ever heard of this exclusive and secretive group of the world's most powerful financiers, industrialists and political figures

Although the Bilderberg group has lost some of its past luster, on 5 to 8 May 2005 it met at Rottach-Egern (in Munich, Germany) under its usual secrecy that makes a freemasonry lodge look like a playgroup. Staff at the hotel were photographed and put through special clearance. From porters to senior managers, the employees were warned (under the threat of never working in their country again) about the consequences of revealing any details of the guests to the press.

The discussions that the Bilderbergers engaged in this year and the consensus they reached—deciding how the world should deal with European–American relations, the Middle East powder keg, the Iraq war, the global economy and how to stave off war in Iran—will influence the course of Western civilisation and the future of the entire planet. Ironically, they met behind closed doors, protected by a phalanx of armed guards.

After three straight years of open hostility and tension amongst the European, British and American Bilderbergers, caused by the war in Iraq, the aura of complete congeniality amongst them has returned. Bilderbergers have reaffirmed and remain united in their long-term goal to strengthen the role the United Nations plays in regulating global conflicts and relations.

However, it is important to understand that the Americans are no more the "Hawks" than the European Bilderbergers are the "Doves". Europeans joined in supporting the 1991 invasion of Iraq by US President George Bush Senior, celebrating (in the words of notable Bilderberg hunter Jim Tucker) the end of "America's Vietnam syndrome". Europeans also supported former US President Bill Clinton's invasion of Yugoslavia, bringing NATO into the operation.

UN Global Oil Tax and Peace building ProposalsA much discussed subject in 2005 at Rottach-Egern was the concept of imposing a UN tax on people worldwide through a direct tax on oil at the well-head. This, in fact, sets a precedent. If enacted, it would be the first time that a non-governmental agency (read the United Nations) directly benefited from a tax on citizens of free and enslaved nations. The Bilderberg proposal calls for a tiny UN levy at the outset, which the consumer would hardly notice.

Jim Tucker, formerly of the court-killed Spotlight magazine, wrote in the American Free Press (14–21 June 2004) that: "...establishing the principle that the UN can directly tax citizens of the world is important to Bilderberg. It is another giant step toward world government.

Bilderbergers know that publicly promoting a UN tax on all people on Earth would meet with outrage. But they are patient; it [Bilderberg] first proposed a direct world tax years ago and celebrates the fact that it is now in the public dialogue with little public attention or concern."

Bilderberg wants "tax harmonisation" so that high-tax countries can compete with more tax-friendly nations—including the United States—for foreign investment. They would "harmonise" taxes by forcing the rate in the US and other countries to rise so that socialist Sweden's 58-per-cent level would be "competitive".

According to sources, an unidentified guest at the conference asked how global taxation can be sold to the American public. One European Union commissioner suggested using as the battering ram the rhetoric of helping countries build peaceful, stable societies once conflict subsides. Someone asked for the timing of the appeal. A former commissioner mentioned that the best time to ask for cash is once the conflict subsides and the world is subjected to brutal images of destruction. A Norwegian Bilderberger disagreed. What looked to be Björn T. Grydeland, Norway's ambassador to the European Union, said that, on the contrary, it's much easier to get world attention and money for a region when a conflict rages.

This was confirmed a posteriori when Denmark's foreign minister Per Stig Moller, during a debate in the United Nations on 26 May, stated on the record that "[i]f the international community is not able to act swiftly, the fragile peace is at risk, with loss of more lives as a consequence". Denmark holds the EU presidency until 1 July 2005, when it will be replaced by the UK. [The changeover took place just before we went to press. Ed.]

Bilderbergers are planning to use what they nominated as a UN Peace building Commission, apparently to help win the peace in post-conflict countries, as one of the tools in secretly imposing the UN tax on an unsuspecting world population.

Jim Tucker said as much in his Bilderberg report in the American Free Press (23 May) when he wrote: "There was some informal discussion of timing for a vote in the United Nations on establishing a direct global tax by imposing a 10-cents-a-barrel levy on oil at the well-head. This is important to the Bilderberg goal of establishing the UN as a formal world government. Such a direct tax on individuals is symbolically important. Bilderbergers global tax proposal has been pending before the UN for three years but the issue has been blacked out by the Bilderberg-controlled US media."

Mark R. Warner, governor of Virginia and a first-time Bilderberg invitee, expressed concern about how much additional financial responsibility the United States would take on as a result. At this point, José M. Durão Barroso, president of the European Commission, expressed a view held by many within Bilderberg that the United States does not provide a fair share of economic aid to poor countries. My sources confirm Jim Tucker's report that "Kissinger and David Rockefeller, among other Americans, beamed and nodded approval".

Although the US pays more into the foreign-aid piggy bank than any country in the world, the Bilderbergers and the United Nations are poised to demand much more funding from it to meet the Peace building proposal.

NGOs and the Global NeighbourhoodThe rise of the NGOs (non-governmental organisations) is a development that former US President Clinton suddenly (one day after it was discussed at Rottach-Egern) suggested to be among "the most remarkable things that have happened since the fall of the Berlin Wall". Ironically, Clinton's statement was picked up by the Wall Street Journal, a paper represented at the Bilderberg meetings by its vice-president, Robert L. Bartley, until his death in December 2003, and its editorial page editor, Paul Gigot.

The Bilderbergers have been vigorously debating, for the first time, whether to have unelected, self-appointed environmental activists given positions of governmental authority on the governing board of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP)—the agency which controls the use of the atmosphere, outer space, the oceans and, for all practical purposes, biodiversity. This invitation for "civil society" to participate in global governance is described as "expanding democracy".

According to sources within Bilderberg, the status of NGOs would be elevated even further in the future. NGO activity would include agitating at the local level, lobbying at the national level and producing studies to justify global taxation through UN organisations such as Global Plan, one of Bilderberg pet projects for over a decade.

The strategy to advance the global governance agenda specifically includes programs to discredit individuals and organisations that generate "internal political pressure" or "populist action" that fails to support the new global ethic. The ultimate objective, according to sources, is to suppress democracy.

If the plan proceeds, UNEP, along with all the environmental treaties under its jurisdiction, would ultimately be governed by a special body of environmental activists, chosen only from accredited NGOs appointed by delegates to the General Assembly who are themselves appointed by the President of the United States, who himself is controlled by the Rockefeller–Council on Foreign Relations (CFR)–Bilderberg interlocking leadership.

This new mechanism would provide a direct route from the local, "on-the-ground", NGO affiliates of national and international NGOs to the highest levels of global governance. For example, the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, a group of affiliated NGOs, recently petitioned the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO asking for intervention in the plans of a private company to mine gold on private land near Yellowstone Park. The UNESCO committee did intervene, and immediately listed Yellowstone as a "World Heritage Site in Danger". Under the terms of the World Heritage Convention, the United States is required to protect the park, even beyond the borders of the park and onto private lands if necessary.

The ideas being discussed, if implemented, would bring all the people of the world into a global neighbourhood, managed by a worldwide bureaucracy under the direct authority of a minute handful of appointed individuals and policed by thousands of individuals, paid by accredited NGOs, and all certified to support a belief system that to many people is unbelievable and unacceptable.

A Lesson for Tony Blair
Bilderbergers are celebrating the result they wanted: the return of a much humbled Tony Blair to 10 Downing Street, with a much reduced parliamentary majority.

European Bilderbergers are still angry at him for supporting America's war in Iraq. While teaching Blair a useful lesson in international politics, Bilderbergers feel he is a far safer candidate to continue on the path of European integration than his conservative rival, Michael Howard.

The EU Referendum in FranceThe first day of secret meetings at Bilderberg 2005 was dominated by talk of the European Union referendum in France and whether President Chirac could persuade France to vote "Yes" on 29 May. A "Yes" vote, according to sources within Bilderberg, would put a lot of pressure on Tony Blair to finally deliver Britain into the waiting arms of the New World Order through its own referendum on the treaty, scheduled for 2006. Matthias Nass, Deputy Editor of Die Zeit, wondered out loud that a "No" vote in France could undoubtedly cause political turmoil in Europe and overshadow Britain's six-month EU presidency starting on 1 July.

Bilderbergers hope that Blair and Chirac, whose at times open animosity has spilled into the public arena on more than one occasion, can work together for mutual benefit and political survival. Another European Bilderberger added that both leaders must put behind them as quickly as possible all past disputes on such topics as Iraq, the liberalisation of Europe's economy and the future of the budget rebate that Britain receives from the EU, and work towards complete European integration—which could disintegrate if France's often "hard-headed and obstinate people", in the words of a British Bilderberger, do not do the right thing, meaning give up voluntarily their independence for the "greater good" of a European federal super-state!

A German Bilderberger insider said that France's "Yes" vote is in trouble because of the "outsourcing of jobs". "Jobs in Germany and France are going to Asia and Latvia [to take advantage of cheap labour]." Latvia is one of the former Soviet republics that have been admitted to the European Union, bringing the total membership to 25 nations. A German politician wondered out loud how Tony Blair will go about convincing Britons to embrace the European Constitution when, due to the outsourcing of jobs, both Germany and France are suffering 10 per cent unemployment while Britain is doing well economically.

The Neo-conservative LobbyIn full force was that faction: the so-called "neo-conservatives", who have determined that Israel's security should come at the expense of the safety of the United States and be central to all US foreign policy decisions.

Most notable among them is Richard N. Perle, who was investigated by the FBI for conducting espionage on behalf of Israel. Perle played a critical role in pushing the United States into the war against Iraq. On 27 March 2003, he was forced to resign from the Pentagon's Defense Policy Board after it was learned he'd been advising Goldman Sachs International, an habitual Bilderberg attendee, on how it might profit from the war in Iraq.

Another neo-conservative figure on hand was Michael A. Ledeen, an "intellectual's intellectual". Ledeen serves for the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), a think-tank founded in 1943 and with which Richard Perle has long been associated. AEI and the Brookings Institution operate a Joint Center for Regulatory Studies (JCRS), the purpose being to hold lawmakers and regulators "accountable for their decisions by providing thoughtful, objective analyses of existing regulatory programs and new regulatory proposals". The JCRS pushes for cost-benefit analysis of regulations, which fits with AEI's (and the Bilderbergers') ultimate goal of deregulation.

These neo-conservatives were also joined this year at Bilderberg by a handful of other former top Washington policymakers and publicists known for their sympathies for Israel, including: Richard N. Haass, former State Department official and president of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR); Richard Holbrooke, former assistant secretary of state and "father" of the Dayton Accord; Dennis Ross, of the pro-Israel Washington Institute for Near East Policy, effectively an offshoot of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs (JINSA); and Paul Wolfowitz, the newly elected World Bank president.

American Criminals:
Public Policy in PrivateIn the United States, the Logan Act states explicitly that it is against the law for federal officials to attend secret meetings with private citizens to develop public policies.

Although Bilderberg 2005 was missing one of its luminaries—US State Department official John Bolton, who was testifying before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations—the US Government was well represented in Rottach-Egern by: Allan E. Hubbard, Assistant to the President for Economic Policy and director of the National Economic Council; William Luti, Deputy Under-Secretary of Defense; James Wolfensohn, outgoing president of the World Bank; and Paul Wolfowitz, Deputy Secretary of State, an ideologue of the Iraq war and incoming president of the World Bank. By attending the Bilderberg 2005 meeting, these people broke United States federal law.

Journalistic Whores Bilderberg, at one time or another, has had representatives of all major US and European newspapers and network news outlets attend. High-ranking membes of the inadequately named "international free press" attend on their solemn promise to report nothing. This is how Bilderberg keeps its news blackout virtually complete in the United States and Europe.

This year's invitees included: Nicolas Beytout, editor-in-chief of Le Figaro; Oscar Bronner, publisher and editor of Der Standard; Donald Graham, chairman of the Washington Post; Matthias Nass, deputy editor of Die Zeit; Norman Pearlstine, editor-in-chief of Time; J. Robert S. Prichard, president and CEO of Torstar Media Group (Toronto Star); Cüneyt Ulsevere, columnist for Hürriyet; John Vinocur, senior correspondent for the International Herald Tribune; Martin Wolf, associate editor of the Financial Times; Fareed Zakaria, editor of Newsweek International; Klaus Zumwinkel, chairman of Deutsche Post; and John Micklethwait, US editor of The Economist and Adrian Wooldridge, Washington correspondent for The Economist. Micklethwait and Wooldridge acted as the meeting's rapporteurs.

Declining Energy Reserves and Economic DownturnOf course, discussion at Bilderberg 2005 turned to oil. An American Bilderberger expressed concern over the sky-rocketing oil price. One oil industry insider at the meeting remarked that growth is not possible without energy, and that according to all indicators the world's energy supply is coming to an end much faster than the world leaders have anticipated.

According to sources, Bilderbergers estimate the extractable world's oil supply will last a maximum of 35 years under current economic development and population. However, one of the representatives of an oil cartel remarked that they must factor into the equation the population explosion and economic growth as well as demand for oil in China and India. Under the revised conditions, there is apparently only enough oil to last for 20 years. No oil spells the end of the world's financial system—which has already been acknowledged by the Wall Street Journal and the Financial Times, two newspapers that are regularly represented at the annual Bilderberg conference. The conclusion: expect a severe downturn in the world's economy over the next two years as Bilderbergers try to safeguard the remaining oil supply by taking money out of people's hands. In a recession or, at worst, a depression, the population will be forced to dramatically cut down their spending habits, thus ensuring a longer supply of oil to the world's rich as they try to figure out what to do.

During cocktails one afternoon, a European Bilderberger noted that there is no plausible alternative to hydrocarbon energy. One American insider stated that currently the world uses between four and six barrels of oil for every new barrel it finds, and that the prospects for a short-term breakthrough are slim at best. This confirms a public statement made in 2003 by IHS Energy, the world's most respected consulting firm cataloguing oil reserves and discoveries, that for the first time since the 1920s there was not a single discovery of an oil field in excess of 500 million barrels.

One invitee asked for an estimate of the world's accessible conventional oil supply. The amount was quoted at approximately one trillion barrels. As a side note of interest, the planet consumes a billion (1,000,000,000) barrels of oil every 11.5 days. Another Bilderberger asked about the hydrogen alternative to oil. The US Government official agreed gloomily that hydrogen's salvation of the world's imminent energy crisis is a fantasy.

At the 2005 Bilderberg conference, the oil industry was represented by: John Browne, chief executive officer of BP; Sir John Kerr, director of Royal Dutch/Shell; Peter D. Sutherland, chairman of BP; and Jeroen van der Veer, chairman of the committee of managing directors at Royal Dutch/ Shell. (Queen Beatrix of The Netherlands, Royal Dutch/Shell's principal shareholder, is a fully fledged member of the Bilderbergers. Her father, Prince Bernhard, was one of the founders of the group back in 1954.) It should be noted that in late 2003, oil and gas giant Royal Dutch/Shell announced it had overstated its reserves by as much as 20 per cent; in early 2004 it reduced its estimated oil and gas reserves by about 4.5 billion barrels, but in October had to apply an additional cut of 1.15 billion barrels in reserve estimates. In fact, Shell's three cuts in reserve estimates prompted the resignation of its co-chairman. The Los Angeles Times (18 January 2005) reported: "For petroleum firms, reserves amount to nothing less than 'the value of the company'."

At Rottach-Egern in May 2005, the industry's top executives tried to figure out how to keep the truth about diminishing oil reserves from reaching the public. Public knowledge of the diminishing reserves directly translates into lower share prices which could destroy financial markets, leading to a collapse of the world economy.

An American Bilderberger wondered what it would take for the oil price to go back to US$25 a barrel. Another American Bilderberger, believed to be Allan Hubbard, laconically stated that the general public does not realise that the price for cheap oil can be the bursting of the debt bubble. Cheap oil slows economic growth because it depresses commodity prices and reduces world liquidity.

There is a strong indication, based on the information reported from the Bilderberg 2005 meeting in Rottach-Egern, that the US Federal Reserve is extremely concerned about the debt bubble. One American Bilderberger reported that if the price of oil were to go down to its previous low of $25 a barrel, the debt-driven asset bubble would explode. Martin S. Feldstein, president of the National Bureau of Economic Research, added that $50 a barrel involves greater cash flow.

According to publicly available information, the United States consumes daily approximately 20 million barrels of oil out of a total world consumption of 84 million barrels. At $50 a barrel, the aggregate oil bill for the US comes to $1 billion a day, $365 billion a year, about 3 per cent of 2004 US gross domestic product (GDP). About 60 per cent of US consumption is imported at a cost of $600 million a day, or $219 billion a year.

A short, stout man asked if the surging oil price would influence economic growth. Someone sitting in the front row noted that higher energy prices do not take money out of the economy; they merely shift profit allocation from one business sector to another. After further discussion, a US General commented that war spending helps jump-start the economy, noting that the trick to keeping the opposition at bay is to limit collateral damage to foreign soil.

A British Bilderberger noted that oil at $120 a barrel would greatly benefit Britain and the United States, but Russia and China would be the biggest winners. An expert in international relations and policy studies noted that for the Chinese this would be a real bonanza. The Chinese import energy not for domestic consumption but, instead, to fuel its growing cheap exports—a cost that would be duly passed on to foreign buyers. A European banker pointed out that Russia could effectively devalue the dollar by re-denominating its energy trade with Europe from dollars into euros, forcing Europe's central banks to rebalance their foreign exchange reserves in favour of the euro. Jean-Claude Trichet, Governor of the European Central Bank, was present during the debate.

Globalised Trading and the Rift with ChinaEuropean and American Bilderbergers, realising the most urgent of needs to expand into developing markets in order to help sustain the illusion of endless growth, have agreed to name Pascal Lamy, a French socialist and fanatical supporter of a European super-state, as the next World Trade Organization (WTO) president. It should be remembered that Washington gave conditional support to Lamy's nomination in exchange for European support of Paul Wolfowitz as head of the World Bank.

According to insider sources within the Bilderbergers, Lamy was chosen to help steer the global trading system through a time of rising protectionist sentiment in rich countries such as France and Germany, both reeling from high unemployment and reticent to accept increasingly muscular demands for market access from emerging economies. Third World States, for example, are insisting on cuts to EU and US farm subsidies. The WTO liberalisation drive collapsed in acrimony in Seattle in 1999 and again in Cancún in 2003.

The Bilderbergers have secretly agreed on the need to force the poor countries into a globalised market for cheap goods while simultaneously forcing the poor into becoming customers. The current rift with China is a good example, as the Chinese have flooded Western countries with cheap goods, amongst them textiles, driving down prices. As a trade-off, the Bilderbergers have entered into an emerging market ripe and vulnerable to superior Western know-how. Similar developing countries are slowly acquiring more purchasing power, and the industrialised world is gaining a foothold in their domestic economies by targeting them for cheap exports.

Further discussion on China was led off with a series of rhetorical questions from the speaker. Is China really abusing its competitive advantage, or is it being victimised by the US and the EU? Is a trade war imminent? Should China revalue the yuan (its currency), and, if so, how should it do this?

An American Bilderberger noted that China in 2005 is one of the leading world economic powers whose actions influence the world economy. Another American, believed to be but not positively identified as Michael Ledeen of the American Enterprise Institute, said that if China doesn't revalue the yuan it would cause the entire world trade system to go out of whack. Someone mentioned that the current situation could be dangerous for the Chinese economy due to the creation of excess liquidity.

Elena Nemirovskaya, founder of the Moscow School of Political Studies, asked what would happen if the yuan were allowed to float freely. An economist responded that this could bring about serious consequences to the world's financial markets. China's foreign exchange reserves are to a large extent made up of US Treasury bills. An appreciation of the yuan would cause its dollar reserves to depreciate.

A German Bilderberger pointed out that this could force the Federal Reserve to have to raise interest rates, thus causing the current housing boom in the US to come to a screeching halt. An oversized Dutchman pointed out that the International Monetary Fund needs to play an active role in helping the yuan.

"Is there a real danger, then," asked an Italian Bilderberger, "of this dispute deteriorating into an all-out trade war?" "Not likely," according to an unidentified blond man from Scandinavia, believed to be a Swede, "because China has totally integrated itself into the market economy."

An American Bilderberger and a member of the US Government noted that all the posturing is part of the act to keep the voters back home happy.

China's moves into the Mekong region did not go unnoticed at the conference. William J. Luti, US Deputy Under-Secretary of Defense for Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs, explained that China's rapid expansion into the Mekong region, comprising Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, could threaten US interests in the area. Such moves by China would give it an enhanced role in South-East Asia.

Over the last several years, China has invested heavily in transport infrastructure development linking China's southwestern Yunan province and the Mekong region.

A European Bilderberger pointed out that China is heavily dependent on oil imports. Someone asked for a figure. A tall, lanky man with glasses, believed to be Jeroen van der Veer, Chairman of Royal Dutch Shell, responded that some 40 per cent of China's supply is imported. In fact, China's move into the Mekong region is the result of acute awareness that the country's energy supplies are vulnerable to interference. Overall, 32 per cent of energy supplies, China's lifeblood, passes through the narrow and easily blocked Strait of Malacca.

Indonesia–Malaysia Stand-offA political and military confrontation between Indonesia and Malaysia in the oil-rich Sulawesi Sea (both claim territorial right to the area of Ambalat) was the topic of much animated discussion among several American and European Bilderbergers during Friday afternoon cocktails. An American Bilderberger waving his cigar suggested using the United Nations to "further a peace policy in the region".

In fact, Bilderbergers at the lounge table all agreed that such a conflict might well give them an excuse to garrison the disputed area with UN "Peacekeepers" and thus ensure their ultimate control over the exploitation of this treasure, meaning untapped oil reserves.

Nobel Peace Prize Pressure The appearance at Bilderberg 2005 of Nobel Peace Prize Committee Secretary Geir Lundestad was considered likely to mean, according to sources familiar with the discussion, a full court press by the American, British and Israeli delegation to the Nobel committee to prevent the Israeli nuclear technician Mordechai Vanunu from winning the coveted award.

Vanunu spent 18 years in an Israeli prison—eleven and a half of them in solitary confinement—for providing evidence of Israel's nuclear arsenal to the London Sunday Times newspaper in October 1986. Should Vanunu win the Nobel for peace, it would bring uncomfortable attention to the Israeli nuclear arsenal, especially in the face of growing evidence that Israel and the United States are about to punish Iran for trying to develop its own nuclear weapons.

Strong pressure was applied on Lundestad not to choose Hans Blix, the UN weapons inspector in Iraq, nor Mohamed El Baradei, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, whom President Bush had tried to remove for not being tough enough on Iran.

Some of this year's other nominees are US President George W. Bush and UK Prime Minister Tony Blair for supposedly protecting world peace; the European Union; French President Jacques Chirac, the main culprit for the "No" vote on the European Constitution; former Czech President Václav Havel; the now-deceased Pope John Paul II; Cuban dissident Oswaldo Payá; and US Senator Richard Lugar and former senator Sam Nunn for their Cooperative Threat Reduction Program, which is intended to dismantle nuclear weapons left over from the Soviet Union.

The Iran–Russia–China AllianceAccording to reports, a French Bilderberger pointedly asked Henry Kissinger if the US Government's sabre-rattling against Iran means the beginning of new hostilities. Richard Haass, CFR President, after asking for his turn to speak, dismissed the notion of an Iran invasion as unrealistic due to the sheer physical size of the country and its population size, not to mention the billions of dollars involved in getting the operation off the ground. Up to the eyeballs in the Iraq quagmire, the United States military is wary of any new adventures in hostile terrain against a much healthier enemy, both better prepared and organised.

A Swiss Bilderberger asked if a hypothetical attack on Iran would involve a pre-emptive strike against its nuclear sites. Richard Haass replied that such an attack would prove to be counterproductive because Tehran's counterattack options could range from "unleashing terrorism and promoting instability in Iraq, Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia, to triggering oil price increases that could trigger a global economic crisis". During dinner, according to several sources, Richard Perle criticised Haass's position and explained his opposition to his view.

A woman believed to be Heather Munroe-Blum, Vice-Chancellor of McGill University, Quebec, Canada, asked a rhetorical question about what would happen if Iran were to continue building its nuclear arsenal. Haass replied that in this scenario, the United States would have no choice but to grant Iran the same status as it does to Pakistan and India.

A US General commented that the China–Iran–Russia alliance is changing the geopolitical situation in the area. Rapprochement between Russia and China is viewed by the Bilderbergers as a significant event not to be taken lightly, even though it has received little media attention in the West.

A secret US Government report was cited wherein, according to sources, the Chinese have spent upwards of several billion dollars in acquiring Russia's latest and most sophisticated weapons technology. Someone pointed out that the Sino–Russian alliance is not limited to military trade and that the non-military exchange of goods has grown 100 per cent since the beginning of the Bush presidency.

A delegate at the conference, believed but not positively identified by Secret Service sources to be Anatoly Sharansky, a former Israeli Minister for Jerusalem and Diaspora Affairs, stated categorically during Friday night cocktails that the counterweight to the Moscow–Beijing–Tehran axis is the US–Israel–Turkey alliance. A financial expert from a European nation intervened by stating that Russia is much better off financially today than four years ago because tax revenue generated by fuel and arms production and exports as a result of heavy emphasis on military production has financed strong growth of wages and pension incomes, boosting private consumption.

A German Bilderberger pointedly asked Richard Perle if the "war on terrorism" will intensify over the second term of the Bush presidency. Perle reportedly gave no reply but screwed up his face and looked away.

The feeling of "enough is enough" wasn't limited to the European Bilderbergers, wary of Bush's delirious, Hitler-like proclamations of regime changes worldwide. Bilderberg luminary Richard Haass pointedly told Richard Perle during Saturday night cocktails that the Bush Administration has overestimated its ability to change the world. Haass, according to several sources at the conference, is reported to have stated that regime change can be attractive because it is "less distasteful than diplomacy and less dangerous than living with new nuclear states". However, he noted: "There is only one problem: it is highly unlikely to have the desired effect soon enough."

A Possible Attack on Iran's Nuclear Facilities The presence of US General James L. Jones, Supreme Allied Commander Europe, and Retired US Army General John M. Keane at the Bilderberg meeting in Germany suggested to us that the next stage of the conquest is about to begin.

An American neo-con at an afternoon drink-fest said he was convinced that the "Iranian opposition movement" will unseat the mullahs. Nicolas Beytout of Le Figaro exclaimed: "You don't really believe that!" A tall, bald, well-dressed Swiss gentleman, believed to be Pascal Couchepin, head of the powerful Department of Home Affairs, replied reflexively that it will only succeed in having the Iranians rally behind their government. He ended by saying: "You don't know Iranians."

Tempers boiled over momentarily when a French Bilderberger, raising his voice, told Kissinger that "an attack on Iran will escalate out of control". According to sources working for the CIA and the special unit of the US Army charged with protecting the US delegation at Rottach-Egern, both the CIA and the FBI are in open revolt against the Bush White House.

A member of the Greek Parliament asked Eival Gilady, strategic adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon: "What would happen if Iran were to retaliate?" Someone pointed out that even if the United States or Israel were to show restraint in their use of tactical nuclear weapons, an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities would surely not only engulf neighbour states, raising the likelihood of a broader war, but also succeed in creating a nuclear disaster through nuclear radiation spilling over a wide area.

As a follow-up question, someone asked: "How much of this war has to do with America doing its utmost to prevent Iran from becoming a regional power?" A French Bilderberger wished to know if the impending attack on Iran would involve the United States and Israel working in tandem, or if it would be a NATO operation. The question was directed at NATO Secretary-General Jaap G. de Hoop Scheffer. Another European Bilderberger wanted to know how the US was planning to cope with three wars simultaneously, referring to Iraq, Afghanistan and now Iran.

The reader should be reminded that there are now 150,000 US troops deployed in Iraq who are unable to move to another theatre of operations because of effective resistance tactics. The Israeli delegation was pressed to answer if Israel is prepared to use nuclear weapons against Iran. The answer was incoherent.

What is so terrifying about Iran as a theatre of operations is that, according to our deep sources (both of whom belong to the Bilderberg group), there are two alternative dates set for the invasion. The earliest possible date would be in the "deadest of summer", some time in August, and the other alternative is a late autumn campaign. This substantially confirms the information provided by Scott Ritter, the ex-Marine turned UNSCOM weapons inspector, who stated that "George W. Bush has signed off on plans to bomb Iran in June 2005" (Aljazeera, 30 March 2005), although he did go on to clarify that the June date suggests that the US and Israel are "in a state of readiness".

Russian vs American Foreign Policy Policy discussion began with a European expert on international relations pointing out that over the next several years Russia is poised to assert itself and increasingly challenge Bush Government foreign policy goals.

Someone openly asked the committee if the world is safer today than in 2001 and if it will be safer in four years' time. A Dutchman responded by saying there is little doubt that the hand of international terrorism has been substantially strengthened by the US Government's heavy-handed policy in the Middle East. A Danish Bilderberger wondered about what had happened to the US promise to take a lower-key approach in Iraq—referring to the heavy-handed tactics employed by American troops in the siege of Fallujah, which played an important role in alienating a large cross-section of moderate Arab states. Additionally, the Dutchman pointed out, terrorism hasn't been confined to the Iraq theatre of operations but has escalated across Asia, Africa and most of the Middle East.

A blonde woman, believed to be Thérèse Delpech, Director of Strategic Affairs for the Atomic Energy Commission, said that unilateralist policy actions by the US will only succeed in alienating friendly nations and emboldening enemy combatants. "US is not all-powerful. It must coordinate its policy with other great powers to achieve its ends."

An oil expert believed to be from Britain, possibly Sir John Kerr of Royal Dutch Shell, focused on the oil pipeline from Siberia to northern China. The Bilderbergers openly wondered at the medium-term repercussions of this deal. An American investment banker asked just how much oil is expected to flow through this pipeline. Another member of the oil cartel offered 65–80 million tonnes per year as a ballpark figure.

India's Missile TestsDuring Saturday night cocktails at the bar, neo-con Richard Perle was seen and heard talking to a group of Bilderbergers, amongst them Philippe Camus, President of the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS), Donald Graham of the Washington Post and General James L. Jones about the near-future test-firing of India's Agni 3 intermediate-range ballistic missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads. General Jones added that such a weapon would greatly increase India's capabilities because, according to the four-star general, India's strategic deterrents will be able to strike targets deep inside neighbouring China. In fact, Dr M. Natarajan, head of the prestigious Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), said as much two weeks later on 17 May in New Delhi.

The 2005 German ElectionsThe Bilderbergers also discussed how to dust off the "boring" image of Angela Merkel, Germany's "future leader", ahead of the German elections on 18 September 2005.

A short, oversized male Bilderberger offered an opinion that in order for the widest cross-section of the German public to accept Merkel (leader of the Christian Democratic Union opposition) as Chancellor, it would be important to give a new definition to the term "family values". German Bilderbergers well versed in the conservative Bavarian collective psyche believe that Merkel, a divorcee with a doctorate in physics, doesn't have a "reliable" enough image to attract sufficient votes in this staunchly conservative area of the country. According to people within earshot of the discussion, the idea "in the up-coming campaign would be to stress the importance of families rather than marriage as an institution".

Bilderbergers pushing Gerhard Schroeder aside in favour of a new candidate could very well signify that, after three years of strife between American and European Bilderbergers over the war in Iraq, the secret society is ready to move forward with a much- revised and more cohesive policy. It must be remembered that Schroeder, along with French President Chirac, was one of the most vociferous European critics of the US-led Iraq intervention.

Both Schroeder, representing the left, and Merkel, representing the right, are owned by the Bilderbergers. It has been the group's policy since its inception in 1954 to own both horses in the race.

For the record, every US President belongs to the Bilderberg group or its interlocked sister organisation, the Council on Foreign Relations. Although Bush Junior didn't personally attend the meeting in Rottach-Egern, the US Government was well represented by William Luti, Richard Perle, Dennis Ross and Allan Hubbard.

Towards a One World Government History teaches by analogy, not identity. The historical experience is not one of staying in the present and looking back; rather, it is one of going back into the past and returning to the present with a wider and more intense consciousness of the restrictions of our former outlook.

If democracy is the rule of the people, then secret government agendas and sinister, influence-peddling cliques which stand for cunning selfishness are incompatible with it. The whole idea of clandestine spheres of influence waging secret campaigns is therefore foreign to the notion of democracy and must be fought with zealous determination.

Through lies and obfuscations, Bilderbergers are desperately trying to foist onto the unwilling world population a totalitarian One World Government, a single global currency and a syncretic universal religion.

Those of us who care deeply about the future of politics—domestic and international—cannot afford to ignore the fact that the grimly political One World Government is no longer merely a shadow subculture. It has, in fact, emerged as the dominant force in world affairs. ∞

About the Author:Daniel Estulin is an award-winning investigative journalist who has been researching the Bilderbergers for over 13 years. He was one of only two journalists who witnessed and reported (from beyond the heavily guarded perimeter) the super-secret Bilderberg meeting at the Dorint Sofitel Seehotel in Rottach-Egern, Munich, Bavaria, Germany, on 5 to 8 May 2005.

Mr Estulin can be contacted by email at d.estulin@ctconsultoria.com. The full text of his article, including the list of participants, and other Bilderberg stories are available at http://www.onlinejournal.com/.

Obama’s Master Peace Plan

Folks, things are certainly moving on the fast track again. Netanyahu and Peres in the USA, Leiberman, Israeli foreign secretary, touring the EU, The Pope about to visit Israel in the next few days....and now (below) Obama's master plan.From ArutzSheva.

by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu

U.S. President Barack Obama told Jordan's King Abdullah two weeks ago to meet with leading Muslim Arab countries and persuade them to accept changes in the Saudi 2002 Initiative, according to the London-based Arabic language Al-Quds Al-Arabi newspaper.

The report reflects the president’s swift action on the Middle East since he was elected last November.

President Obama’s major proposed alteration in the Saudi peace plan is for Arab countries to grant citizenship to approximately five million Arabs who are descendants of former Israelis while allowing them the right to move to a new Palestinian Authority country.

The Saudi plan calls for them to be allowed to immigrate to Israel, a suggestion that virtually every Israeli leader categorically rejects. President Obama also reportedly told the king that he wants the United Nations flag raised over holy sites in eastern Jerusalem, where the PA would have total sovereignty under the Saudi plan.

Al Quds did not specify any other “concessions” to Israel but said that Arab countries should consider “other changes,” none of which were specified.

The president’s master plan calls for Arab countries to set a timetable for raising the Israeli flag in their capitals, a sign of recognition of the Jewish State. Simultaneously, the PA flag would be raised in Jerusalem neighborhoods, a move that would virtually make the Fatah-led government the de facto government in a significant portion of the Jewish capital.

The Obama administration includes several prominent Jews who have eagerly backed the president’s actions, most of them having experience as advisors to former President Bill Clinton during the Oslo Accord talks that led to the Second Intifada, also known as the Oslo War, in 2000.

Obama's team has moved ahead at high speed on all tracks, including proposals for direct negotiations with Syria and diplomatic initiatives towards Iran, and it has put the ball in the court of Israel and the Arabs to accept his proposals and show that they want to reach an agreement.

White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, whose father was an underground fighter in pre-state Israel during the British Mandate, has said he is anxious to arrange an Arab-Israel peace ceremony, as he did during the Clinton administration. It was Rahm Emanuel who staged the handshake between former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin and Yasser Arafat, then-head of the Palestine Liberation Organization that he founded as a terrorist group.

Q+A: Deciphering the end of Sri Lanka's war

COLOMBO (Reuters) - It is a rare conflict where both the victor and the vanquished say the war is over before the last bullet has been fired. But that is what has happened in the closing chapter of Sri Lanka's 25-year war over the weekend.

Here are some questions and answers about the situation:

IS THE WAR OVER?
Technically, no. Realistically, yes. As of Sunday evening in Sri Lanka, the military said there were sporadic firefights and clearing operations going on. But there could be no safer bet than saying the Sri Lankan military has victory safely in hand.

WHY IS THERE SO MUCH CONFUSION?
First, President Mahinda Rajapaksa declared the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) militarily defeated on Saturday. That was confusing, because at the time, the military said troops were still battling the Tigers in northeastern Sri Lanka and said the final fight had intensified on Sunday.

Muddling things further, the LTTE released a statement in the middle of Sunday saying it was doing the one thing it had vowed never to do -- laying down its weapons. The Tigers' diplomatic chief, Selvarajah Pathmanathan, gave a later interview to Channel 4 News in which he said that did not mean a surrender. That is seen as anathema to the LTTE's image of suicide before defeat, which it plays up to its network of supporters in the global Tamil diaspora.

WHAT IS THE NEXT SIGN TO LOOK FOR?
The military's announcement that it has, for the first time since 1983, taken the entirety of Sri Lanka into its control and ended combat operations. Rajapaksa is due to formally announce the end of the war in parliament on Tuesday.

SO DOES THAT MEAN THE END OF THE LTTE?
As a conventional force, yes. As a guerrilla force, not yet. Security experts say the Tigers still have a wide international network of operatives and criminal enterprises, and a deep well of financial support from diaspora Tamils. Pathmanathan this week threatened a new phase of war if the Tigers were wiped out on the battlefield.

Since he was better known for most of his career as "KP," the LTTE's chief weapons smuggler and offshore financier wanted by Interpol, he has the practical experience to make good on his threat. The military says it is ready for any kind of guerrilla attacks, and other security analysts point out the LTTE will no longer have its own turf in Sri Lanka from which to operate. End of Quote

WHAT OF THE NEW WORLD ORDER?
Because of the pointless decade’s long conflict that has been going on in Sri-Lanka they have fallen miserably behind with the global elitists plans for World Government. Therefore, it seems to be more than a casual accident that this war has ended right after it was openly announced by politicians at the very recent G20 summit that they had laid the basis for a New World Order through their deliberately instigated global economic crisis?

Simplified, the war has been allowed to continue on for as long as it until the timing was correct to end it so that Sri-Lanka could be brought into an Anglo/American led New World Order. A New World Order that will ultimately led to the destruction of the entire human race. A very similar sort of scenario and temporary peace will now take peace in the Middle East where a seven year covenant will be confirmed shortly by the Antichrist.

King Abdullah in Middle East Warning

By Bob Mitchell

Well friends things are beginning to shape up for a very interesting year, prophetically speaking.

In January 2007 Javier Solana of the EU announced a new start to the troubled European Neighbourhood Policy which would include most Middle Eastern nations and last for 7 years.

Everyone jumped up and down with interest. Was this the beginning of the Daniel 9:27 prophecy?

Sadly for him, Solana only managed to get one foreign dignitary to the launch. Not very encouraging!

Then in July 2008 French president Nicolas Sarkozy announced the birth of the Mediterranean Union which again included most Middle Eastern nations. This time, at least, Sarkozy managed to draw over 4o leaders to the celebrations. Some the most bitter of enemies. Even Israel and Syria shared the podium in Paris. But so far no real news from that event!

Now comes May 2009, and the Arab Peace Plan of 2000 has resurfaced as the "57 State Solution". King Abdullah of Jordan has said Israel must accept this plan or face an all out war within the next 18 months.

The plan, if accepted by Israel, will be ratified by the entire 57 nation "Organization of the Islamic Conference". You can bet Jerusalem is well and truly on the document.America, the EU, the UN and Russia are pushing Israel into a corner to accept the plan even though Israel is not invited to the negotiations!And leading the attack against Israel is the Obama administration.

Israel's president Peres visited Obama in the last few days.

Now remember this is an official visit to the White House by the president of a friendly nation.I understand Obama ordered NO PRESS.

Peres was ushered in quietly and quickly and then quickly ushered out after a 15 minute meeting like someone delivering the groceries.

Prime Minister Netanyahu is due in Washington on the 17th /18th of May.

Will he be welcomed by the now "friendly to Islam and Iran" Obama administration or will he too be given the short tour and shown the exit?I fear for America and my own country as we turn the screws on God's ancient people and make plans with Israel's enemies to divide the land further without even inviting Israel to voice an opinion or an amendment to the newly emerging map of the Middle East. God is not mocked and the misled people who voted Obama and his pals into power will soon witness the result of such a folly as God turns his face away from their land.

The spiritually blind leaders in the church who are giving the church false teaching instead of real spiritual meat will soon get their reward when the master returns. And by telling the church Obama is a godly man who will support Israel they are bringing God's judgment upon their own land by encouraging people to vote for him. Friends it is time to pray for our leaders, our nation our church and for Israel as many well meaning Christians may have let the wolf into the fold. Thank God we know how it ends. Messiah will reign from Jerusalem on David's throne! Amen and amen.But first there are dark days ahead. Let us gird ourselves ready for whatever comes. These are indeed the last days. Correction: these are the last of the last days.

Abdullah Tells Netanyahu in Amman: Accept PA State ‘Immediately

by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu

Jordan’s King Abdullah II, hosting Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in a previously unannounced visit Thursday morning, demanded that he “immediately declare his commitment to a two-state solution, declare acceptance of the Arab peace initiative and to take necessary steps to move forward toward a solution.”He also said that Israel must open all crossings into Gaza, which was taken over by the Hamas terrorist organization two years ago. The royal palace released the king’s remarks, and no response from Prime Minister Netanyahu was reported. His office earlier stated that Jordan is a peace partner with Israel and a key to regional peace.

Prime Minister Netanyahu’s surprise visit came several days before he travels to Washington for talks with U.S. President Barack Obama. The Prime Minister’s office said he traveled to Jordan to coordinate policies in preparation for his trip and added that the visit had been postponed because of pressures involved in passing the proposed budget in the Cabinet.

After King Abdullah’s discussions with President Obama in Washington last month, the monarch warned that war will break out within the next 18 months if Israel does not accept the Saudi Arabian 2002 Peace Plan, based on shrinking the size of Israel to that which existed in 1949.

The plan also calls for the right of approximately five million foreign Arabs to immigrate to Israel on the basis of their families having once lived there, prior to fleeing during the 1948 War of Independence.

While Prime Minister Netanyahu was in Amman, Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas was on his way to Damascus to speak with Syrian President Bashar Assad on "the elaboration of the common Arab position on negotiations with Israel after an extreme right government took power in Israel,” according to the PA.Foreign media reported that Assad and Abbas will come up with a proposal that Syrian-Israeli talks be resumed as part of a regional peace agreement that would include the establishment of a new PA state.

The tactic fits in well with the strategy of advisors to President Obama who want a package accord that also includes stopping Iran from becoming a nuclear power, which Washington has suggested as a condition for Israel to agree to the Saudi initiative.Hamas, whose politburo chief Khaled Mashaal is based in Damascus, said it will boycott Abbas’s visit, which comes two days after Abbas announced he will form a new government headed by incumbent Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. Fayaad last month said he would resign as a step to encourage progress in unity talks between Hamas and Fatah, but the negotiations have failed.

Abbas’s visit to Syria continues a four-year strategy that has succeeded in winning support from the Arab world and its allies for the Saudi plan, without conceding anything to Israel.Constant American and European Union backing have provided momentum for his insistence on an all-or-nothing agreement with Israel.The election of President Obama, who was heavily backed by dovish American Jews, has built a nearly universal platform of support for PA demands.Months of talks under Egyptian auspices have failed to produce an agreement on a unity government between the two parties.

Brussels Diary: Socialism could make Blair EU President?

With the permanent presidency being the power base for the Antichrist (and the significance of it in relation to the end times Bible prophecies) as this article was originally published in Prospect’s May print edition, available from 30th April, I thought it worthwhile to repeat it here because if and when, Blair is appointed as the president of Europe there would be a very strong likelihood of him being the Beast of Revelation?

That being the case considering that he is the head of the International Quartet of Four towards Middle East peace (and given the recent developments in that area) after being appointed as the EU president there would also be a very strong possibility of him confirming the covenant of Daniel Chapter 9, Verse 27?

KJV, Daniel Chapter 9, and Verse 27: And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

Quote: In his ascent to the top, David Cameron has benefited a great deal from watching his foe Tony Blair. But now it looks as if Cameron may be doing Blair a favour in return, albeit accidentally. With growing expectations that the Irish will vote “yes” in an autumn referendum on the Lisbon treaty, Blair is back in contention for the job it creates: president of the European council. Before the Irish torpedoed the treaty last year, Blair had many opponents, mainly because of his part in the Iraq war.

Several things have brought him back into the running. The first is that in a post-Dubya world with Barack Obama wowing Europeans, Iraq and America are no longer toxic issues. The second is that the case for a big personality doing the job of president is more or less won…..

Last year, during France’s EU presidency, Nicolas Sarkozy demonstrated the impact that could have during both the conflict in Georgia and the financial meltdown. Now the reverse has been shown too. The implosion of the Czech presidency of the EU culminated in the fall of the government in Prague and wild comments by the country’s Prime Minister, Mirek Topolánek. Speaking to the European parliament, he derided the US response to the economic crisis, underlining the fact that leaders from small countries sometimes find it hard to distinguish between national and international politics.
The final factor helping Blair is the balance of power within the EU—and this is where Cameron comes in. In June the European elections will determine the context within which a series of big appointments will be made. Providing the Lisbon treaty is approved, this will include a European council president and a foreign minister, as well as president of the European commission. The EU heads of government will find it hard to ignore the results of the European elections when they fill these jobs.
With every European economy suffering, the centre right EPP-ED—currently the biggest bloc in the European parliament—is under pressure. Moreover, Cameron’s determination to pull the British Conservatives out of the group (along with Topolanek’s Czech ODS party) means that the Socialist group, where the British Labour party sits, may emerge from the elections as the biggest bloc. If José Manuel Barroso wins his battle for reappointment as commission president, it will be more difficult to appoint another figure from the centre-right as council president. When he was prime minister, Blair did everything he could to distance himself from his socialist roots. But, with the potential prize of a top EU job, that may be about to change. End of quote