Prophecy Watch: Arab Army

There are many developments which have occurred over a series of months:

Iran’s desire to continue its march toward nuclear power and a possible nuclear arsenal.

Palestinian Authority makes more effort to get a two-state solution in Israel.

ISIS continues its march across Syria and Iraq.

The relationship between Israel and its partner United States continues to move apart.

The overthrow of the Yemen government by the Houthi rebels.

In the midst of these events, there is now a call to form an Arab Army made up of different countries along the Mediterranean. Ten countries have agreed that they should form an army to fight the Islamic State. With the recent developments in Iran’s nuclear policy, the urgency seems to be growing. This army could take the form of an “Arabpol” (similar to Europol) to fight crime and terrorism. This army could take the form of an Arab NATO, with an agreement that an attack on one Arab nation would be an attack on every Arab nation.

The challenge for this Arab Army will be the conflict within Islam and influence in the Middle East. The Arab countries are Sunni Muslim. Iran is Shia Muslim. Because of this distinction, Iran has supported opposition groups against the Sunnis. For example, Hezbollah in Lebanon, Houthi rebels in Yemen, as well as the insurgents in Syria and Iraq.

In my opinion, ultimately, this Arab army will become part of a regional union to form some kind of Arab Union – perhaps an even greater Islamic Union, like the African Union and the European Union. In order to defend their territories, these countries will need to pool their resources, and many have said that the European Union is the model to follow. If the economies are strong, there will be less terrorism, more peace, and more cooperation.

Cooperation will be key. For centuries these countries have had difficulty working together for a common goal. The threats of the Islamic State (and an Iran that wants to exert regional influence) will force their cooperation. This Arab army would be the first step in that journey.