OPINION:
A version of this story appeared in the Higher Ground newsletter from The Washington Times. Click here to receive Higher Ground delivered directly to your inbox each Sunday.
“It’s not a war… it’s a massacre.”
That’s how one Israeli general framed the ghastliness discovered after Hamas terrorists targeted women, children and the elderly, brutally murdering hundreds of innocent Israelis and wreaking absolute mayhem.
Reports of 40 babies slaughtered by these subhuman terrorist acts — some of these children reportedly beheaded — sent shockwaves throughout the world.
Other stories like those of Deborah Matias, an American citizen who was shot dead while shielding her 16-year-old son, Rotem, from Hamas’ bullets, also reverberated in the media, adding more clarity to the depraved assault.
“We were on the phone the entire day with our grandson, Rotem, as he lay first under her body, and then found a place to escape under a blanket in a laundry,” the teen’s grandfather, Ilan Troen, told CNN, explaining how the boy, who was shot, hid for 12 hours before being rescued.
SEE ALSO: One of the world’s oldest Christian communities faces genocide. Where’s Biden?
Such inscrutable stories just keep coming. While many details surrounding Hamas’ terror attack remain unclear, one fact has become undeniable: There’s absolutely no fear of reprisal among terrorists and evil actors — nothing holding back their devilish schemes against the guiltless.
The world is embroiled in total madness, with the seemingly rudderless ship hitting iceberg after iceberg. And without a captain to guide the vessel, every collision makes it feel more like the craft is sinking.
What happened in Israel are actions so feral they can only be explained as being rooted in the bowels of hell. But the dysfunction dominating the news hasn’t been limited to Israel, as the Hamas terror attack is just one of multiple crises exploding across the globe.
Just days before Israel suffered the unthinkable, Joel Veldkamp, head of international communications at persecution watchdog Christian Solidarity International, warned that Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh, the small, landlocked region between Azerbaijan and Armenia, were at risk of potential genocide and cultural obliteration.
Azerbaijan, unafraid, undeterred — and, most notably, unimpeded by international partners like the U.S. — invaded Nagorno-Karabakh, sending the 120,000 residents fleeing for their lives and abandoning the only homes and lives they had ever known. Mr. Veldkamp warned last month that, in the process, “one of the oldest Christian communities in the world is being destroyed.”
Some experts worry Armenia itself could be in danger, with reminders of the Armenian genocide bubbling to the surface. That event, which began in 1915, led to the murder of up to 1 million Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman Empire. And Mr. Veldkamp is among those worried we’re headed for a repeat of those atrocities.
And we’d be remiss to forget the crisis in Ukraine after Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded in February 2022, igniting a deadly war that rages to this day. Add China’s ghastly persecution of the Uyghurs to the mix, and you’ll certainly see the pattern.
Evil is real, undeterred and seems to be flexing its muscles, testing its capabilities, and looking to see if anyone’s willing to stop it. And while President Biden has been staunchly defending Israel in the wake of Hamas’ attack, it’s no secret his ideological opponents have seized on his perceived aloofness and weakness, particularly on security and international affairs.
These critiques aren’t being conjured up. According to Gallup, just 35% of Americans believe Mr. Biden’s Democratic Party is more suited to “do a better job of protecting the country from international terrorism and military threats,” with 57% expressing more confidence in the Republican Party.
To be clear: Mr. Biden didn’t create these world problems, and we must be careful when it comes to placing blame on anyone other than the war-mongers and maniacs waging these atrocities. Yet, U.S. inaction, silence and mixed messages certainly haven’t helped.
In situations like Nagorno-Karabakh, the U.S. has done virtually nothing to halt the horror. And, just last month, the Biden administration unfroze $6 billion in Iranian oil revenue in a controversial prisoner swap deal. That money is reportedly still tied up and isn’t directly tied to the Hamas attack, but some believe the deal sends the wrong message, especially considering that Iran financially supports Hamas and Israel’s destruction.
Let’s not forget the Biden administration also sent a clear message to the world with its disastrous August 2021 pullout from Afghanistan — an event that quickly gave the country back over to Taliban militants who have spent the past two years re-implementing policies targeting women and religious minorities, erasing any semblance of progress the U.S. made in the region.
Another flashpoint is Nigeria, where extremism, murder and modern-day stoning have captured headlines and horrified the world. The African nation ranks as the sixth most dangerous place for Christians on Open Doors’ World Watch List, a global persecution analysis.
“The persecution facing Christians in Nigeria is extreme and often brutally violent, as Islamic militants and armed bandits attack with increasing impunity,” Open Doors noted. “More Christians are killed for their faith in Nigeria than in the rest of the world combined — 14 every day, on average.”
Yet the Biden administration has repeatedly declined to add Nigeria to the State Department’s Countries of Particular Concern list, which labels countries that restrict or are complicit in violating religious freedom. What’s perhaps most alarming is the Trump administration added Nigeria in 2020 before Mr. Biden’s camp removed the beleaguered nation.
Time after time, the Biden administration seems out-of-step with the events on the ground, ignoring, misreading or misaligning its efforts. Just consider Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s now-deleted tweet calling for an Israeli-Hamas ceasefire in the wake of this weekend’s crisis and Mr. Biden’s refusal to mention Iran during his Tuesday address.
It’s certainly possible — and even likely — officials are quietly orchestrating and working behind the scenes on these issues, but that doesn’t change the reality: The projected weakness and disinterest in solving matters is very likely pouring gasoline on an already raging international fire, further eradicating any fear of reprisal among evil actors.
• Billy Hallowell is a digital TV host and interviewer for Faithwire and CBN News and the co-host of CBN’s “Quick Start Podcast.” Hallowell is the author of four books.
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