Eye on the World June 9, 2018 This compilation of material for “Eye on the World” is presented as a service to the Churches of God. The views stated in the material are those of the writers or sources quoted by the writers, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the members of the Church of God Big Sandy. The following articles were posted at churchofgodbigsandy.com for the weekend of June 9, 2018. Compiled by Dave Havir Luke 21:34-36—“But take heed to yourselves, lest your souls be weighed down with self-indulgence, and drunkenness, or the anxieties of this life, and that day come on you suddenly, like a falling trap; for it will come on all dwellers on the face of the whole earth. But beware of slumbering; and every moment pray that you may be fully strengthened to escape from all these coming evils, and to take your stand in the presence of the Son of Man” (Weymouth New Testament). ★★★★★ An article by Holly Ellyatt titled “The Secretive Bilderberg Elite are Worried About the ‘Post-Truth’ World” was posted at cnbc.com on June 6, 2018. Following is the article. __________ Some of the planet’s most powerful people will take part in the infamously secretive Bilderberg meeting that begins Thursday to discuss their most pressing concerns, including Russia, free trade and the “post-truth” world. Political leaders and experts from industry, finance, academia and the media will take part in the annual conference, taking place this year in Turin from Thursday to Sunday. So far, 131 participants from 23 countries have confirmed their attendance, Bilderberg’s organizers said. Some of the names on this year’s guestlist include the president of the World Economic Forum, Borge Brende, the CEOs of Airbus, DeepMind and Total, as well as Mark Carney, governor of the Bank of England and Ryanair’s Michael O’Leary. The meeting is chaired by French businessman Henri de Castries and he leads the organization’s “steering committee.” 2 of 20 / Eye on the World • June 9, 2018 Churchofgodbigsandy.com The key topics for discussion at this year’s meeting were published by its organizers Wednesday, giving an insight into what are deemed the most pressing issues in global affairs: 1. Populism in Europe 2. The inequality challenge 3. The future of work 4. Artificial intelligence 5. The U.S. before midterms 6. Free trade 7. U.S. world leadership 8. Russia 9. Quantum computing 10. Saudi Arabia and Iran 11. The “post-truth” world 12. Current events Some issues like the rise of anti-establishment politics and populism in Europe, persistent inequality, the West’s trick relationship with a resurgent Russia and Saudi Arabia and Iran’s emnity have been around for a while. Others, like the rise of artificial intelligence and quantum computing, reflect uncertainty over mankind’s relationship with technology. Politics and geopolitics dominate the list, however, with the themes of Russia, the Middle East, U.S. world leadership and the domestic political environment ahead of midterm elections in November. The arrival of President Donald Trump in the White House has thrown out the old way of doing politics and heralded a renegade style of politics. Meanwhile, scandals involving allegations of the mass use of social media to influence elections also relates to a blurring of objective fact and fiction— hence the “post-truth” world the Bildergroup group will discuss. Post-truth, which was Oxford English Dictionary’s word of the year in 2016, is an adjective defined by the dictionary compiler as “relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.” Discretion is the word Founded in 1954, the Bilderberg meeting is an annual event designed “to fos- ter dialogue between Europe and North America,” organizers say. The meet- ing is renowned for its secretive content. Churchofgodbigsandy.com Eye on the World • June 9, 2018 / 3 of 20 About two thirds of participants come from Europe and the rest from North America; approximately a quarter from politics and government and the rest from other fields, organizers said in a statement Wednesday. Discretion, as always, is de rigeur. “The conference is a forum for informal discussions about major issues facing the world. The meetings are held under the Chatham House Rule, which states that participants are free to use the information received, but neither the identity nor the affiliation of the speaker(s) nor any other participant may be revealed.” The organizers said that thanks to the private nature of the meeting, “the partic- ipants are not bound by the conventions of their office or by pre-agreed positions.” “As such, they can take time to listen, reflect and gather insights. There is no desired outcome, no minutes are taken and no report is written. Furthermore, no resolutions are proposed, no votes are taken, and no policy statements are issued.” With the great and the good attending the meeting, which has become syn- onymous with the elite, a frequently asked question is how the Bilderberg meeting is financed. Organizers said the financing was a mixed bag: “Annual contributions by steer- ing committee members cover the annual costs of the secretariat. The budget of the secretariat is limited to the costs of the meeting. The hospitality costs of the annual meeting are the responsibility of the steering committee member(s) of the host country. Participation is by invitation only, and there is no atten- dance fee. Participants take care of their own travel and accommodation costs.” ★★★★★ An article by Andrea Gagliarducci titled “Vatican Secretary of State Attending Elite Bilderberg Meeting” was posted at cruxnow.com on June 7, 2018. Following is the article. __________ Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, will take part in the Bilderberg Conference, an annual private gathering of global political, busi- ness and media leaders, taking place this year in Turin, Italy, June 7–10. Parolin’s name is included in the list of 131 participants in this year’s event. His participation in the meeting has not been officially announced by the Vatican, though sources within the Secretariat of State have confirmed that he is scheduled to take part in the meeting. It would be the first time high-ranking Vatican official has taken part in the Bilderberg Conferences. 4 of 20 / Eye on the World • June 9, 2018 Churchofgodbigsandy.com Started in 1954 the Hotel de Bilderberg in Oosterbeek, The Netherlands, and named after the same hotel, the Bilderberg Conference gathers each year some 120–150 participants, among them European and North American political elites, along with industrial, financial, academic and media figures. The first meeting took place at the invitation of Prince Bernhard of Lippe- Biesterfeld. Co-founders of the meeting were Polish politician Jozef Retinger, former Belgian prime minister Paul van Zeeland, and Paul Rijkens, who was then the head of Unilever. The success of the first meeting brought the organizers to stage an annual meeting. According to the groups’ official website, about two-thirds of the participants come from Europe, and the rest from North America, and one-third are polit- ical figures or government officials. The original meeting objective was to strengthen U.S.–European relations. Over the years, the annual meetings became a forum for discussion on a wider range of topics, from ecology to trade and monetary policies. This year’s meeting is set to discuss populism in Europe, the challenges of inequality, the future of work, artificial intelligence, U.S. midterm elections, free trade, U.S. global leadership, Russia, quantum computing, Saudi Arabia and Iran, the post-truth world, and other current events. The Bilderberg meeting’s official website stresses that discussions are pri- vate, no minutes are taken and no reports are written. The meetings are held under the so-called “Chatham House Rules,” an agree- ment typical of off-the-record meetings among academics or political leaders. According to that agreement, participants are free to use the information received, but they cannot disclose the identity nor the affiliation of speakers, nor can they disclose the other participants taking part in the conversation. Dubbed by critics to be a kind of “global shadow government,” and targeted by protesters who picket the meeting, the Bilderberg meeting has has an offi- cial website since 2011, and publishes the names of participants in the annu- al meeting the day before the gathering begins. Parolin’s participation may be an expression of the “culture of the encounter” encouraged by Pope Francis. The pope has often asked officials to engage a dialogue with the world. Receiving the Charlemagne Prize May 6, 2016, Pope Francis stressed that “today we urgently need to engage all the members of society in building ‘a culture which privileges dialogue as a form of encounter’ and in creating ‘a means for building consensus and agreement while seeking the goal of a just, responsive and inclusive society.’ ” The cardinal’s participation in the Bilderberg Group could be part of a strate- gy of dialogue the Holy See is engaging with the small influential elite group. Churchofgodbigsandy.com Eye on the World • June 9, 2018 / 5 of 20 It is noteworthy that last year, Parolin took part in the World Economic Forum in Davos, and there he delivered a speech in which he listed the aims of pon- tifical diplomacy. ★★★★★ An article by Patrick Donahue titled “Merkel Urges Europe to Step Up in Trump’s New World Order” was posted at bloombergquint.com on June 7, 2018. Following is the article. __________ Chancellor Angela Merkel made a forceful pitch for Europe to play a more assertive role in global affairs as U.S.