As Syria continues to implode (the horrific death toll now tops 60,000) — and the countdown to something catastrophic seems to be in motion — Russian President Vladimir Putin now appears to be moving naval and marine forces for possible intervention in Syria, or at least to deter Western powers from trying to intervene in the civil-war-torn country. Some reports say Moscow is sending five Russian warships. Another reports says 12 warships are heading to the Syrian coast. What exactly does Putin hope to achieve? Only time will tell. For now, please keep praying for the Lord to intervene and bring calm to Syria and for the followers of Christ there and around the world to have wisdom to know how best to help the suffering.

“A flotilla of five Russian warships laden with hundreds of troops, which is headed toward Syria, is a show of force meant to deter Western armies from intervening in the war-torn nation,” reports the Times of Israel, citing information provided by the London-based Sunday Times. Previous reports cited Russian diplomats to the effect that the vessels were being put in place in order to evacuate thousands of Russians who still remain in Syria if the situation in the country called for it. However, a Russian intelligence source was quoted on Sunday as saying that the presence of over 300 marines on the ships was meant as a deterrent to keep countries hostile to the Bashar Assad regime — a key ally of the Kremlin — from landing special forces in the country. ‘Russia should be prepared for any developments, as it believes the situation in Syria might reach its peak before Easter,’ a Russian diplomatic source was quoted as saying.”

“Russia has been preparing for major naval exercises in the eastern Mediterranean,” reports World Tribune. “Officials said the Russian Navy has sent at least 12 warships for exercises in the Mediterranean and the Gulf of Aden in January. They said the exercises would include demonstrations of anti-submarine and air defense operations near the coast of Syria. ‘The Russian Navy’s drills of this scope will be held for the first time over the past few decades and are designed to improve control, ensure and practice multi-service force interaction of the fleets in the far-off maritime zones,’ the Russian Defense Ministry said.”

>> To learn more about my forthcoming geopolitical thriller, Damascus Countdown, or to pre-order it before its March 5th release, please click here

>> To learn more about The Joshua Fund’s mission to bless the people of Israel and her neighbors, please click here

In my forthcoming political thriller, Damascus Countdown, I try to envision a scenario in which the regime in Syria concludes it is in its best interests to use weapons of mass destruction and thus poses an existential threat to the State of Israel. In the novel, I focus primarily on nuclear weapons. In reality — at this particular moment –the concern is chemical weapons.

This morning we are learning just how seriously the regime in Damascus is considering using weapons of mass destruction. “In the last days of November, Israel’s top military commanders called the Pentagon to discuss troubling intelligence that was showing up on satellite imagery,” reports the New York Times. “Syrian troops appeared to be mixing chemicals at two storage sites, probably the deadly nerve gas sarin, and filling dozens of 500-pounds bombs that could be loaded on airplanes.”

“Within hours President Obama was notified, and the alarm grew over the weekend, as the munitions were loaded onto vehicles near Syrian air bases,” the Times notes. “In briefings, administration officials were told that if Syria’s increasingly desperate president, Bashar al-Assad, ordered the weapons to be used, they could be airborne in less than two hours — too fast for the United States to act, in all likelihood. What followed next, officials said, was a remarkable show of international cooperation over a civil war in which the United States, Arab states, Russia and China have almost never agreed on a common course of action….But concern remains that Mr. Assad could now use the weapons produced that week at any moment. American and European officials say that while a crisis was averted in that week from late November to early December, they are by no means resting easy.'”

Also: “Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, was reported to have traveled to Jordan in recent weeks, and the Israeli news media have said the topic of discussion was how to deal with Syrian weapons if it appeared that they could be transferred to Lebanon, where Hezbollah could lob them over the border to Israel. But the plans, to the extent they exist, remain secret.”

>> To learn more about Damascus Countdown, or to pre-order it before its March 5th release, please click here

What’s wrong with this picture? “Iran’s Foreign Ministry appears to be backing President Barack Obama’s pick of former Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., as secretary of defense,” reports the AP and CBS News. “Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said in an interview Tuesday that he hopes the Hagel nomination will improve relations between the United States and Tehran. ‘We hope there will be practical changes in American foreign policy and that Washington becomes respectful of the rights of nations,’ Mehmanparast said, according to Reuters. Hagel has previously criticized discussion of a military strike by either the U.S. or Israel against Iran and spoken of the influence of the ‘Jewish lobby’ on Congress. He also has backed efforts to bring Iran to the table for talks on future peace in Afghanistan.”

The President has nominated fmr Sen. Chuck Hagel to be Secretary of Defense.

President Obama on Monday nominated former Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel to be the next Secretary of Defense. It’s a terrible choice and will send the wrong message at precisely the wrong time to Iran, Hamas and Radical Islamic enemies of the U.S. and Israel in the Middle East.

Interestingly, the Washington Post editorial page has come out strongly against Hagel. So have significant number of liberal Democrats. At least ten Democrat Senators are considering voting against his nomination, largely due to his weak and ineffectual approach to dealing with the mullahs in Iran who are steadily pursuing nuclear weapons.

1. “Mr. Hagel has long been an opponent of unilateral American sanctions against Iran — among other American adversaries — viewing them as counterproductive,” notes the New York Times. “Notably, he was one of only two senators to vote against the Iran-Libya sanctions act in 2001, arguing that it would undercut efforts to engage with Tehran.”
2. The editors of the Washington Post have come out strongly against the Senate confirming Hagel. “Mr. Hagel’s stated positions on critical issues, ranging from defense spending to Iran, fall well to the left of those pursued by Mr. Obama during his first term — and place him near the fringe of the Senate that would be asked to confirm him,” notes a Post editorial headlined, “Chuck Hagel is not the right choice for defense secretary.” Noted the Post: “Hagel…repeatedly voted against sanctions, opposing even those aimed at the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, which at the time was orchestrating devastating bomb attacks against U.S. troops in Iraq. Mr. Hagel argued that direct negotiations, rather than sanctions, were the best means to alter Iran’s behavior. The Obama administration offered diplomacy but has turned to tough sanctions as the only way to compel Iran to negotiate seriously.” Also: “Mr. Obama has said that his policy is to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and that containment is not an option. Mr. Hagel has taken a different view, writing in a 2008 book that ‘the genie of nuclear weapons is already out of the bottle, no matter what Iran does.’ The former senator from Nebraska signed on to an op-ed in The Post this September that endorsed ‘keeping all options on the table’ for stopping Iran’s nuclear program. But Mr. Hagel has elsewhere expressed strong skepticism about the use of force.”
3. “NBC political director Chuck Todd said Monday there is a ‘soft count’ of 10  Senate Democrats who might oppose Chuck Hagel’s nomination to head the  Department of Defense,” reports Politico.
4. “President Barack Obama’s Jewish point man has expressed fierce opposition to the prospect of former Sen. Chuck Hagel (R., Neb.) serving in a senior role in the Obama administration,” reports the Washington Free Beacon. “Ira Forman, who served as Obama’s Jewish outreach director during the 2012 presidential campaign, has dubbed Hagel a concerning candidate….Forman’s NJDC went to great lengths to disqualify Hagel over the years, even releasing a comprehensive fact sheet outlining the former Senator’s ‘questionable Israel record.’ Hagel, for instance, was just one of four senators who refused to sign a Senate letter supporting Israel in October 2000, the NJDC reported.”
5. “[F]ormer Mayor of New York, Ed Koch, a lifelong Democrat who supported President Obama’s recent re-election, expressed disappointment with the President’s decision to nominate former Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel for Secretary of Defense,” told a news outlet. “‘Frankly, I thought that there would come a time when he would renege on what he conveyed on his support of Israel,’ said Koch, adding, ‘it comes a little earlier than I thought it would.'”
6. The Los Angeles Times reports that Hagel has been seen by many in Washington as sharply critical of Israel and out of the U.S. mainstream on key Middle East policy issues. “Critics have focused on his calls for direct negotiations with Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that the U.S. and Israel refuse to deal with directly,” notes the Times. “Hagel rankled many with comments he made in a 2006 interview with author and former State Department Mideast peace negotiator Aaron David Miller. ‘The Jewish lobby intimidates a lot of people up here,’ Hagel said, but ‘I’m a United States senator. I’m not an Israeli senator.'”
7. The Associated Press reports that “six years ago, [Hagel] refused to sign a letter pressing the European Union to  declare the Lebanese Hezbollah guerrilla group a terrorist organization” and “has criticized discussion of a potential military strike by either the U.S. or  Israel against Iran.”
8. Harvard Professor Alan Dershowitz, widely known as a pro-Israel advocate as well as a supporter of President Obama, says he will oppose the Hagel nomination over the Iran issue. “I’m opposed to him for one primary reason, and that is [Hagel’s appointment] is going to send the wrong message to the Iranian mullahs,” said Dershowitz. “They could easily misunderstand that the President is backing away from his commitment not to allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons, because Hagel has opposed keeping a military option on the table. And it’s the wrong time to send mixed messages to those who are looking for an excuse for misunderstanding.

Iraqi President Jalal Talabani.

I was saddened to hear today that Iraqi President Jalal Talabani is quite ill — and possibly in a coma — after apparently suffering from a stroke. Please pray for this Kurdish leader to fully recover and for the LordJesus Christ  to draw him to His heart. Please also pray for his family that the Father would comfort them at this time. Talabani, once a Kurdish guerilla, has emerged as one of the more impressive peaceful and pro-democracy Reformers in Iraq. I profiled him in my 2009 non-fiction book, Inside The Revolution, interviewing several of his top advisors in Iraq, and also interviewing his son Qubad, who represents the Kurdish people here in Washington, D.C.

“Talabani is said to be in a coma in hospital after officials and media reported he had suffered a stroke,” reports the BBC. “A statement on his website said President Talabani was in a stable condition and was being treated for blocked arteries. Well-placed Kurdish sources say he remains in a coma. A veteran of the Kurdish guerrilla movement, Mr Talabani, 79, is Iraq’s first president from the ethnic group. He has struggled with his health in recent years and has often been treated abroad.”

There are mixed reports about the status of his health. One Twitter report I’ve seen that was re-tweeted by Qubad says the President is in stable condition and improving. Developing….

Thanks to the many of you who are asking about my next novel. Damascus Countdown will be released nationwide on March 5, 2013.

It is the third and final novel in the trilogy that includes The Twelfth Imam and The Tehran Initiative.

You can pre-order it in hardcover or as an e-book from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or from your favorite bookseller.

As we begin this new year, I’d like start by thanking each of you who read this blog and share it with others. Based on the emails and Tweets I receive, I know many of you come for geopolitical news, analysis and commentary regarding Israel, the Middle East, other international issues. Others come to the blog for analysis of faith and spiritual issues and trends. Many also check in for updates on my novels and non-fiction books and media appearances, and some for all of the above.

Whatever your reasons, thank you for reading.

Traffic in 2012 topped 4.8 million. That was up 19% over 2011, and up 40% over 2009 (the first full year I used WordPress).

• 2012 — 4,811,184 visits
• 2011 — 4,030,300
• 2010 — 3,264,916
• 2009 — 3,430,719

You can comment on any of these posts on my Epicenter Team page on Facebook. You can also track the news stories I’m reading and keep up with details related to my novels by following me on Twitter — @joelcrosenberg.

Tragically, the implosion of Syria continues unabated. The death toll continues to mount. The cruel Assad regime is slaughtering people without hesitation. The world is doing letting to help, but what would be the best way to help? Radical jihadists make up a significant portion of the rebel force fighting the Assad regime. Putting them in power could prove more dangerous to Israel, and to the region.

Please pray for calm. Pray for the Lord to restrain the evil that has been unleashed there. Pray the Lord comforts those who are grieving, strengthens the believers to boldly and courageously share the Gospel, and gives wisdom to Christians outside of Syria to know how to help. And keep in mind that Bible prophecy indicates that God will bring judgment on Damascus for the evil its leaders have done.

“The United Nations estimated Wednesday that more than 60,000 people have been killed in Syria’s 21-month-old uprising against authoritarian rule, a toll one-third higher than what anti-regime activists had counted,” reports AP. “The U.N. human rights chief called the toll ‘truly shocking.'”

Meanwhile, the Syrian general in charge of preventing defections has now fled the country. “Syria’s government suffered an embarrassing new setback as the top general responsible for preventing defections within the military became a defector himself, making what insurgents described…as a daring back-roads escape by motorcycle across the border into Turkey,” reports the New York Times. The defector, Maj. Gen. Abdul Aziz Jassem al-Shallal, the chief of the military police, was one of the highest-ranking military officers to abandon President Bashar al-Assad in the nearly two-year-old uprising against him. His departure, first reported by Al Arabiya late on Tuesday evening and confirmed by opposition figures on Wednesday, came as a flurry of diplomatic activity suggested the possibility of movement toward a political solution to the Syrian crisis. A deputy Syrian foreign minister flew to Moscow for meetings with Kremlin officials, and the international envoy who met with Mr. Assad in Damascus earlier this week was planning to visit Moscow this weekend. Russia, one of Mr. Assad’s most ardent foreign defenders, has in recent weeks suggested it was open to a negotiated transition that would ease him out of power.”

The Assad regime should make no mistake: God is watching. He loves the people of Syria. He sent Christ to save them, too. He is moving Christians to help the beleagured Syrian people. And in due time He will bring judgment on those who wage war against Him and His Word, including the elimination of Syria’s capital city. This is why we must reach all the people of Syria with the Gospel before it is too late.

How exactly will Damascus be destroyed? When will exactly it be destroyed? What will that look like, and what will be the implications for the rest of Syria, for Israel and for the region? The honest answer is that the Bible does not say. But my forthcoming novel, Damascus Countdown, envisions how these prophecies could come to pass. I’ll write more about this in the weeks to come.

As the U.S. faces a growing risk of implosion, President Obama and Congress have reached a highly-controversial deal to avert the so-called “fiscal cliff.”

• Summary of what’s in the deal (National Journal)
• Senate-Passed Deal Means Higher Tax on 77% of Households (Bloomberg)
• Fiscal Cliff Deal: $1 in Spending Cuts for Every $41 in Tax Increases (Breitbart)
• CBO: ‘Fiscal cliff’ deal carries $4 trillion price tag over next decade (The Hill)
• ‘Fiscal cliff’ deal does little to tame threats from debt ceiling, high unemployment rates (Washington Post)
• [House passes Senate deal] Done Deal: 257–167 (National Review)

Was it a good deal, or not? Here’s a sampling of the early analysis:

• A Bad Deal Beats a Calamitous Outcome (Pete Wehner, fmr advisor to President Bush)
• House Should Overhaul Disastrous Senate Deal (Deroy Murdock, columnist)

>> To see the “Implosion” forum that was broadcast earlier this year on C-SPAN, please click here.

>> Implosion: Can America Recover From Its Economic & Spiritual Challenges In Time?