Erdoğan’s Proposal for an Empowered Presidency
Turks will vote April 16 in a referendum on proposed constitutional amendments that would greatly enhance the power of the presidency and reinforce Turkey’s democratic decline.
“On April 16, the Turkish people will vote on a package of constitutional amendments passed by Turkey’s Parliament on January 21, 2017, that greatly expands the powers of the presidency.
If the package passes the nationwide referendum, it will broaden and deepen the de jure powers of the presidency, giving it authority over all executive branch institutions, including the military. It would give the president the power to appoint key senior-level judges and other judicial officials without parliamentary—or any other—review. It would abolish the post of prime minister, with the president assuming the powers of that office. And it would allow, under certain circumstances, the president to serve three terms totaling just short of 15 years.
In short, Turkey’s long-standing parliamentary political system would be transformed into something more appropriately called a presidential system, in which an “executive presidency”1 amasses unprecedented power in the hands of one man. The referendum will take place amid the ongoing erosion of Turkish democratic institutions, freedom of speech, and political rights. Moreover, the referendum campaign and the vote itself will be held under some of the least democratic circumstances imaginable—namely, emergency rule.
The following are among the other significant features of the proposed new presidential system that will be explored in the main body of this report:
On paper, the new structure would create a presidency with vast powers, but—depending particularly on whether the president’s party controls Parliament—it would be somewhat less powerful than the unfettered, one-man dictatorship widely expected by Erdoğan’s critics and possibly craved by Erdoğan himself.
Voters will go to the polls knowing that a “yes” vote will significantly increase the president’s already considerable power, fortify Turkey’s growing reputation for authoritarianism, and further alienate Turkey from its NATO allies.”
Alan Makovsky is a Senior Fellow on the National Security and International Policy team at the Center for American Progress.
Please keep the beautiful land of Turkey and her people in prayer as they go to the voting booth on April 16 that a just and good government will be the result that upholds religious freedom. Pray that the nation will be kept from religious and political tyranny and that many Turks will be able to have the freedom to come to faith in Jesus Christ. May the Gospel speed on, spreading everywhere as never before in this largely unreached nation!
SEAL team that took out Osama bin Laden joins drills in Korea
Korea JoongAng Daily
Mar 14, 2017
The U.S. Navy’s Special Warfare Development Group, better known as the SEAL Team 6, will arrive in South Korea soon for joint military drills and take part in an exercise simulating the removal of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, according to the Ministry of National Defense Monday.
The counterterrorism unit is best known for its removal of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in May 2011, known as Operation Neptune Spear. It will be the team’s first time participating in the annual Foal Eagle and Key Resolve exercises, which will run through late April…
Also set to touch down in South Korea is Delta Force, a special mission unit of the U.S. Army whose main tasks include hostage rescue and counterterrorism, said the Defense Ministry. Together with SEAL Team 6, they will practice removing Kim Jong-un and destruction of North Korea’s weapons of mass destruction.
“It will send a very strong message to North Korea, which is constantly carrying out military provocations,” a ministry official said.
F-35 stealth fighters will also fly from U.S. Navy bases in Japan this month and carry out strike simulations on key North Korean facilities. A joint amphibious landing operation, which will kick off next month, will see the deployment of support ships the USS Bonhomme Richard, USS Green Bay and USS Ashland.
The beefing up of U.S. special operation forces in the drills comes after North Korean leader Kim said in a New Year’s speech that the country was in the “final stage” of test-firing an intercontinental ballistic missile, the first of its kind, and pushed through two separate missile tests earlier this year, the latest on March 6.
North Korea claimed through its state-run media that the most recent drill was aimed at striking “the bases of the U.S. imperialist aggressor forces in Japan.”
Washington and Seoul stress that the annual military drills are purely defensive, although Pyongyang sees them as a rehearsal for an invasion. South Korea’s military said around 290,000 domestic soldiers and 10,000 U.S. soldiers will participate in this year’s drills, which by scale would be approximately the same as last year, the largest to date.
BY LEE CHUL-JAE, LEE SUNG-EUN [This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.]
North Korean Genocide
LETTER OF DEMANDS TO THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY:
To the Leaders of Korea, America, China, Russia, Japan, the United Nations and the Entire International Community,
We Refuse to Allow the North Korean Genocide to Continue Any Longer. Over 4,000,000 Innocent North Koreans have been Murdered through Starvation by the DPRK regime since 1995, and an estimated 1,000,000 North Koreans have been Murdered as a result of Slave Labor, Rape, Torture, Brutal Beatings, Human Experimentation, Starvation, and Execution in North Korea’s Political Concentration Camps. The Very Existence of these Concentration Camps makes the North Korean State Illegal, Illegitimate, and Criminal, and Demands the Immediate Intervention of the International Community.
Our Demands, based upon the foundation of International Law and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights are as follows:
1. The Immediate and Total Liberation of All North Korean Political Concentration Camps
2. Compensation and Reimbursement to All North Korean Victims of Slavery, Starvation, Torture, All Concentration Camp Survivors in addition to All Execution, Experimentation and Murder Victims' Families for Immeasurable Loss and Suffering
3. The Immediate Stepping Down from Power of the DPRK Leadership
4. Prosecution of Kim Jong-un and All Individuals Responsible for Commissioning or Carrying Out Acts of Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity
5. Through the Guidance and Oversight of a Coalition of North Korean Refugee Leaders and Human Rights Activists, in Partnership with the Republic of Korea and the International Community, WE DEMAND THE LIBERATION AND REBUILDING OF NORTH KOREA BASED UPON THE FOUNDATION OF ENSURING AND GUARANTEEING WITHOUT FAIL THE HUMAN RIGHTS AND SAFETY OF EVERY NORTH KOREAN INDIVIDUAL ACCORDING TO THE UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND INTERNATIONAL LAW, WHICH WAS COMPOSED TO PREVENT THE ATROCITIES OF NAZI GERMANY FROM EVER OCCURRING AGAIN. WE, THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY, HAVE ALL FAILED TO KEEP OUR PROMISE AND UPHOLD INTERNATIONAL LAW, AND MOST MISERABLY IN THE CASE OF NORTH KOREA.
Worldwide Coalition to Stop Genocide in North Korea (Non-partisan)
The following petition commemorates the 65th anniversary of the Korean War's outbreak. Please consider sharing it with all of your networks and encouraging those you know to sign. This website has more information and helpful videos on the situation in North Korea that will stir your heart and motivate your prayer and action.
https://www.change.org/p/liberate-north-korea
Escaping from North Korea in search of freedom | Yeonmi Park | One Young World - YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufhKWfPSQOw
10 SHOCKING Facts You Never Knew About North Korea - Higher Perspective
http://www.higherperspectives.com/shocking-facts-north-korea-2312425603.html?c=vidlink
Higher Perspective | Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/HigherPerspective/
WW3 Red Alert North Korea Warns : Kim Jong Will Launch NUKES ‘at Any Time And Place’- NATO Prepares For A Nuclear Conflict
N Korea warns 'inhumane' US that Kim will launch nukes 'at any time & place'
-North Korea has vowed to launch a nuclear strike on the US “at any time and at any place” if “hostile activities” against the communist state continue .
Pyongyang has issued the terrifying warning less than 24 hours after senior US officials tabled measures to choke Kim Jong-un’s assets.
North Korea's most high profile defector has claimed Kim Jong-un would fire a suicidal nuclear weapon at Los Angeles if he felt his power was being threatened. Thae Yong-ho, the former deputy ambassador in London, and North Korea's most senior defector said the dictator would be prepared to 'press the button' despite the inevitable consequences.
Washington is reportedly considering slapping sweeping sanctions on the totalitarian state should it continue to develop its nuclear capabilities.
Firstly, nobody really knows whether North Korea actually has a nuclear weapon or a hydrogen bomb. The 2016 North Korean nuclear test produced an earthquake of Magnitude 5.1, which many experts say is too less for a real hydrogen bomb. Why experts doubt North Korea has the H-bomb.
Secondly, North Korea does not have the technology to bomb the US. North Korean missiles cannot reach even Hawaii. They can reach Alaska, but Alaska is sparsely populated [Only 736,732 people] as of 2014. This is not significant. A nuke strike on Alaska would melt a lot of ice .
If North Korea somehow got the technology to bomb the US mainland, the US has an national missile defense system . I'm pretty sure everybody knows what a missile defense system is. A missile defense system is designed to intercept missiles to prevent harm. A common example of this would be Israel's Iron Dome. I don't think any North Korean missile would ever actually touch the US mainland.
Now coming to what the US would do after that. Now America can't just invade North Korea because doing so would put South Korea under risk of artillery fire. So I think American planes will bomb North Korea nuclear facilities and all weapons facilities à la Israel in the Six Day War in an act of neutralizing North Korea's ability to attack South Korea.
What nuclear weapons does North Korea have?
The Washington-based Institute for Science and international Security estimated last year that North Korea had 10 to 16 nuclear weapons at the end of 2014.
This was based on analysis of the country’s production of weapons-grade uranium and plutonium recovered from spent nuclear fuel.
Revised estimates mean that the total could now by between 13 to 21 today.
North Korea vowed in 2016 to restart all its nuclear facilities and announced this year the weapons capability would be strengthened.
When does Kim Jong-un plan to have his weapons ready?
Thae Yong-ho who has defected to South Korea made the chilling revelation during a press conference in December that he plans to be armed within the next 12 months.
The ex-diplomat to London said: “As long as Kim Jong-un is in power, North Korea will never give up its nuclear weapons.
“The North will not give them up even if the country is offered $1trillion or $10trillion in return.”
The aspiring nuclear warlord will see next year as “an opportune time” to ramp up nuclear testing.
Please keep the North Korean situation in your prayers. The people of North Korea need deliverance from their cruel dictatorial regime of Kim Jong Un. Let’s pray that he will be removed from power and that there will be a transition to just and caring rulers. Pray for the reuniting of North and South Korea during this time of crisis and danger. Pray also that President Trump, President Xi of China and others will have the resolve and the wisdom to deal with this potentially dangerous situation that could easily spiral out of control into a nuclear confrontation.
April 3-May 12, 2017
Seeking God together for the International Prayer Leaders’ Consultation in Herrnhut, Germany, May 8-12, 2017
We want to invite you to partner with us in 40 days of prayer, April 3-May 12, to pray for the upcoming gathering, “The International Prayer Leaders Consultation: Uniting in Prayer for Transformational Revival and Mission Breakthrough.” It will be held in the historic village Herrnhut, Germany, site of the Moravian prayer revival that sent out the first Protestant missionaries to reach the unreached with the Gospel! 120 international prayer and mission leaders are convening in this tiny Germany village to cry out to the Lord as the Moravians did before them: “May the Lamb who was slain receive due reward of his sufferings!” Along with cutting-edge mission leaders, participants will pray and strategize that the unreached peoples of our day be reached as the prayer movement focuses more intentionally on the fulfillment of Christ’s Great Commission, still so much on His heart!
Prayer, revival and mission have always gone together since the book of Acts. It’s our desire to see a massive, prayer-based revival erupt throughout the nations of the earth! During these 40 days of prayer we are asking for another historic move of the Holy Spirit to sweep across the nations and awaken a whole new generation to wholehearted love and surrender to Jesus in His mission to those who have never heard of His love and truth!
“For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea" (Hab. 2:14).
During this gathering, we want to more closely and effectively connect the prayer and mission movements for the final push to the accomplishment of Matthew 24:14, that everyone may hear and respond to the glorious gospel of the kingdom in these last days!
“And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matt. 24:14).
During the run-up to the Consultation and continuing through it, please be praying with us for these specific outcomes:
- That those prayer and mission leaders coming would deeply connect with the Lord and one another, experiencing the reviving work of the Holy Spirit in this historic place of prayer, revival and mission.
- For a mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit for the glory of Jesus Christ! Acts 1:8, 2:17-2:21 that will start at Herrnhut again and flow out to the nations!
- That the participants will prayerfully discern together how the international prayer and mission movements can be better integrated for their mutual benefit and for the sake of those still unreached with His Gospel (Matt. 24:14).
- For God’s empowering of the Next Generation youth and children’s prayer movements, both during and following this gathering, and that every nation will have a thriving Next Gen prayer movement in the coming 10 years.
- For canopies of united, strategic and sustainable prayer to be raised up in every nation and city across the earth.
- For a Great Awakening and New Reformation to erupt in Germany and across Europe.
- For a ‘Spirit of Unity’ during the gathering, that we would come together ‘in one accord’ loving and supporting one another in the diverse missions He has called us to as members of His Body (John 17 and Psalm 133).
- For a mighty anointing of the Holy Spirit to rest upon each one presenting and leading us in prayer and for His prophetic insight to flow among us!
- That we will develop valuable, ongoing relationships and friendships that advance His Kingdom.
- For key moments and inspiring stories to be captured via video and distributed effectively to the prayer, revival and mission movements around the world.
- For favor with authorities, the granting of visas, and safe, peaceful travel arrangements for all those coming to Herrnhut.
- For protection from the evil one and all the forces of darkness (Psalm 91).
- For the Lord of the Harvest to thrust forth missionaries to the ends of the earth and that every unreached people group will have a viable movement of Christ followers within the coming decade (Matt. 9:37-38).
Thanks so much for partnering with us in prayer for this historic gathering. In His hands, your prayers will make all the difference!
For the Supremacy of Christ in all things,
Jason Hubbard, Director, Light of the World Prayer Center
John Robb, IPC Chairman
During a visit to Germany and preparations for the Berlin Prayer Initiative in 1997, I had an unusual visionary experience during the night in which I saw pin pricks of light approaching amidst great darkness. As they got closer, I could see that they were warriors with burning swords that began to cut through the dark canopy overhead. I then heard the words, “These are the intercessors” and afterwards “New Reformation.” A few days later, I received a communication from a mission leader that had also visited Europe, in which he was calling Christians in Europe to pray and work for a “New Reformation”! As you must know, 2017 is the 500th anniversary of the Reformation and there are a number of celebrations and observances being planned there and elsewhere. Why don’t we pray for a New Reformation, not just for Europe but for our whole world?
Two years ago, a German prayer leader friend and I visited Herrnhut, the small village in SE Germany where Count Zinzendorf and the Moravians began a prayer chain in the 18th century that went on for over 100 years and sent out about 300 missionaries. They were the first Protestants to go to the ends of the earth with the Gospel for the unreached. Herrnhut means “The Lord’s Watch”, an identity that was dusted off and revived a few years ago when some local believers there started up a 24/7 prayer chain once again!
During our visit, we joined the local church for their Sunday service and as we worshipped, I noticed lovely young children dancing so freely and un-self consciously in the presence of the Lord directly in front of us. Putting aside his own sermon, the pastor asked my colleague and me to share and pray fatherly blessings over the whole congregation. I felt moved to pray that from this fabled place a new and great revival would flow out to Germany, Europe and beyond.
A couple of the Moravian descendants later took us to the local cemetery where we stood amongst the 6000 graves of Count Zinzendorf and the godly saints who prayed in "the Lord's watch" from 1727 for 100 years. I was deeply moved to hear about the children of that day who went out in the fields in the night and cried out to the Lord. Adults in neighboring homes tried to get them to shut up; however, they were irrepressible and kept on praying! These same Moravian children who cried out to God in the fields at night later went out as the first Protestant missionaries, many of them never coming back to their homeland but laying their lives down for the Lord among the unreached peoples. Others returned and are buried here. The women who were guiding us around showed us those graves and those of Zinzendorf and his family.
I felt the Lord stirring me that this ground still has powerful, earned spiritual authority, so that like the ancient prophets did, they could pray, speaking out things that the Spirit puts in their mouths for the revival and transformation of nations and it will happen. Adding to this conviction, I was told that in 1989 a prayer gathering in Herrnhut with hundreds of German intercessors had proclaimed with faith and authority the end of the Berlin Wall. It obediently came down soon after they were praying this! Indeed, as one theologian affirmed, history belongs to the intercessors, who believe the future into being!
Germany has been an engine of periodic revival in its history, not only as the home of the Reformation in the 16th century but also the great Pietist revival that swept through the country in the 17th century. Count Zinzendorf was the product of Pietism, an awakening focusing on prayer and Bible study in home gatherings that brought many dead Lutheran churches to life. Prepared as he was by one revival, Zinzendorf welcomed the persecuted Moravians to his estate and became the vehicle for another one that impacted the rest of the world so deeply from such a small rural village. Wow!
Could it be that in our day the Lord is getting ready to unleash another awesome revival through united prayer that will impact the world in social transformation and mission breakthrough like the one that flowed out of 18th century Herrnhut? New united prayer movements have arisen in recent years within Europe and globally, and I believe we are all asking God to do that very thing. The role of the children and youth will of course once again be crucial; therefore we need to support and empower them in every way we can so they can take their places in both the prayer and mission movements in every nation on earth.
Towards the end of seeing such transformational revival and mission breakthrough in the nations, we in the IPC along with other prayer and mission leaders (about 120) will meet in Herrnhut, May 8-12, to pray, deliberate and strategize together. Would you please join with us over the coming weeks and during those crucial days we will be together in that historic place of prayer, revival and mission. Would you please pray that our world will be blessed once again with a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit that affects Germany, Europe, and beyond?
The Lord stands ready to transform not just individuals but also nations, regions, indeed our whole world, when His people pray with faith and expectation that He will answer. “According to your faith, it will be to you”, He said.
John Robb
IPC Chairman
The Church of Ireland has launched a new resource on supporting asylum seekers and refugees in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The 14-page document summarises how the Church has supported asylum seekers and refugees, and highlights opportunities for church members to become more involved in this area of ministry and service. Rt Revd Patrick Rooke, Chairman of the Republic of Ireland Working Group, said: ‘This is an excellent resource for all those who want to be informed about the refugee crises.’ Rt Revd Ken Good, chairman of the Northern Ireland working group, said, ‘It is clear that public awareness of the plight of asylum seekers and refugees fluctuates considerably, depending on the emotional impact of media coverage. This resource seeks to provide helpful information to keep before us the scale of the human need while also acknowledging people’s fears and concerns.’
Wall of Answered Prayer will go ahead
24 Mar 2017
In April 2016, we prayed for a Kickstarter account that was set up for a Wall of Answered Prayer made of a million bricks - each brick telling the story of how Jesus answered someone’s prayer. This wall will now go ahead and be built as a national landmark in the UK. It will lead people to consider and reflect the worth of prayer, through people sharing stories of how God answered their prayers. It will become a source of inspiration. The project is being led by Christian entrepreneur Richard Gamble, former chaplain to Leicester City FC. A person can pledge £5 and get one brick, which will be linked to them and their unique story of how Jesus answered prayer. A corresponding website will be created to give details of the answered prayers. It will be like a ‘database of a million prayer testimonies.’
Friday Focus: pray for five neighbours
24 Mar 2017
Loving your neighbour begins with sacrificing time to pray for them. Bringing five neighbours before God regularly, praying for them to become Christians, will lead to people getting to know Jesus for themselves. Neighbourhood Prayer Network can testify that this has already happened on a number of streets across the UK. Will you join many others praying for their neighbours?
(Rebekah Brettle, Neighbourhood Prayer Network)
Westminster terrorist attack
24 Mar 2017
On Wednesday a British-born man, Khalid Masood, drove a car along the pavement on Westminster Bridge, knocking down, injuring and killing pedestrians. He then ran towards Parliament and fatally stabbed an unarmed policeman. Armed security police killed the terrorist. The police and MI5 had investigated him years ago, but he was ‘peripheral’ and not part of the current intelligence picture. Eight arrests in London and Birmingham followed Wednesday's attack. The murdered policeman was PC Palmer, to whom Mrs May paid tribute by saying, ‘He was every inch a hero and his actions will never be forgotten’. Others killed by the attacker were Aysha Frade, who worked at a London college, and Kurt Cochran. an American tourist. Seven of the injured are still in hospital in a critical condition. A further 29 have been treated in hospital. Pray for comfort and support for all who are grieving and / or suffering physical and mental injuries.