Sometimes all it takes is a word for things to click. Today that word was "solidarity." According to a report in Haaretz, before committing a significant number of troops to Lebanon, France is seeking European solidarity. The report says:

The French foreign minister, Philippe Douste-Blazy, said yesterday that his country was willing to reconsider its position on the dispatch of additional forces to reinforce UNIFIL. However, he added, "we seek European solidarity on this matter." He therefore called on what he described as "our European partners" to clearly state their intentions regarding Lebanon Read about it here.

Here's why things clicked. If you recall, the EU's new constitution calls for a solidarity clause for all 25 EU member states. What this means is a mutual defense agreement where if one nation is attacked, all 25 nations are attacked. As it stands now, only the 10 Western European Union nations have such an agreement in their modified Brussels Treaty.

Now, why would France be so reluctant to send troops without a pan European mutual defense agreement? The answer is obvious. France is contemplating the possibility of a war with Iran Read about it here. And, should such a war happen, France would naturally want all Europe at her side.

Like I've been reporting, France has a long history with Lebanon and doesn't want Iran taking control of Lebanon as it may be close to doing in Iraq. France also has important allies in the Arab world. As we saw in the debate over the UN cease-fire Resolution, the Sunni dominated Arab League has a dog in this fight too. And, if a war with Iran is being considered, that may also explain the EU's Javier Solana hurriedly patching together an agreement with Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

In the meantime, both the UN and the US are pleading with Europe to do something and do it fast. But, for different reasons. I suspect the UN's Kofi Annan wants the cease-fire to stick while US President Bush may not. The way I believe the US may see it, when the cease-fire goes south and the feathers hit the fan, the concerned players had better be in place. 

This brings us to my last point. If you read the first article about France seeking European solidarity, you may recall the part about Israel asking Italy to head up the European forces. As far as Bible prophecy goes, this could be our proverbial icing on the cake. If France is successful reaching European solidarity and Italy takes the lead, what we'll have is the old Roman Empire revived as it was in the days of Jesus. And, if these reunited nations of Europe go to war with Iran, it will be a Roman war. 

Stay tuned!