We could be seeing democratic US plus Kurds plus Iraq starting a new empire. The leopard might be a democratic force since democracy started with ancient Greece. We might see an alliance with Iran too as time goes on. The sign of it being the beginning of The Beast would be firstly a big apocalyptic catastrophic event including an earthquake darkening the sun with say dust or the like then a pause then an apocalyptic burning of trees and grass by another huge event then a huge scourge from the Iraq and Iran area spreading worldwide killing a third of the world's population including perhaps the Armageddon of prophecy against Israel but failing and leaving Israel intact and hugely encouraged and everyone left in fear of God. The Beast would appear out of this as Satan gives an alliance of western forces plus Iraq and Iran his full power.
