The dramatic developments surrounding the Taliban takeover of Kabul is not the end of the world, as the Western media hysterically claims, the head of the Schiller Institute, Helga Zepp-LaRouche emphasized in her weekly Schiller Institute webcast this morning. Rather, it is very good that 40 years of war in Afghanistan is ending, because that has opened the possibility of integrating Afghanistan into a regional economic perspective, through China’s Belt and Road Initiative, in which reconstruction can begin. We must take this opportunity to bring stability and economic development to the Afghan people, she argued. Russia, China and the Central Asian nations are cooperating on this endeavor; it is time Europe and the United States join in.
But! This does require a complete change in approach, she noted. The failure of this regime-change war, and the previous ones since WWII, stand exposed. The war was wrong from the beginning, as the continuing investigation by the 9/11 families into who was responsible for the September 11, 2001 attacks are uncovering, and as Lyndon LaRouche warned on the very day the attacks occurred. More needs to be done. And there was never a viable war plan.
Some Western political leaders are reacting thoughtfully. German CDU chancellor candidate Armin Laschet stated that this was the biggest failure of NATO, ever. Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod called for reflection and soul-searching. Helga Zepp-LaRouche pointed out the special responsibility that the U.S. has, in President John Quincy Adams’ words, to not go abroad in search of monsters to destroy.
Now, as presented in the July 31, 2021 Schiller Institute video conference, “Afghanistan: A Turning Point in History after the Failed Regime-Change Era,” there is a potential for a new era of real nation-building in Afghanistan, and the rest of the world, if the Western nations cooperate with the Chinese-led Belt and Road Initiative, along with Afghanistan’s neighbors, and drop their geopolitical goals of preventing China and Russia from playing leading roles in the world. Many Afghan development plans are already on the drawing boards, and there is great humanitarian need, starting with building a modern health system, other infrastructure and agricultural alternatives to opium production. There will be great pressure on the Taliban from the outside, with offers of economic development contingent upon how they act.
The last section of the interview was about the purpose and results of the August 14, 2021 video conference “On the 50th Anniversary of Lyndon LaRouche’s Stunning Forecast of August 15, 1971: So, are you finally willing to learn economics?” sponsored by the LaRouche Legacy Foundation (LLF).
Those watching were urged to watch and spread both that LLF video conference, and the Schiller Institute video conference on peace through development for Afghanistan. Don’t stand on the sidelines while history is being made.
https://schillerinstitute.com/blog/2021/08/17/webcast-afghanistan-opportunity-for-a-new-epoch/