There is a major escalation of incidents—provocations of all kinds—underway from the world’s war faction, pushed especially against Russia and China. The sane response is to take on as a personal mission, getting the message across on how extreme is the danger, and how urgent it is to take action. The international online Schiller Institute conference April 15-16 manifests how unique and critical is the role of the Schiller Institute/LaRouche movement, in terms of both a solution orientation to the crisis, and a “network of networks” to mobilize for action. The video archive of the whole is available, as well as individual videos of each of the 41 speakers. (https://schillerinstitute.com/blog/2023/04/14/conference-without-the-development-of-all-nations-there-can-be-no-lasting-peace-for-the-planet/)
The urgency for mobilization was stressed by the remarks of three speakers at the Sare for Senate 2024 U.S. town hall meeting on April 22, by Helga Zepp-LaRouche, founder and leader of the Schiller Institute, nuclear scientist Steven Starr, and former UN weapons inspector Scott Ritter. From the moment of the start of nuclear exchange, whether by accident or by intent, within barely 30 minutes, all humanity can be annihilated. (https://rumble.com/v2k0i0w-sare-for-senate-town-hall-america-in-a-world-without-war.html)
Viewed against this contingency of the threat of nuclear annihilation, the current belligerent incidents are clearly seen as pre-war provocations.
• The U.S. refused to grant Russian reporters visas to be able to cover the special UN Security Council meetings chaired today and tomorrow by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. His attendance was scheduled weeks ago, when Russia took over the April rotating chairmanship of the UNSC. Needless to remind us, the United Nations headquarters was originally established in New York City, on grounds of the U.S. pledging to guarantee open and fair access to the facilities. No more.
• Major U.S. newspaper the Washington Post, on April 21, published its exclusive, that the peace demonstration movement in Germany is a Russian plot: “Kremlin Tries To Build Antiwar Coalition in Germany, Documents Show.” For example, they identify Sahra Wagenknecht—co-organizer of the Berlin Feb. 25 demonstration of 50,000 people—as a Russian patsy; and they report that Russia is behind both right and left groups in Germany which are mobilizing for negotiations to end the Ukraine war.
• Fox News today summarily sacked Tucker Carlson, effective immediately. His evening program—with the largest viewership of all such shows in the U.S.—was known as a platform for those opposing the Ukraine war and permanent war machine. Moreover, he constituted a threat for what he might do in the days to come, given the escalation by the war faction.
• Today’s European Union Foreign Ministers meeting in Luxembourg, with Ukraine arms support as a leading topic, was prefaced by outrageous statements from top ministers. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius commented April 21 on TV, that it is only “normal” if Ukraine forces hit inside Russia, if they keep clear, of course, from cities and civilians. It’s perfectly acceptable. Also a document was leaked that the EU Council of Foreign Ministers sees Brazilian President Lula da Silva as a pro-Russian menace, for demanding peace talks over Ukraine rather than unconditional arms to Ukraine. Lula is currently visiting leaders in Portugal and Spain.
• Germany expelled 20 Russian diplomats and staff this month on April 20, at the instigation of Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, with accusations of interference. They reportedly left April 22. The same day, Russia confirmed it has ordered the exit of more than 20 German diplomats working in Russia.
• In Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, New York, and online, there will be a four-day forum, starting tomorrow, over April 25-28 under the aegis of the Free Nations of Post-Russia Forum, whose speakers and topics concern either seeing Russia carved up into separate sub-areas, or a Russia after a regime-change to topple President Putin. Insanity.
In opposition, the dynamic stands out dramatically, of the Global Majority initiatives to serve the common benefit of nations. At the UN Security Council today, whose session was on “multilateralism,” chaired by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Ambassador from China Zhang Jun spoke out, in particular, to denounce the U.S. unilateral sanctions that are causing great economic harm. The UNSC “open meeting” tomorrow will take up the Middle East, and in particular, the Palestinian/Israeli prolonged bitter conflict. The same day in Moscow there will be a meeting of the defense ministers and intelligence chiefs of Russia, Syria, Iran and Turkiye, towards resolving the crisis in Syria, from the U.S. occupation and sanctions.
Elsewhere in Asia, major diplomatic meetings are scheduled in the next few weeks. India’s hosting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Goa, May 4-5, will include Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the first such visit to India by a Pakistan top minister in nearly 10 years. In China later in May, a Summit of China and the five Central Asia nations will take place in Xi’an, the Silk Road city. Their economic ministers met by teleconference April 20, and worked on texts for agreements to be announced in Xi’an on concrete infrastructure projects, which President Xi Jinping said in the summit invitation in March, would amount to a “grand plan” for central Eurasia.
In reviewing both the extreme danger of nuclear war, and these positive prospects, Schiller Institute leader Zepp-LaRouche today met with associates, who noted that it has been two months since the Feb. 19 “Rage Against the War Machine” rally at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. It was very important. But the task now is to go all out for whatever actions it takes for bringing about a new development and security architecture.
