The question which the German anti-Nazi resistance group, the White Rose, asked in a leaflet distributed to Germans in 1942, must now be asked of Americans and others in Western nations today: “Who among us can sense the dimensions of the dishonor that will lie upon us and our children once the veil has fallen from our eyes and the most horrid and extravagant crimes come to light?”
NATO and Western nations now sit between two major wars, both of which are unleashing pure carnage against the populations involved. The situation unfolding in Gaza is now utterly horrific, with talk of a new “genocide” being an increasingly accurate depiction. An additional 34 aid trucks have been allowed through the Rafah Crossing from Egypt over the past few days, but for a population of over 2 million without access to food, electricity, fuel, and hardly any water, this is merely a drop in the ocean. Some 43% of housing structures have now been damaged or destroyed; fuel deliveries have been stopped, which means hospitals—which rely on fuel to produce electricity—will be dark by Oct. 25, halting the ability to treat patients, or newborn babies in incubators; and with little to no water available, the remaining water that can be pumped from the ground is polluted, already leading to rising rates of disease.
As Israeli Jewish Haaretz journalist Amira Hass, who lives in Gaza, described the situation on Oct. 19: “The words that I need don’t exist in our dictionaries to describe the horror that my friends in Gaza are now going through…. How can they [the world] stand on the side and do nothing to stop this terrible slaughter!?”
Lest you think that is the worst of it, over the weekend Israel warned all residents of north Gaza that those who do not evacuate to the south will be deemed an “accomplice in a terrorist organization,” and therefore can only stay at their own risk. How much longer until other regional governments, no longer able to tolerate this situation, get involved and ignite a larger war?
The seeming indifference on the part of Western nations, however, is only a reflection of a larger geopolitical intent. It is useful to remember the words of former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, who, when Lesley Stahl asked in May 1996 if the deaths of 500,000 Iraqi children was a fair price to pay to secure the U.S. objectives in Iraq, replied: “I think this is a very hard choice. But we think the price is worth it.”
In the background of the current conflict, as well as that in Ukraine, is a full-scale war against Russia and China—as was just admitted to by the chiefs of the Five Eyes intelligence agencies. The U.S. has now moved two aircraft carrier groups to Southwest Asia, at least 2,000 Marines, and has now announced plans to deploy its THAAD missile system there as well. At the same time, NATO’s Military Committee chairman is calling Russia and China’s development of the Arctic “nefarious,” and threatening to begin “freedom of navigation” patrols there.
To stop either of these conflicts from spiraling toward World War III, urgent action must be taken to reach a ceasefire. Forget choosing “the right side.” There is no side worth standing on in the event of global war of annihilation.
Instead, mobilize with the LaRouche movement to demand a different outcome for history. The Schiller Institute’s Oct. 17 statement “Westphalia, Not Versailles: The World Needs an ‘Oasis Plan’ in the Middle East!” points the way out of this endless cycle of violence.
In discussions with associates today, Helga Zepp-LaRouche stressed that people must be confronted with this situation, such that their humanity is challenged and called forth. As it stands now, people are retreating into littleness, and attempting to not think about how incredibly dangerous the world is today. That is exactly why the Schiller Institute was founded, and the only hope for human civilization today lies in harnessing the most profound ideas in order to evoke that spark of passion within as many people as possible. Citizens must now become moral giants.
The words which the White Rose used to open their first leaflet in June 1942 can provide useful inspiration:
“Nothing is more dishonorable for a civilized people than to let itself be ‘governed’ without resistance by an irresponsible clique of rulers devoted to dark instincts. Is it not true that every honest German today is ashamed of his government? And who among us can sense the dimensions of the dishonor that will lie upon us and our children once the veil has fallen from our eyes and the most horrid and extravagant crimes come to light? If German people are already so corrupted and spiritually crushed that they do not raise a hand, frivolously trusting in a questionable faith in the lawful order of history; if they surrender man’s highest principle, that which raises him above all other God’s creatures, his free will; if they abandon the determination to take decisive action and turn the wheel of history and thus subject it to their own rational decision; if they are so devoid of all individuality, have already gone so far along the road to turning into a spiritless and cowardly mass—then they clearly deserve their downfall.”
