The following statement was written by Helga Zepp-LaRouche, founder of the Schiller Institute and convener of the International Peace Coalition (IPC), on July 23, 2024. It is being made available for widespread distribution by the IPC and its collaborators worldwide.
In judging the outlook from the recent NATO summit in Washington, which defined Russia as the “most significant and direct threat,” China as a “systemic challenge for the Euro-Atlantic security,” and generally a perspective of a Global NATO, there seems to be no place anymore for diplomacy and dialogue as means to resolve conflicts. With the many escalations we see around the world, from Ukraine, to Southwest Asia, or the Indo-Pacific, each of these has the potential to evolve into a global nuclear conflict in the shortest time.
All the values which were once cheered so dearly, “democracy,” “human rights,” “freedom of speech,” and many others, have been eroded by double standards, evident to the whole world. In sum: The world community is experiencing a deep civilizational and cultural crisis, which needs to be addressed.
There are various peace initiatives, from Pope Francis, who offered his mediation in the Ukraine war, to the Chinese peace plan in collaboration with Brazil, to the initiative of several African leaders, to President Erdogan of Türkiye, as well as others. But as long as the leading institutions in the West stick to the objective that Russia must be inflicted with a “strategic defeat,” as is now official EU policy, diplomacy and dialogue are banned.
There is an acute danger that the world could split into two separate blocs, the collective West on the one side, and the nations of the Global Majority on the other. If this happens, not only could we see a new edition of a cold war, economic decoupling, and tremendous fall-outs and even crashes, but it could lead to a global nuclear war which could end all life on Earth.
It seems that the leadership presently in positions of power have forgotten the horrible experiences of their parents and grandparents, who suffered through two world wars and who learned the painful lesson that nobody wins in a world war. The fact that there seems to be no longer any place for diplomacy and conflict resolution through dialogue, should horrify anyone who thinks through what the effect of a global nuclear war will be.
The UN may need a reform, but it is still the only available venue to bring all nations together. When its institutions are being eroded, the law of the jungle gains the upper hand. Only some countries currently respect the UN Charter, while others claim that they are the chosen ones who should preside over an undefined rules-based order, which however is not the rule of law, but the rule by law, arbitrarily applied wherever it seems to fit.
In all countries there are wise men and women, mostly from older generations, who see the present world crisis with great concern, and who could and must bring their knowledge and expertise to advise and develop options for how to get mankind out of this crisis and onto a better road to a safe future.
We, therefore, call on Elder Statesmen, religious leaders, former diplomats and elected officials, retired military and other civilian leaders—from all nations—to step forward and create a Council of Reason to explore the potential for a new international security and development architecture, which can take into account the interests of every single country on the planet.
There are precedents for such an approach, from different times and different circumstances, but they can give us a hint about what to do in the present crisis. To name only a few examples: The Council of Florence, which unified the Christian Church, at least for some short time; the Peace of Westphalia, which ended the Thirty Years’ War and laid the basis for the establishment of international law; and the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which found ways to overcome the wounds of Apartheid.
These examples should serve as an inspiration to come up with new and bold ideas for the creation today of a Council of Reason, bringing together all moral and intellectual reserves humanity has at this point to move the world away from the brink.
