The Lead

Will Russian Nuclear War Doctrine Be a Turning Point for Peace?

by David Shavin (EIRNS) — Sep. 27, 2024

Russia’s proposed new nuclear doctrine, presented yesterday by President Vladimir Putin, is targeted directly at the predominant “Anglosphere” fantasy, that they can use nuclear blackmail against Russia, putting missiles closer and closer to reach of Moscow, but incurring no risk to London or Washington. Moscow, in this fantasy, is supposed to play along with the narrative that non-nuclear countries are really the ones launching long-range missiles deep into Russia.

Former Russian President and Prime Minister and present Deputy Chairman of the Security Council Dmitry Medvedev offered a pithy summary:

“Aggression against Russia by a non-nuclear state, but with the support or participation of a nuclear-armed country, will be considered a joint attack. It is clear to everyone which countries we are talking about.… Under certain conditions, a massive launch of enemy air power, including airplanes, missiles, and UAVs, resulting in a violation of our border may be justification for the use of nuclear weapons. Something to reflect upon for … all the enemies of Russia who are pushing the world towards a nuclear catastrophe.” [Emphasis in original] Then he offered that “this change in our country’s guidelines for using nuclear weapons, in and of itself, may cool the ardor of those of our opponents who have not yet lost their sense of self-preservation.”

At the same time, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov indicated that Moscow has offered talks with Washington on “the need for strategic stability between the U.S. and Russia…. Talks should be launched as soon as possible…. We have not received a response from the Americans yet.”

Today, Helga Zepp-LaRouche, when questioned on Putin’s pronouncement yesterday, explained: “De facto, Putin has really made the red line so clear for everyone to see that if there would be even an attack from a country with only conventional weapons, but backed by a country which has nuclear weapons, and if there would be a massive air attack that would give Russia freely right, according to its new doctrine, to answer that with nuclear weapons.

“Now, that is very clearly referring to Ukraine, given the fact that various Russian spokesmen from Lavrov to Peskov, and I think Putin himself, have made very clear that all these Ukrainian attacks would not be possible without U.S. or NATO guidance, satellite support, data support, and then de facto NATO is practically on the verge of being at war with Russia already, and that if that additional step is taken, that Biden would capitulate to the demand that the United States give the go-ahead to Ukraine for the use of long-range missiles to strike deeply into Russia, then that condition is fulfilled. So, we are on the edge, and I can only say these Western commentators, like in Germany who are basically still saying Putin is ‘bluffing,’ these people are so absolutely out of their minds that one can only say we are really in danger of being governed by madmen, and the media which are completely in the service of such madmen.

“So the only answer at this point is a broad public discussion. The demonstrations which are planned for the next period, both in the United States but also in Germany in particular, they must be made a clear demonstration of the thinking of masses of people, at best, hundreds of thousands or millions of people, that they absolutely oppose this.” She cited, e.g., the Sept. 28 “Rage Against the War Machine” rally in Washington, D.C. and the Oct. 3 German Unity Day events.

In Putin’s address today to the 7th “Russian Energy Week” forum in Moscow, he highlighted the role of the BRICS coalition of nations as the main driver of growth in the world. He described a new multipolar development model being formed, one “concentrated neither in Europe, nor in North America…. Major growth will be concentrated … in the BRICS nations and those countries that would like to join our group—those that see the prospect of equal partnership that takes national interests into account.” Many nations heard Putin’s description of a pathway forward.

Zepp-LaRouche posed to Europe and North America that “there must be finally the long-needed discussion of where we are at and why this present policy of trying to maintain ‘hegemony’ when that hegemony is clearly already out of the window, that has to be reversed, and we have to put a completely different approach on the agenda, such as what we have been discussing for almost three years now: A new security and development architecture, which really must take a completely different approach, stop this geopolitical confrontation, and go into a mode of cooperation with the Global Majority of countries that are clearly moving in a different direction.”

The Energy Ministers of the BRICS+ nations, besides attending Putin’s address, also met amongst themselves in Moscow, while the Foreign Ministers of the expanded nine-nation BRICS group met today in New York, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, preparing for the upcoming BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia, October 22-24. The world is on the move. What does it take for Europe and North America to free themselves from the madmen?

Today, what President Biden did not do—after throwing another $8 billion in weaponry into Ukraine—is to announce approval of Zelenskyy’s so-called “Victory Plan,” including the use of long-range Western missiles deep into Russia. However, he did announce that he and Zelenskyy will revisit possible expanded actions on Oct. 12. By that schedule, there are seventeen more days to stop the Ukrainian trigger on thermonuclear confrontation.

Zepp-LaRouche ended today’s presentation addressing the challenge, saying that “this is clearly the most dangerous moment in world history, ever. And rather than hiding, and thinking, ‘how can I preserve my personal life,’ … [But with] the danger of a Third World War, there is no hiding place for sure! So mobilize whatever positive image you have about humanity, and act on the basis of love for humanity. Because what motivates me the strongest, is the idea that if we don’t solve this problem, then all the beautiful things which have been created by generations before, will be lost: The music of Beethoven, of other composers; the poetry of all the beautiful poets around the world will all have been composed for nothing. And that would be a shame!

“So, it’s really something you have to mobilize inside yourself, to have the strength to be part of the solution, and stop this, and create a better world situation, with a new world economic order by cooperating with the BRICS countries, because that would be the easy way out.”