As the world waits with dread for Israel’s expected military strikes on Iran, there is still reason for hope. Most of the world, disgusted by the inaction of the legacy Western powers and the impotence of the United Nations to take decisive action, is thinking about new forms of international relations. Discussions of transforming the UN Security Council are picking up steam, and the relatively new forum of the BRICS is attracting countries from across the globe.
What should be the mission of such international institutions, and of individual countries?
The United States is in particular need of a mission! While the U.S. wastes trillions on military spending, its infrastructure is in pitiful shape. Consider the recent hurricane-induced flooding in North Carolina, which killed over 100 people. Estimates are that two-thirds to 90% of the deaths could have been prevented with improved flood-management infrastructure.
The deadly effects of “green” ideology are seen in Florida, where flood control authorities propose recreating natural environments, which means destroying water control infrastructure. Human beings improve the environment through works of what is called infrastructure, creating a sustaining, synthetic environment far superior to the off-the-shelf product from nature.
Addressing needs domestic and international, rather than insisting on conflict against Russia, China, and Iran, would be in keeping with the principles of the American Revolution.
Review the situation in Southwest Asia. Consider the situation in Lebanon, which appears poised increasingly to resemble Gaza. Israeli evacuation orders now cover over one-fourth of the nation, and even UN peacekeepers are not safe. While Prime Minister Netanyahu has told U.S. President Biden that he will strike only military targets in Iran, nothing is certain. Iran’s nuclear program, long a target of Israeli planning, is underground and dispersed—a single attack could not eliminate it, unless Israel used its nuclear weapons. Retribution is not the path to peace! As the Peace of Westphalia demonstrated, the solution to intractable problems can come from the future—from envisioning the world that should be, rather than dwelling on the past. This great lesson is found in dramatic form in Aeschylus’s The Eumenides.
Although Western legacy media paint Russia’s Putin as driving the world toward nuclear conflict, NATO’s Steadfast Noon nuclear exercise is underway. It involves multiple countries and drills on the handling of nuclear weapons. Has the “security” afforded the U.S. by the expenditure of trillions of dollars spent on thousands of unneeded nuclear weapons exceeded the “security” that trillions of dollars of investment in infrastructure would have granted?
Look at China’s priorities. Its standing in a global index of innovation has increased, and R&D investment in the country exceeds half a trillion dollars annually. China’s chief diplomat is speaking with the leaders of both Israel and Iran, about the need for a ceasefire, and also about the potentials for economic cooperation with both nations.
Thinking of how to move forward, Helga Zepp-LaRouche will address the theme “BRICS Summit Coming in Midst of Unprecedented Turbulence” on her Wednesday webcast on Oct. 16 at 11 a.m. Eastern Time/5 p.m. Central European Time.
And more details about the Jose Vega & Diane Sare Peace Fund Rally and Concert, which occurs just after the BRICS Summit, on Oct. 26, have been posted on the event’s website, including an impressive list of speakers.
