The opening session of the Schiller Institute conference, titled “A Beautiful Vision for Humanity in Times of Great Turbulence!” began with a performance by pianist Dura Jun of the Prelude and Fugue in C# Major by J.S. Bach, followed by archival video, from July 3, 1982, of Lyndon LaRouche speaking on the meaning of the American Revolution. He characterized it as a crucial battle, waged by the partisans of the Renaissance, against the forces of oligarchical anti-Renaissance reaction. It was a “trans-Atlantic conspiracy” to establish a republic on American shores; “We whipped the British,” he said.
Schiller Institute founder Helga Zepp-LaRouche, declared her intention to present “an optimistic view of the nature of the human species,” based on the anti-entropic nature of human creativity, despite the dire situation in the world today. She warned that the genocide in Gaza has put “a horrible stain on all of humanity,” and that the war in Ukraine poses a threat of the nuclear extinction of humanity. She asked of her native Germany and the rest of Europe: “Why are they ruining themselves?” The case of Romania shows that J.D. Vance was correct in his assessment of the “degeneration of democracy in Europe,” where elections are repeated as often as necessary in order to obtain the desired result. “Europe will soon be shown as a fossil of civilizations that did not make it, in museums around the world,” she said.
Charging that the historic opportunity at the end of the Cold War was “sabotaged by the geopolitical maneuvers of the neocons of the Anglosphere,” she reviewed the historical documentation of the promises made by NATO leaders that there would be no Eastward expansion. She then described how many of the crucial historical documents have largely disappeared from the internet, and in a similar way, historical revisionists have attempted to suppress the role of the U.S.S.R. in the defeat in Nazism in World War II. Russia, she said, “demonstrated an enormous generosity in allowing the reunification of Germany.”
Noting that the nations of the Global South are “inspired by the largest economic miracle in history,” she reviewed the “breathtaking success” of China’s economic model, based on a continual injection of new technology into the economy. We need to “put one humanity first” in order to create a new paradigm, where the nations of the world will no longer act like “squabbling toddlers,” she said. “Let’s replace geopolitical confrontation with cooperation … and call forth an almost tender love for humanity.”
H.E. Naledi Pandor, former Minister of International Relations and Cooperation for the nation of South Africa, warned that we are in a “very difficult, toxic geopolitical environment,” where the past advances in civilization and the rights of humanity are under threat. She warned of the danger of a serious reversal of the gains of women’s equality, and the threat of a renewed arms race. The idea that “might is right, and might is all that matters,” has become dangerously dominant in the U.S. In particular, she said, “it is tragic that we have allowed over 18 months of the slaughter of Palestine.” She endorsed the Schiller Institute’s Oasis Plan and other initiatives that are intended to create a “caring, rational global leadership,” initiatives that represent “an adult in the room.” She called for the BRICS to emerge as a group of world leaders who represent this outlook.
Zhang Weiwei, Professor of International Relations at Fudan University in China, insisted that “The world of multipolarity is already here.” The economies of the BRICS are now bigger than that of the G7, but we need a world order that reflects this. China and Russia are in agreement on this, but Donald Trump looks to the 19th century, to the approach of “divide and rule.” The past four decades in Asia have been a “win-win” success, based on:
1. Development
2. Political security and respect for sovereignty
3. Civilizational dialogue
4. Peaceful resolution of disputes
Reviewing the significance of the Belt and Road Initiative, he said it now involves one trillion dollars and 5,000 projects. No nation is forced to join, it is win-win for all concerned.
He added that China’s “green deal” is working, unlike the grand schemes of Europe and others, who talk a lot about it and have accomplished nothing. China has made “renewal energy” technologies economically viable, and emissions have gone down. They have encircled a desert area the size of Germany with a “green belt” that prevents the desert from expanding. Desert land is being converted to farmland and solar farms. China has also emphasized water management, which is the key to resolving conflicts. Zhang endorsed the Oasis Plan as an example of this principle.
H.E. Donald Ramotar, former President of Guyana, said that “we are meeting at a time when the world is experiencing great convulsions.” He said that the Ukraine war was intended to thwart Russia’s legitimate security concerns and sabotage its economy. He cited the wars in North and South Sudan and Congo as similar festering problems. He condemned Israel as “an apartheid fascist regime” whose crimes are enabled by the West. Ramotar charged that NATO is trying to continue its dominance and save “an outdated socio-economic system,” that of neocolonialism. Wealth inequality has never been greater. Institutions such as the World Bank are fully under control by the NATO states. Double standards abound; the independence of Kosovo is recognized, whereas the far more democratic referendum in Crimea is rejected. “Interest rates are used as a vehicle to pump resources out of the Third World,” he said.
Ramotar stated that imperialism has not been reluctant to use military force to obtain its objectives in the Global South. He read extensive quotes from the famous American Maj. Gen. Smedley Butler, who described himself in 1935 as a “racketeer for capitalism.” The “pauperization of working people” has also set in in the developed North, Ramotar said; “This process has been accelerated since the Soviet Union dissolved itself.” China’s “win-win” approach provides a stark contrast to domination by force. The media accuse China of a “debt trap,” but the debts owed to China by the Third World are but a fraction of those owed to the West. The UN needs to be reformed so that it is not crippled by the interests of one or two countries. Ramotar concluded by saying, “let us be the midwives for positive change in our world.”
Jack Matlock is the former U.S. Ambassador to the Soviet Union. He opened his remarks by saying that we could always have a better government, but we must make do with the ones that we have. He emphasized that in politics, we should not blame one side or the other for everything.
When we ended the Cold War, it was the product of negotiation, not a victory over the U.S.S.R. The Cold War ended before the breakup of the Soviet Union, which ended not because of external pressure, but internal problems. The U.S.S.R. dominated Eastern Europe and forced upon it regimes which were ostensibly socialist, but in reality were not. These countries asked the U.S. to play a leading role after the fall of the U.S.S.R., but before long, NATO was transformed from being a defensive alliance to a potentially offensive force. Putting foreign military bases with missiles in these countries, beginning with Romania and Poland, created a security threat for Russia.
Matlock asserted that the U.S. is now going through its greatest constitutional crisis since the Civil War. Trump would like to refrain from conducting so many interventions with military force, but he is “using very crude methods to bring this about.” Matlock went on to say that Trump is “authoritarian in his techniques,” that the complicity of the U.S. and Europe in the genocide in Gaza is “a great moral failure,” and that the situation in Ukraine cannot be stabilized by attempting to restore the borders that were created by Adolf Hitler and Josef Stalin.
Ambassador Chas Freeman, former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, said that “in the West, this is an era of fantasy foreign policy.” “Forever wars” have no clearly defined objectives, and are driven by the fantasy that the other side will simply capitulate. In the case of Ukraine, the losing side is not in a position to issue ultimata. The West needs to cure itself of fears of Russian plans of conquest for which there is no evidence. The West’s refusal to address Russia’s security concerns forced Russia to go to war.
Scott Ritter, former U.S. Marine Corps Intelligence and a former UN Weapons Inspector, responded to President Ramotar by saying that “Smedley Butler is 100% correct.… We [in the USMC] were the tools for big business.” He went on to say that “war is never honorable, but don’t blame the Marines … we probably should have picked better leaders.” He endorsed Zepp-LaRouche’s call for negotiation and cited Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Nitze’s famous “walk in the woods” with Soviet Ambassador Yuli Kvitsinsky as an example of dialogue which failed in the short term, but led ultimately to fruitful arms control agreements.
Ritter echoed Matlock’s admonition that we should not blame one side or the other for everything. He made the provocative statement that he holds himself responsible for the genocide in Gaza, even for the death of Hind Rajab, because he had cheered for Hamas. Hamas conducted the October 7,2023 attacks to show the world the true face of Israel, which was revealed in their genocidal response, but still, the Palestinian people have paid the price—"Civilians always pay the price,” he warned. We need dialogue, because that is the only real solution.
Ray McGovern is former Senior Analyst for the Central Intelligence Agency and a founder of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS). He began his speech by donning a keffiyeh, seen as a symbol of solidarity with the Palestinian cause. He reported that he was alive during the Nazi genocide, but he was too little to do anything about it. This time, during a new genocide, he’s an adult and plans to do everything he possibly can. He said that the Germans reacted with “sheepish submissiveness,” and we must not follow their example; “We’re all complicit if we don’t try to change things.” He reminded the audience of what he calls the “Noah principle: no more awards for predicting rain. Only awards for building arks.”
Dmitry Chumakov, Russia’s Deputy Permanent Representative for Economic Affairs to the UN, said that the world is in a serious economic crisis. We see erosion in the systematic order that used to exist. Today there is “wild capitalism,” monopolization of production, increased inequalities between countries and within countries. “The amount of conflicts is growing exponentially,” he said. Global military expenditures have reached $2.4 trillion, harming global economic growth and development. Sanctions against Russia and China, or the destruction of Nord Stream gas pipeline, hit those who instigate them—"The snake is biting its tail,” he said. Projects such as what the Schiller Institute are proposing, or the model of the BRICS, represent an alternative. He called for a new financial framework, including “unconditional credit arrangements” and financial procedures “which cannot be weaponized.”
Xu Xixi of the Academy of Contemporary China and World Studies appeared by pre-recorded video, and presented what he called the four deficits: peace, development, security, and governance. He said that we need to promote multilateralism: “global problems require global solutions.” We need an improved and inclusive system of global governance, a reform of global institutions. We need a Global Security Initiative that respects the sovereignty of nations in accordance with the UN Charter.
Two questions were sent to the conference from a group of young professionals in Equatorial Guinea. The first question was, what can young people do to resolve the problems which were being discussed? Pandor responded by saying that young people are knowledgeable about social media, and they should become activists. On the second question, about changing the economic trajectory of Africa, she said that we need to address the question of corruption. Biden made a useful contribution by prohibiting bribery by U.S. companies, but that prohibition has now been repealed. Also, Africa must learn to trade with Africa: we must bolster intra-African trade.
Zepp-LaRouche offered concluding remarks in which she expressed the hope that this conference will develop concrete plans for the implementation of the concepts embedded in her Ten Principles for a New International Security and Development Architecture, which are reflected as well in the proposals made by Xi Jinping for the Global Community of Shared Future. She said that our battle cry must be that of Pope Leo XIV, who recently said that development must be the new weapon of peace.
