The unfolding scenes coming out of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York are emblematic of the type of shift currently underway in the world. On one hand, there is the sweeping official recognition of a Palestinian state, including by many of the closest allies of the U.S. and Israel. While this has in no way slowed down the genocide of Palestinians, the pace of which the maniac Israeli regime continues to accelerate, it nevertheless “marks a fundamental change in a world that previously defended Israel,” according to former top Palestine Liberation Organization official Dr. Hanan Ashrawi. Not surprisingly, this subject dominated the discussion during the UNGA on Sept. 23, leaving no room for any doubt that global opinion has irreversibly changed.
On the other hand were the lengthy remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump. During his diatribe, Trump gave a metaphorical chest-pounding, trying to convince the world of the importance of the United States and the resounding success of his policies. He meanwhile declared that all the recognitions of a State of Palestine are merely a “reward” for Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel, and that only he knows how to stop wars. Even more concerning than this, was Trump’s Truth Social post later in the afternoon, in which he claimed that “Putin and Russia are in BIG Economic trouble, and this is the time for Ukraine to act.” Ukraine “is in a position to fight and WIN all of Ukraine back in its original form,” Trump (or whoever writes his posts) said. Certain war-crazed Russophobes in Europe reportedly celebrated profusely upon hearing the news.
However, one must consider what the relevance of such a display of chauvinism is, and what effect it actually has on the world. Certainly, if America is truly “the indispensable nation,” as Joe Biden proclaimed and as Trump seems to also believe, it would hold the power to sway the direction of the world as it sees fit. But a quick look around shows that this is patently not the case—and is less so by the day! It is not only at this week’s UNGA where that is evident, as the majority of the world is rejecting the excuses surrounding Israel’s slaughter of innocents, but is also seen in the growing effectiveness of the institutions of the Global Majority, such as BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Nations representing a full 6 billion people—75% of humanity—are currently moving to establish new political, economic, and governance institutions that are outside of the control of the West. And if Trump and other Western leaders continue in such a reckless sort of fashion, the process will only accelerate.
Therefore, what is to be done? And can that dangerous trajectory, which will ultimately bring the world to thermonuclear confrontation, be stopped? Helga Zepp-LaRouche has insisted emphatically that, yes, it can be stopped. But only if nations of the West rediscover their better traditions and bring these back to life—overcoming the petty divisions and ideologies that have often been imposed by British imperial factions from the outside. In his address to the UNGA shortly following Trump’s remarks, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto exemplified that kind of approach by recalling the founding principles of the U.S. itself:
“It is indeed a great honor to stand in this august General Assembly Hall, among leaders who represent almost all of humanity. We differ in race, religion, and nationality, yet we gather together as one human family. We are here first and foremost as fellow human beings—each created equal, endowed with unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The words of the U.S. Declaration of Independence have inspired democratic movements across continents—including the French Revolution, the Russian Revolution, the Chinese Revolution, and Indonesia’s own journey to freedom. It also gave birth to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the UN in 1948. ‘All men are created equal’ was the creed that opened the way to unprecedented global prosperity and dignity.”
So began Subianto’s remarks, wherein he condemned the ongoing genocide in Gaza and the collapse of international law, yet still evoked the founding principles of the U.S. This is not a mere rhetorical trick or an appeasing gesture—remember that it was Indonesia’s President Sukarno who declared at the 1955 Bandung conference that the American Revolution was the first successful anti-colonial revolution in history. Rather, this approach of evoking the better traditions in every country, especially of those in the West that have forgotten their own, will be key if the world is to find its way forward.
“I am convinced that the leaders of the great world civilizations: Civilizations of the West, civilizations of the East, of American civilization, of European civilization, of Indian civilization, of Persian civilization, of Chinese civilization, of Islamic civilization, will rise to their role demanded by history. We are all hopeful that the leaders of the world will show great statesmanship, great wisdom, restraint, and humility in their leadership of the world,” Subianto concluded.
This is exactly the principle and spirit of the Schiller Institute’s statement “The Nations of the West Must Cooperate with the New World Economic Order!” Sign and circulate it widely, and then become a purveyor of profound civilizational ideas yourself!
