The Lead

Ten Days and an Historic Moment Before the World

by Stewart Battle (EIRNS) — Nov. 08, 2026

The transformation taking place in the world today is occurring at a rapid pace, creating conditions for changes that have been out of reach for decades, or even centuries. Such a situation presents us with a mandate to consider the next ten days as a certain precious moment wherein substantial changes can be set into motion.

In approximately ten days, the leaders of the United States, Russia, and China may sit down together for the first time in modern history. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning confirmed that “China is maintaining communication with relevant parties” on a meeting of the three heads of state at the Nov. 18-19 APEC summit in Shenzhen, China. Russian strategist Dmitri Trenin cautioned that it “may not be the dawn of a new world order, but it could be a small step to balance wars with diplomacy.” Given the danger and the degree of flux in the world today, a small step may just be enough to pull mankind back from the brink.

Consider how much the ground has shifted in only the past two weeks. In Brazil, President Lula da Silva won the Oct. 25 runoff by a massive 4.4 million votes, defeating Trump darling Flávio Bolsonaro, who had promised to pull Brazil out of BRICS and into the “Shield of the Americas.” Combined with the recent arrest of former Paraguayan President Santiago Peña, an early recruit to that same Shield, this marks a major blow to the Trump administration’s attempt to recolonize the Western Hemisphere. In Israel, President Herzog this weekend formally gave Gadi Eisenkot the mandate to form a new government, likely bringing an end to Bibi Netanyahu’s mass-murderous reign. Then, in the Nov. 3 U.S. midterm elections, American voters delivered a resounding defeat for an administration whose Iran war, failing economy, and Epstein class policies voters rejected. The revolt has also spread beyond partisanship as a groundswell of voters and elected officials alike also challenge the Democratic Party leadership, with over a million signatures on a petition calling for a new Democratic House Speaker.

These electoral changes are coinciding with major diplomatic initiatives, both in Southwest Asia and Ukraine. Aside from the reported diplomatic channels between Vice President Vance and Iran, with mediation by Qatar, leaders in Russia and China are increasingly playing a central role in the process. Russian President Putin met Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei for three hours on Nov. 5, while Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held meetings on Nov. 2 with Saudi Arabia’s National Security Advisor Musaed bin Mohammad Al-Aiban and Iran’s deputy secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Ali Bagheri Kani. China, which presided over the 2023 “Beijing Agreement” between Iran and Saudi Arabia, is also sending its special envoy Zhai Jun to Iran, Oman, and Saudi Arabia later this month.

With Netanyahu on the way out and Trump’s war policy failing miserably, the moment is ripe for the LaRouche Oasis Plan, building peace through development of water, energy, and transport corridors across Southwest Asia. Russia, China, and the other BRICS countries are already pushing in this direction.

Ukraine offers a second window of opportunity, although one perhaps more distant. On Nov. 10, U.S.-mediated talks between Ukraine and Russia will begin in Abu Dhabi. Russia has already upgraded its delegation to include Sergei Ryabkov, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister. Any path to peace must point toward a new security architecture for Eurasia as a whole, and a redefined relationship between the world’s nuclear superpowers.

The question is whether President Trump hears the message. On Nov. 6, CENTCOM announced “Task Force Iron Gate” to seal Iran’s land borders on top of the naval blockade; Trump continues to hold out the option to resume military strikes on Iran at any time; and he has appointed the aggressively crazy Stephen Miller as the new White House Chief of Staff. At the same time, European and NATO nations are accelerating their drive to prepare for war with Russia, eagerly hoping that the new Democratic majority in Congress will shift the tide toward Ukraine in the U.S.

These developments underscore the duality facing the world. On one hand, the complete danger of wars spiraling out of control, even up to the use of nuclear weapons, and on the other, the complete opportunity for change. The signs and symptoms of the collapsing “rules-based order” could not be more apparent, and viscerally felt by a growing majority.

Everything points to the next ten days as an extremely fertile, and extremely volatile, field for action. If war can be avoided and irrational moves held off, Shenzhen could deliver even a subtle shift in the strategic situation—and that may be enough to open the door to a new paradigm.

Contents

U.S. and Canada

New World Paradigm

Strategic War Danger

Collapsing Imperial System

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