Congressman Benjamín Robles Montoya

Appeal to Current and Former Legislators of the World:
We Must Act Now to Stop the Danger of Nuclear War

This is the edited transcript of the presentation of Mexican Congressman Benjamín Robles Montoya to Panel 1, “Stopping the Doomsday Clock—The Common Good of the One Humanity,” of the Schiller Institute’s Nov. 22 conference, “For World Peace—Stop the Danger of Nuclear War: Third Seminar of Political and Social Leaders of the World.”

Congressman Montoya has been a Federal Congressman from the state of Oaxaca since 2018, is the national political commissioner of the Workers Party (PT), and was a senator from 2012-2016. He spoke in Spanish, with English interpretation. The full proceedings of the conference are available at the Schiller Institute website.

From Mexico, we issue an appeal to current and former legislators of the world: We must act now to stop the danger of nuclear war.

I begin with these words at this most important meeting. I’m very happy to have the opportunity to once again greet Mrs. Helga Zepp-LaRouche, the founder of the Schiller Institute; my colleague Dr. María de los Ángeles Huerta; and all of you who are participating in this Third Seminar of political and social leaders of the world to stop the danger of nuclear war, which aims precisely for us to do everything in our power to stop what could become a nuclear war.

Less than one month ago, on October 27, a Second Seminar was held with our participation from Mexico’s Chamber of Deputies. On that occasion, we emphasized that, if the current crisis in Ukraine is not stopped with a negotiated solution, it could lead to a confrontation with nuclear weapons between Russia and the United States and NATO.

The President of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, recently reiterated Mexico’s position in this regard, on November 16. He did it on the occasion of the recent vote in the UN General Assembly, stating:

It is indispensable to start a dialogue to achieve peace. They should not delay, because there is no longer any other way out…. Mexico is going to keep holding to its position in favor of peace, of a peaceful solution to that controversy, that confrontation. That is Mexico’s position: neutrality.

Today, friends, the strategic situation is even more dangerous than when we met one month ago. The recent incident in Poland shows just how close we have come to the abyss of a nuclear war, whether by intent or by miscalculation, and it is imperative that, from all of the nations on the planet, we raise our voice—the voice not of one nation, nor of various nations, but of the One Humanity—for peace and against nuclear war.

This commitment and concern led us to issue a “Letter to Current and Former Legislators of the World” on November 16. It is an urgent call titled, “Stop the danger of nuclear war!” In that letter, former Congresswoman Huerta and this speaker issued a call to our colleagues around the world to join this effort,

in order to urge all world citizens to also unite to create a new international security and development architecture … which guarantees the right to welfare and economic development of all people on the planet.

As we heard, the new security architecture must be based on the recognition that all sovereign nations have valid security interests, and that respecting them does not in any way mean attacking or subjugating the rights of others. But on the other hand, there are some who are trying to impose the law of the jungle, the law of the strongest, as ancient and modern imperial powers tend to do, especially in a time of economic crisis and decay like today. That is why we are running the risk of provoking the extinction of mankind.

The new development architecture is equally urgent. That is our view. We are already 8 billion human beings, but the World Food Program of the UN tells us that “the world is facing a food crisis of unprecedented proportions, the largest in history.” UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned last April that, if we don’t stop the wars, up to 1.7 billion people will suffer hunger and poverty.

Meanwhile, financial speculation is growing out of control. The power of the banks is trampling on entire nations that are looking for a way to free themselves from their unpayable debt. Galloping hyperinflation has become another horseman of the apocalypse. The sanctions imposed on dozens of countries, and the attempt to decouple the western economies from China and Russia, now threaten to sink the developing countries, and even Europe, in a process of deindustrialization and depopulation.

However, that cannot bring peace. It must be emphasized that achieving peace through development is the route to be followed.

It is logical and correct, friends, that as victims of this unbridled economic neoliberalism, which also wreaked havoc in Mexico in recent decades, we should search for a new economic architecture that will allow us to develop and grow. Some see opportunities to increase their trade and investment with China and other Asian countries that are growing rapidly. Others see in the BRICS, and its expansion, another path towards that new architecture. These are valid options, and are worthy of study and consideration.

In Mexico, we believe we have an additional special role we can play in the construction of that new development and world peace architecture, precisely because of our geographic and historic proximity to the United States, and the ups and downs of our bilateral relationship. We do not seek confrontation; we seek economic cooperation for the common good of all nations. It is likely that this approach will not be to Wall Street’s liking, but it will be appreciated by the American people.

President López Obrador hit the nail on the head during his visit to Washington in July 2020, when he stated:

The best President Mexico has ever had, Benito Juárez García … had a good understanding with the great Republican President, Abraham Lincoln…. The same thing happened with the splendid relationship that Democrat President Franklin Delano Roosevelt had, despite the difficult circumstances, with our patriot President, General Lázaro Cárdenas.

So, it is possible to reach understandings.

I conclude, friends, with a brief and perhaps somewhat philosophical consideration regarding the role that we legislators are called upon to play in times of existential crisis such as what we face today. We have to legislate today, but also for the future—legislate today, and for the future, for our children and grandchildren. We are called upon to open the door for human creativity to think new thoughts, to propose daring and different solutions, to help our fellow citizens and nations to create a better future, a future of peace, a future of development. That is the essence of our appeal to current and former legislators of the world.

I thank you again for your presence and participation in this Third Seminar, and you are all welcome here. As we say in Mexico: This is your house. Thank you very much for your attention.