Schiller Institute Seminar ‘Stop the War Before It’s Too Late,’ with Ibero-American and Caribbean Legislators

Oct. 7, 2022 (EIRNS)—Current and former Ibero-American and Caribbean legislators participated today with Schiller Institute founder and president Helga Zepp-LaRouche and independent candidate for U.S. Senate in New York Diane Sare in a three-hour seminar: “Stop the War Before It’s Too Late, Eliminate the Causes of the War Danger.” The very lively but serious discussion focused on a range of ideas and proposals made by the participants to address the grave global strategic and economic crisis the world faces, against the backdrop of the looming threat of nuclear war. The seriousness of the discussion reflected the participants’ willingness to be part of an international effort and initiating group that rises above local concerns to address the needs of “one humanity,” as Helga Zepp-LaRouche put it. As she told the group, there is no contradiction between being a world citizen and a patriot of one’s country.

Aside from Helga Zepp-LaRouche and Diane Sare, participants included Donald Ramotar of Guyana, former parliamentarian for the People’s Progressive Party, 1992-2011, and former President of Guyana, 2011-2015; Dr. Kirk Meighoo, Trinidad & Tobago, former independent Senator, 2004, United National Congress; Jorge Robledo of Colombia, former Senator, 2002-2022, the Dignity Party; Maria de los Angeles Huerta, Mexico, former deputy, MORENA, 2018-2021; Dr. Rodolfo Ondarza, Mexico, former deputy in the Mexico City Legislative Assembly, 2015-2018, Workers Party (PT). Fabiola Morales of Peru, a 2022 deputy of the Popular Renovation Party had been scheduled to attend, but was unable to, due to a scheduling conflict.

The enthusiasm of the group, and the sense of urgency to act quickly given the war threat was such that all agreed they should meet again in two weeks. Prior to the meeting, Jorge Robledo had circulated a draft document for discussion, addressing the need for peace and security. A coordinating committee was set up to include the Schiller Institute’s Dennis Small, Donald Ramotar and Maria de los Angeles Huerta. They took extremely seriously Zepp-LaRouche’s final comment that “we have to move fast. A window of opportunity is open but not for long.”

Diane Sare’s presence in the discussion was very important, as she represents the United States that should be, as it was founded, and that Lyndon LaRouche represented. She reported on the process of collecting 66,000 signatures for her campaign’s ballot status, in which she told people she was running to prevent nuclear war, and people took that seriously. Yesterday’s demonstration in front of Senator Schumer’s office, with a banner asking “Why is Schumer Supporting Nazis in Ukraine?” didn’t provoke a hysterical response from passersby. Are people waking up?

Sare also stressed the importance of improving relations between the U.S. and South America, as two assassinated U.S. presidents, William McKinley and James Garfield had intended to do. Today’s seminar, she said, should be widely disseminated in the U.S., because Americans don’t know much about the rest of the world and perhaps they can learn to show solidarity with other nations.

Moderator Dennis Small opened up the seminar with a strategic overview, noting that the world today faces a far worse crisis than the 1962 Cuban Missile crisis. In 1962, John Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev had the intelligence to engage in negotiations. Today no such possibility exists and the world is in the midst of an economic disintegration unparalleled since the 14th century. As Lyndon LaRouche had forecast, it is the bursting of the speculative bubble, the destruction of the physical economy and depopulation and deindustrialization of the planet, that are behind the drive for war. Lyndon and Helga LaRouche founded the Schiller Institute 40 years ago to warn what would happen if neoliberal policy and the speculative looting of the countries of the Global South continued and put forward alternative programmatic solutions.

Small reviewed the way in which the Ukrainian “crisis” had been orchestrated over the past 30 years with NATO’s encroachment right up to Russia’s borders. NATO and the U.S. have crossed every red line that Vladimir Putin indicated would be an existential threat to Russia, organizing the 2014 fascist Maidan coup and allying with the Nazi Azov Battalion and followers of Hitler ally Stepan Bandera. The Center for Countering Disinformation and its parallel Myrotvorets were set up by the U.S., NATO and the U.K. to intimidate, silence and kill anyone who opposes the war, and of the first 30 names on the CCD list, the first is Helga LaRouche; others are members or friends of the Schiller Institute or individuals who have participated in SI conferences.

But, Small warned, “they won’t silence us. We’re here to evaluate and inform others and get out our proposals.” Participants aren’t affiliated with the Schiller Institute, he said, but they have ideas and proposals to deal with the crisis, to approach it from a higher standpoint, seeking to define a universal form of cooperation as Nicholas of Cusa did in his conception of the Coincidence of Opposites.

This set the stage for a broad-ranging discussion in which each of the participants raised their unique observations and the issues they are struggling with in thinking about how to approach the international crisis, what solutions are possible, and how people can be mobilized to take action

Donald Ramotar gave a thorough review of what he said was the most dangerous situation to exist since 1962, which he attributed to the complete breakdown of politics and diplomacy. The U.S. goal was always to weaken and destroy Russia, to make it a “second-class state” and “bleed it white,” he said. Russia was goaded into invading Ukraine, he said. It had no choice. Detailing Western duplicity toward Russia over years, and the methods used by the West to keep developing countries in a colonial status, he stressed the need to really look at the current system. “People aren’t thinking globally.” It’s necessary to reexamine the international social and economic situation, he said, so as to better distribute resources. Later in the discussion he pointed to the lack of leadership—in the U.S. and elsewhere

Kurt Meighoo of Trinidad stressed that what exists today is “pure imperialism” which all oppose. The majority of people wish to see a new international order, both in military and economic terms. When former British colonies of the Caribbean became independent , he said, they decided that they didn’t want to become part of the NATO or U.S. bloc. Rather they were sympathetic to the Non-Aligned Movement. The idea was to chart an independent path. Kurt reported that he only learned of Lyndon LaRouche in the past few years but has worked on the idea of creating a new economic order for decades.

Today, “we see the future in the present.” The multipolar world is emerging, with China, Russia and Iran. Now is the time to push the NWO forward and to come together. Look to the BRICS and Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). How to solve the Russia/Ukraine conflict? Organize international diplomacy—not just security but also economic, through the emerging non-dollar system.

Dennis Small commented that the concept of the Non-Aligned Movement and the Spirit of Bandung resonates with most of the world. Nations are attracted to the BRICS and the BRI, and there is a wave of opposition to the direction the world is going in. But the question is, what form will that take?

That was the subject of commentary and proposals from all the participants, each of whom had their own views and analysis. Jorge Robledo emphasized the need for a peaceful resolution to the Ukraine conflict—that it can’t be allowed to deteriorate into a conflict of “unpredictable consequences.” He reviewed the history of provocations against Russia and stressed the urgency of the situation. His party, he said, is working on a specific proposal to unify the world, to resolve the conflict without increasing the threat of nuclear war and offer guarantees to all parties. This is something that should be spread throughout the Americas, he said, and could have a multiplier effect.

Donald Ramotar stressed the necessity of educating ordinary people, but also creating mass movements, and linking up with mass movements in other countries. He pointed to what Indian farmers had accomplished through their mobilizations. Mrs. Zepp-LaRouche responded with a report on what the SI is doing with European farmers, who are slated for “extinction.” Our advantage, she said, is that “we can inform everyone of what’s going on” and link these different movements.

Ms. Huerta, who is a real activist, stressed the importance of mobilizing “world citizens” against war and bring in more people. “Global citizens power hasn’t had a chance to let our voices to be heard on a grand scale,” she added. “How and in what way can we grow? Is there a strategy? Can we extend this effort to others in other nations?”

Zepp-LaRouche responded to the various proposals and comments by emphasizing that these initiatives can spread quickly, because the world is in a “pre-revolutionary” period. But it’s important to have a clear focus, she said. There isn’t a technical solution. Rather a new paradigm of thinking is necessary. Look at the transition from the Dark Ages, where scholasticism, witchcraft and superstition prevailed, to the Renaissance, in which Nicolas of Cusa establish ed a revolutionary “new way of thinking.” He stressed the unlimited role of the human being, and established a new paradigm, a complete change in axioms and, Zepp-LaRouche said, this is exactly what is needed today. We must think in terms of one humanity.

Responding to an earlier comment from Dr. Ondarza that the European population is “numb” to what’s going on, she said quite the contrary is true. Europe is on the verge of an explosion. Germany is about to disappear as an industrial nation. Mass demonstrations are planned in many countries, so the situation “is ripe for proposals” such as the New Bretton Woods and establishing a new security and development architecture based on the Peace of Westphalia. There must be a new paradigm and an end to geopolitics. “We have to have an international discussion to end geopolitics. The majority must have a voice...we need an international outcry.” The world as a whole must be taken to a higher order, she said.

Dr. Ondarza, a medical physician, responded to Mrs. Zepp-LaRouche’s remarks noting that there is a spirit “away from war and violence,” seen in the reactions of many people, who aren’t asleep, who are rising up. Raising people’s awareness is crucial, he said. He suggested that the answer will be through the creation of an international organization which he proposed be called the “Society for Peace and Development,” and recommended that medical organizations be mobilized as well. “Wherever there is the love of the art of medicine there is the love of humanity as well,” he emphasized. He also pointed to Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s proposal to end the Ukraine conflict, made at the UN, in which he quoted Mahatma Gandhi: “there is no road to peace ... peace is the road.”

Concluding, Dennis Small proposed that the title of the next seminar should be the “first international seminar with legislators from the whole world.” Proposals can be added to the draft declaration that is being discussed, and another meeting will take place in two weeks.