International Peace Coalition 101

May 9, 2025 (EIRNS)—The 101st consecutive online meeting of the International Peace Coalition, on Friday, May 9, addressed several urgent topics:

Helga Zepp-LaRouche, founder of the Schiller Institute, reported that 29 heads of state were in Moscow for the May 8-9 Victory Day celebration. Russia and China took this occasion to consolidate their partnership and denounce attempts by the Anglophiles to rewrite history. In an attempt to counter this event, the NATO faction declared May 8 to be “Europe Day,” and the German government prohibited any display of Russian or Soviet flags. Earlier, the European Commission had forbidden EU leaders to attend the Victory Day event, but Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico had announced their intention to participate.

Larry Johnson, former CIA officer and a cofounder of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS), posed the question, Why do Americans tolerate endless wars? He answered that Americans haven’t paid the price; even in World War II we did not suffer the way other nations did. In World War II, 20% of the Russian population died, compared to 0.1% of Americans.

Co-moderator Dennis Speed asked Johnson to comment on the VIPS presence at the event in Moscow. Johnson reported that Ray McGovern and Oliver Stone are there, speaking with government officials and student groups. Scott Ritter has drafted a letter calling for a return to arms control negotiations, but the Russians are cautious because the U.S. routinely abrogates agreements. During the question period, a viewer asked for comment on Stone’s “lefty” role, to which Speed replied that Stone was not originally a leftist; he had fought in Vietnam as a volunteer, which had a major impact on his views.

The Ongoing Genocide in Gaza

Mossi Raz, former Member of the Knesset and former Director General of Peace Now, said, “It seems that the Israeli government has no idea what it wants to achieve in this war,” and that it is “interested in revenge more than in solving problems.” The Israelis are expanding settlement activity, and making “small moves toward annexation.” He endorsed the Egyptian plan for rebuilding Gaza, but noted that it cannot be implemented until the shooting stops, and “if President Trump wants to stop it, he could stop it in one minute.”

Larry Johnson remarked that there are reports that Trump is sick and tired of Netanyahu, and has cut off contact. This, if true, could lead to welcome changes

Dr. Dannie Ritchie, Founder of Community Health Innovations of Rhode Island, gave a report on the Doctors Against Genocide’s upcoming press conference. She said that over 1,000 healthcare professionals have died in Gaza, and the Israelis are targeting hospitals and children. Our tax dollars are funding it, which makes us directly complicit. Doctors Against Genocide has a project called “Bread not Bombs, Let the Children Eat” Later, she commented that it is shocking that a people who once were victims of genocide can now perpetrate it. If what is being done to Gazans were done to animals in the U.S., Americans would not stand for it.

Zepp-LaRouche responded to a question from Congressional candidate Jose Vega, that “the intention of Israel is very clearly, they want to get rid of all Palestinians in Gaza.” She emphasized that time is running out, and the June 2-4 conference of the UN on the two-state solution is crucial.

The Importance of Economic Development

After some debate among the speakers about the viability of the Egyptian plan for Gaza, former Guyanese President Donald Ramotar intervened to say that in order to have a lasting peace, “you cannot divorce the question of development.” He went on to promote the Oasis Plan as essential to peace in Southwest Asia. This was later underscored by Zepp-LaRouche, who said that we need to mobilize for the Egyptian plan plus the Oasis Plan. “If it coincides with what Larry is saying about Trump, so be it, that’s even better.” Later, Johnson asserted that the reports on Trump and Netanyahu are credible because the U.S. blinked in Yemen, withdrew and declared victory.

A video was presented, excerpted from an interview conducted by EIR’s Gerald Belsky with author and Professor Dr. Glenn Diesen. Belsky asked him for comment on the relationship between the American System approach to economics, and the emerging new order in the world. Diesen reviewed the history of Alexander Friedrich List and Sergei Witte, and observed that the new leaders of the Global South are “linking industrial sovereignty to political sovereignty, as Hamilton clearly did.” He said that Russia is going down this path with industrial sovereignty, transportation corridors, financial sovereignty, and the New Paradigm calls for cooperation between equals, not a hierarchy of dominance. He recalled that he had seen “an ‘American System’ developing in China” when they announced the Belt and Road Initiative.

President Ramotar observed that Biden attempted to present an infrastructure initiative, but his plan was “more tactical in nature,” designed to counter China more than to create peace.

The Significance of the New Pope

Jacques Cheminade, the president of Solidarité et Progrès party in France, praised the decision of the new Pope to call himself Leo XIV in reference to Leo XIII, who authored the encyclical Rerum Novarum in 1891, as the basis for modern Catholic social doctrine. Cheminade’s remarks were seconded by Pax Christi leader Jack Gilroy, who said that the encyclical stresses the dignity of every human being. Zepp-LaRouche said that she is “hopeful and optimistic” about the new Pope. In Germany you have parties CDU and CSU with “Christian” in their name, but what they are doing is the opposite. Cheminade suggested that colonial wars were testing what distinguishes between good Christians and fake Christians, and Johnson said that when European churches “became enablers of colonialism,” they abandoned their faith.

Later, during the question period, a viewer asked why had academics and others in Europe repudiated Judeo-Christian values. Zepp-LaRouche named three key factors: synarchism, the Frankfurt School, and the Congress for Cultural Freedom. “They consciously intended to de-root the people from their Classical culture,” and to replace it with neoliberal values. “This is not a natural development, but it is the result of social engineering and manipulation.”

Discussion

Jose Vega, who is a Congressional candidate in the Bronx, New York, reviewed the activities of his campaign in making public interventions to confront the hypocrisy of public figures. He described how one activist confronted Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez after it became publicly known that she and other prominent Democrats weren’t working “tirelessly for a ceasefire.” He reported that a lot more young people are coming around, and urged people to attend the Memorial Day weekend Schiller Institute conference.

In response to a question on fascism, Zepp-LaRouche replied that it sacrifices human life to the maximization of profit. The authors of bad policy are never blamed, instead others are scapegoated, such as immigrants. “The British System does not respect the creativity of human beings,” because it is preoccupied with “buying cheap and selling dear.”

A participant commented that “Mrs. LaRouche looked so bright and shiny when she returned from China,” which was encouraging.

Zepp-LaRouche and Larry Johnson spoke of the danger in the current India-Pakistan conflict. Johnson reported that the Pakistani Defense Minister admitted that for more than 30 years, Pakistan has been the slave of the U.S. in protecting and covering for terrorist organizations. He said that Western intelligence is stirring the pot in Kashmir to create tension and destabilize BRICS.

Mrs. Zepp-LaRouche concluded by reiterating the importance of the mobilization to getting “the Oasis Plan into the hopper, big time…. We are on this Earth to do good, not just to eat burgers and drive Porsches…. Whatever little part all of you can do, do your part.”

eir