International Peace Coalition, Week 150
The International Peace Coalition (IPC) arrived at its 150th consecutive weekly meeting on Friday, April 17. The session was opened by Helga Zepp-LaRouche, Schiller Institute founder and IPC initiator. She described the current strategic juncture as one where “the world is vacillating between hope and Hell.” The ceasefire in Lebanon seems to have taken effect. The effort to invoke the War Powers Act in the U.S. Congress was defeated by only a very narrow margin, which indicates a sea change underway there, when compared to previous recent attempts.
Turning to the economic picture, she reported that shortages of food in France might be enough to “cause a second French Revolution.” German industry is just vanishing like a “Summer Sale.” “We could have a repeat of 2008 at any moment,” she warned, where the rising oil prices could trigger a collapse of the debt bubble. We need a global Glass-Steagall reorganization of the financial system, to compliment the proposed Oasis Plan and the World Landbridge.
Diane Sare, independent U.S. presidential candidate, spoke next. Referring to her recent statement, she said, “We can’t afford posturing, we have to actually prevent an escalation,” and called for the U.S. Congress to withhold funding for the war—which is how the Vietnam War was brought to an end—rather than seeking election-campaign drama with an impeachment, or invocation of the 25th Amendment. She said that in her conversations with elected officials, she often hears the lament, “I can’t do anything, I’m only a Congressman”—but the Congress has the power of the purse. The War Powers Act, which has been the subject of partisan battles, gives the President 60 days in which to ask Congress for permission and funding—we are now at day 49.
Sare concluded by saying, “The President clearly is insane.” She analyzed Trump’s latest tweet spasm, marveling at the wacky hyperbole. She said she was heartened by the fact that Democratic Representative Ro Khanna (from California’s 17th congressional district) and former Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor-Greene (from Georgia’s 14th congressional district) have agreed to a dialogue. This could provide relief from what Sare called the “super emotional hyped-up partisan bickering” that dominates American politics, and exemplifies the “dramatically shifting political terrain.” Sare and congressional candidate Jose Vega—who has qualified for ballot status as a Democrat and is now petitioning to also get on the ballot as an independent in New York’s 15th congressional district (the Bronx)—are now working with 15-20 independent candidates. These candidates need our input, because they are poorly educated on economics.
Dr. Abdullah Al-Ahsan, Islamic scholar and Pakistani Professor of Comparative Civilization, told the meeting, “I was so optimistic when the campuses woke up” in opposition to the Israeli genocide, but the protests were suppressed. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claims to represent Western civilization, but what is that, really? Zionism’s second leader, Chaim Weizmann, openly sided “with the mind-set of British colonialist mentality.”
Garland Nixon, veteran progressive radio and television talk show host, said that there is “a learning process” for Americans. Some people say “it’s all about Israel” doing bad things, if we could get them under control we could fix the other problems. Others say that Israel is a “cat’s paw” for the United States, they can do things that we want done but don’t wish to do ourselves, and we can pretend we can’t control them. “Israel is just a small piece of the puzzle,” he said, in the larger effort of the U.S. empire to dominate the world. Americans who voted for President Donald Trump are angry: “We voted for economic development, and we got war instead of economic development.” He concluded by raising the issue of morality in foreign policy.
Zepp-LaRouche responded: “Since you addressed the issue of morality, I am very happy that the Pope is taking the role he’s taking.” She had recently published an open letter to the pontiff. “Our western civilization is collapsing, and it is collapsing morally,” she said, adding that privileges for millionaires and billionaires at the expense of everyone else, and the debased sexual activities exposed in the Epstein scandal, are both consistent with that. We need a revival of classical culture, not as art for art’s sake, but for reviving real morality. China’s democracy is much better than the Western model, because they have cultural morality as a goal.
Dr. Al-Ahsan referenced the 14th century Arab philosopher Ibn Khaldoun, who emphasized economic development as a result of human cooperation. In his time, we did not have the compartmentalization of knowledge that we have today.
Dennis Small shared results of the IPC mobilization to pressure Congress to stop funding the war, as demanded by Diane Sare. For the past 150 weeks, we have had 200-300 people from 30 to 45 nations engaged with IPC. We need those people to mobilize, and get your messages in to the U.S. Congress. A former Minister of Justice and Human Rights in Ecuador wrote a letter to the U.S. Congress. A director of an Italian cultural institute wrote a letter in which he said that “European public opinion and Italian public opinion is watching with dismay.”
General Discussion Period
Zepp-LaRouche emphasized to the participants, “Please do not make the mistake to relax and say, “everything is in order.” This could be the lull before the storm. “We could be at the end of civilization in a matter of days.”
Co-moderator Dennis Speed presented a video of a Catholic priest, speaking on the dispute between Donald Trump and Pope Leo XIV. He said that “Wars of Choice cannot be moral.” The utterances of the Trump administration cannot be reconciled with the “Just War” doctrine. “What has happened to our politics that such rhetoric can be normalized?”
Zepp-LaRouche added that the Pope is an Augustinian. If philosophy and faith arrive at the same conclusion, then there is no contradiction or conflict between science and faith. “I would just dare to have my own view on the issue of the Just War,” she added. In the era of nuclear weapons, any war can annihilate humanity, and therefore must be rejected as a means of resolving problems. “The idea that you must use violence to make your views heard… belongs to the realm of children’s diseases.”
Dr. Al-Ahsan added, “I don’t understand how a sane individual can keep silent” in the face of what is happening today, and endorsed the remarks of the Pope.
Zepp responded to a question about the Gospel of John, saying she is more prepared to talk about her husband’s conception of the Simultaneity of Eternity. She cited the revolutionary idea of 15th century Catholic Cardinal Nicholas of Cusa, that Man, acting in Imago Vive Dei, must continue the process of creation.
An Argentinian/Italian scholar living in Colombia, informed the meeting about The Seville Statement on Violence, a scientific statement which says peace is possible, because war is not a biological necessity. The Statement was written by an international team of specialists in 1986 for the United Nations sponsored International Year of Peace and its follow-up. Leading scientists debated whether violence is part of human nature, and concluded that it absolutely is not. It is learned from the outside. If violence can be learned, peace can be learned.
In response to questions from the participants about the role of Spain, Zepp-LaRouche said, “Spain has saved the honor of Europe by taking a very clear position against the genocide in Gaza.” If the Atlantic nations decided to cooperate with the Global South, rather than attempting to suppress those nations, we could solve the problems of the world overnight. This is the normal condition of human beings. “We are not condemned to be bestial.”In conclusion Zepp-LaRouche thanked the people who had called attention to the Seville Statement on violence, and voiced her opposition to the Manichean idea that good and evil must coexist. More statements and calls to the U.S. Congress are encouraged. If you would like to submit a statement for promotion contact anastasiammares@gmail.com
