madeleine

Kerry to Demand India Must Declare a Net-Zero Emissions Target Date

April 2, 2021by madeleine in Environmentalism updates, General, Green New Deal

U.S. Special Envoy for Climate John Kerry will visit India in early April, The Hindu reported. The visit is a run-up to the April 22-23 virtual “Leaders Summit on Climate” hosted by President Joe Biden from the White House. Kerry’s April 1-9 itinerary will also include Abu Dhabi and Dhaka.

The Kerry visit is likely to focus on pressuring India to declare a target year, preferably 2050, for achieving net-zero emissions of greenhouse gas. But there is strong opposition to this within India, including prominent advisers to Prime Minister Narendra Modi such as Chandrashekhar Dasgupta, a Member of PM’s Council on Climate Change and former ambassador to China and the EU. In a recent interview with the Indian news daily, The Hindustan Times, Dasgupta answered a question on what he believes would be the impact on the Indian economy of pursuing net-zero emissions target:

“First, it would require us to immediately scrap all existing coal-based power plants and factories, or alternatively, retrofit them with carbon capture and storage technology. This would entail astronomical costs at a time when the economy is already reeling from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.” He added that it would also quickly derail Modi’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) policy: “It would necessitate an immediate switch-over to imported, existing clean energy technologies at a huge cost, denying our own industry the time required for indigenization or development of affordable indigenous technologies. Let us not forget that the US lodged a complaint against us at the WTO when we took some modest measures to promote domestic manufacture of solar cells and modules.”

“Third, we need to examine the trade-related implications of surrendering our principled position on ‘common and differentiated responsibilities’. The European Union is set to impose levies on carbon-intensive imports, even from developing countries. It would be naive to think that the countries calling on India to adopt a 2050 net-zero target are motivated purely by altruistic concerns unrelated to commercial interests.”

The “common and differentiated responsibilities” clause refers to the argument made for decades by developing countries that any global targets have to be applied in a differentiated way to their countries, since they are also trying to overcome underdevelopment.

The pressure on India is intense. Last February, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) hosted an annual event, the World Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS), in New Delhi with a focus on the climate crisis, with the presence of high-level representatives from the U.S., the U.K., the EU, the United Nations and other countries. At this virtual Summit, John Kerry did not mince his words: “We all have to adopt the notion of zero emissions.” And his finger pointed towards India when he noted that “90% of the world’s emissions come from somewhere other than our country (US)” and “70% come from somewhere other than China”.

The pressure has been building, especially over the last six months as Biden took over the White House. Some analysts claim that China’s 2060 carbon neutrality pledge has also contributed to the pressure, as has the UK’s diplomatic push to ramp up climate matters ahead of Cop26. Cop26 is the next annual UN climate change conference scheduled to be held in Glasgow, UK, from Nov 1-12. Cop26 president Alok Sharma visited India in February and issued a statement before his departure stating, “I firmly believe that powerful action from India will be a catalyst for change, encouraging others to be more ambitious in their approaches to protecting both people and planet.”

With the heat on, discussions have begun in India on what it can do to withstand the pressure.

Webcast: Afghanistan – Opportunity for a New Epoch

August 17, 2021by madeleine in Afghanistan, General, Helga Video, Helga Webcast, Helga Zepp-LaRouche

The dramatic developments surrounding the Taliban takeover of Kabul expose the failure of this regime-change war, and the previous ones since WWII. The war was wrong from the beginning, as the continuing investigation by the 9/11 families into who was responsible for the September 11, 2001 attacks are uncovering, and as Lyndon LaRouche warned that day, but more needs to be done. And there was never a viable war plan.

Some western political leaders are reacting thoughtfully. German CDU chancellor candidate Armin Laschet stated that this was the biggest failure of NATO, ever. Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod called for reflection and soul-searching. Helga Zepp-LaRouche pointed out the special responsibility that the U.S. has, in President John Quincy Adams’ words, to not go abroad, in search of monsters to destroy.

Now, as presented in the July 31, 2021 Schiller Institute video conference, “Afghanistan: A Turning Point in History after the Failed Regime-Change Era,” there is a potential for a new era of real nation-building in Afghanistan, and the rest of the world, if the Western nations cooperate with the Chinese-led Belt and Road Initiative, along with Afghanistan’s neighbors, and drop their geopolitical goals of preventing China and Russia from playing leading roles in the world. Many Afghan development plans are already on the drawing boards, and there is great humanitarian need, starting with building a modern health system, other infrastructure and agricultural alternatives to opium production. There will be great pressure on the Taliban from the outside, with offers of economic development contingent upon how they act.

International Conference

Afghanistan: A Turning Point in History After the Failed Regime-Change Era

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Online Seminar sponsored by the LaRouche Legacy Faoundation

On the 50th Anniversary of LaRouche’s Stunning Forecast of August 15, 1971: So, Are You Finally Willing to Learn Economics?

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CGTN Dialogue with Zou Yue Interviews Helga Zepp-LaRouche and Others on Xinjiang

March 30, 2021by madeleine in China, General, General updates, Geopolitics updates, Global Diplomacy, Helga media coverage or interview, Helga Video, United States, World war danger updates

Helga Zepp-LaRouche was one of the guests on CGTN’s “Dialogue” program’s coverage of the situation in Xinjiang. She focused on the tremendous development of China that he she had seen over the years, and the background to Xinjiang destabilization in Brzezinski’s creating terrorism in the U.S. war against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan. Also appearing on the show was Sultan Hali, speaker at the recent Schiller Institute conference.

Catholic Cardinal in Syria Tells World ‘Time Is Running Out’ for Syria Reconstruction

March 30, 2021by madeleine in Economic development updates, General, Geopolitics updates, Global Diplomacy, World Land-Bridge updates

Roman Catholic Cardinal Mario Zenari, the representative of the Vatican in Syria since the beginning of the Syria war, issued an appeal for international support to reconstruct the country, as time is running out. “Peace, I repeat, will not come to Syria without reconstruction and without economic recovery,” Zenari said March 23. “But how long will Syrians have to wait? Time is running out. Many of the people have lost hope. Urgent and radical solutions are needed.”

Zenari said that the “present political deadlock” between the parties in the Syrian conflict must be overcome through “mutual and reciprocal [steps], step by step from the Syrian government and the opposition and key international players.” He further stated, “While the peace process is in this moment in a complete deadlock, poverty, on the contrary, is moving forward fast.”

Zenari was speaking via Zoom from Damascus at a virtual event organized by the Catholic charity Caritas Internationalis.

Zenari said about 90% of the population of Syria is living below the poverty line, which according to UN figures is “the highest percentage in the world.” He cited the Lebanese financial crisis, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, internal corruption, and foreign sanctions have all contributed to the deepening poverty in Syria caused by 10 years of war.

“The Syrian pound has lost much of its value against the U.S. dollar. The price of food has significantly increased. At the bakeries, people queue to try to get limited subsidized bread that is available. The same scene for petrol all around the country. … The people call this difficult time an ‘economic war,’ worse than that of previous years,” he said.

The World Bank estimates that the country has suffered at least $197 billion worth of infrastructure damage during the war.

Pope Francis marked the 10th anniversary of the start of the Syrian war by praying for an end to the war and a renewed commitment from the international community for rebuilding efforts, at the end of his Sunday Angelus on March 14. Zenari first arrived in Syria as apostolic nuncio in 2008, and in 2016 Pope Francis made him a cardinal as a sign of the Pope’s closeness to Syria, Cardinal Pietro Parolin told Catholic News Agency (CNA) at the time.

Here we review a proposal for the reconstruction of Syria called Project Phoenix, focusing on how Syria, which enjoys an ideal position at the crossroads of three continents, can benefit from connecting to the New Silk Road and the emerging World Land-Bridge. This video was produced for the June 25-26, 2016 Schiller Institute conference in Berlin, Germany, “Common Future for Mankind, and a Renaissance of the Classical Cultures”

Lavrov and Wang Counter Geopolitical Games of the West

March 24, 2021by madeleine in China, General, Global Diplomacy, Russia

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, struck out against U.S. policy against their countries, including its sanctions and geopolitical games, in a joint press conference in Guilin, Guangxi, during Lavrov’s official two-day visit to China.

“We reject zero-sum geopolitical games and reject unilateral illegitimate sanctions that our Western colleagues resort to more and more often,” Lavrov said in the joint press conference with Wang Yi today. “We noted the destructive nature of the United States’ intentions to undermine the UN-centered international legal architecture relying on military-political alliances of the Cold War era, and creating new closed alliances in the same vein.” Russia and China, however, will ensure that their bilateral relations are “safe and are not threatened by those states, which are unfriendly towards our countries.”

He denounced the West‘s claims that Russia and China are carrying out vaccine diplomacy.
“Our partners in the West are trying to portray Russia and China as some kind of adventurers in the field of so-called vaccine diplomacy. This is absolutely not true,” he said. He informed the media that Russian President Vladimir Putin has called on all countries that their vaccine policies must be guided solely by considerations of humanity and the interests of saving lives. “It is absolutely necessary for everyone, including our partners in the West, to remember that.”

Lavrov also declared Russian relations with the European Union are nonexistent: “There are no relations with the European Union as an organization. The entire infrastructure of these relations has been destroyed by unilateral decisions made by Brussels.”

He pointed out that “There are only a few European partner countries that have a desire to act based on their national interests.” And therefore, “Objectively, this led to cooperation between Russia and China developing faster than what is left of relations with the European countries.”
For his part, Foreign Minister and State Councilor Wang Yi also minced no words for the EU for imposing sanctions on China over alleged human rights violations in Xinjiang. “They [sanctions] will not receive the support of the international community, especially the so-called sanctions imposed on the basis of lies. I believe that all countries should oppose this,” Wang Yi said. “[Western powers] should know that the days when they can arbitrarily interfere in China’s internal affairs by making up stories and lies are long gone.”

Russia and China will work for the protection of the world order based on international law, Wang affirmed. “We should act as guarantors of justice in international affairs. China is ready to promote the international system established by the United Nations, protect the world order based on international law, and abide by universal values such as peace, development, justice, democracy, equality and freedom.”

British Empire Prepares for Perpetual Geopolitical Confrontation

March 24, 2021by madeleine in Color Revolutions, General, Geopolitics updates, World war danger updates

The U.K. Defence Command Paper, “Defence in a Competitive Age,” released by British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace yesterday as a follow-up to the defense, security, and foreign policy review released last week, focuses on the “21st century threats” that the U.K. supposedly faces in a world allegedly characterized by permanent confrontation. “Those of us in government charged to protect and defend have a duty to enter new domains, as well as continuing investment in the traditional ones, but always adapting to the threat,” Wallace wrote in the foreword. “History shows us, time and time again, that failing to do so risks irrelevance and defeat. As the threat changes we must change with it, remaining clear-eyed about what capabilities we retire, why we are doing so, and how they will be replaced.” Therefore, the process for developing the new policy began with “assessing the threats we are encountering and anticipating, before considering how we should address them, and only then with which equipment, and what resources are required to field them.”

“We must actively champion those shared values of liberty, justice and tolerance that have given billions of souls the world over the chance of a better life, and do so through our actions, not just our words. U.K. diplomacy is underwritten by the credibility of the U.K. armed forces, and they will be more integrated, active and agile, capable of both deterring threats and defeating enemies,” Wallace declared. This is all to be backed up by £188 billion in defense spending over the coming four years–an increase of £24 billion or 14%–which, Wallace claimed, “is an investment in that vision of security and prosperity in 2030.”

But the real axiomatic basis for what’s behind the new policy is this: “The notion of war and peace as binary states has given way to a continuum of conflict, requiring us to prepare our forces for more persistent global engagement and constant campaigning, moving seamlessly from operating to war fighting.” The armed forces “{will no longer be held as a force of last resort} [emphasis added], but become more present and active around the world, operating below the threshold of open conflict to uphold our values and secure our interests, partner our friends and enable our allies, whether they are in the Euro-Atlantic, the Indo-Pacific, or beyond.”

In other words, the United Kingdom will be in a permanent state of confrontation, if not always a shooting war, against Russia, China, and any other designated enemies who refuse to submit themselves to the “rules-based international order” dictated by the Anglo-American empire.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/971859/CP_411_-_Defence_in_a_competitive_age.pdf

Declaration of China Experts from all over the World

March 23, 2021by madeleine in General

For some time an international anti-China campaign has escalated, where Think Tanks, Mainstream Media, and strategic reports of all sorts paint a picture of China and its alleged intentions which is simply not true and is extremely dangerous. An enemy image is being projected that in the worst case leads to war.

We, the signers, all having had direct experience with China, be it that we have lived or worked there, or from repeated travel over longer periods of time, could thus follow how Chinese society has transformed itself in an unprecedented way since the trauma of the Cultural Revolution. Thanks to a policy focused on the welfare of the population by the state leadership of the Peoples Republic, and the extraordinary hard work of the Chinese people, 850 million people could be freed from poverty, with the result that the population is fundamentally more optimistic about the future than the West, where poverty is increasing as a consequence of neo-liberal policies. Trust in the government is substantially greater than by us, a trend illustrated and strengthened by the effective way China brought under control the Covid-19 pandemic.

China is a 5,000 year old culture nation, leading until the 17. Century in technology, and it is thus not surprising that China today, with a population of 1.4 billion, strives for an equal place on the world stage. China’s socialism with its own characteristics for China is strongly shaped by the two and half thousand year old Confucian tradition, the orientation of its modern founder Sun Yat-sen on Abraham Lincoln, and even though the Chinese hold high the tradition of Karl Marx, their current economic system is more influenced by the American System of Alexander Hamilton and Friedrich List, the most famous non-Chinese economist in China. China learns from the best.

China has a rich culture of philosophy, poetry, painting, architecture, and wonderful folk music. President Xi Jinping emphasizes the importance of aesthetical education above all for youth as a precondition for the development of a beautiful soul, an idea promoted by the first education minister of the first Republic of China Cai Yuanpei, which furthermore originate from Friedrich Schiller and Wilhelm von Humboldt.

The success from China’s emphasis on science and technological progress and innovation, demonstrate the China is doing well with what we in the West have seemingly forgotten, and we would do better to respond to the offer of cooperation, than seeking confrontation.

We should better take up the view of the great philosopher and founder of modern mathematics, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, and in a Dialogue of Cultures find a way to solve the crises challenging all of Humanity.

Signers:

Helga Zepp-LaRouche, founder and president, Schiller-Institut, Germany

Jacques Cheminade, President, Solidarité et Progrès, France

Uwe Behrens, logistics manager and author, Berlin, Germany

Prof. Dr. Ole Doering, Berlin, Germany, and Changsha, China

Marcelo Muñoz, founder and former President of Cátedra China (Spain), experienced in China since 1978.

Simón Levy, Founder of Cátedra México-China at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. (UNAM)

Sebastiano Brusco, pianist, Italy

Jacqueline Myrrhe, freelance journalist for space travel, Neubrandenburg, Germany

Diana Mileva, opera singer, Deutschland

Professor Elena Bazhenova, and Prof. Andreii Ostrovskii, Far East Institute Russian Academy of Sciences.

Prof. Mohamed Ali Ibrahim, Ph.D, Professor of Economics, Founder and Former Dean, College of International Transport and Logistics AASTMT, Egypt Former Director of AASTMT Port Said branch, Former Advisor to H .E Egyptian Transport Minister

Prof. Engr. Zamir Ahmed Awan, Sinologist (former diplomat), Editor, Analyst, Non-Resident Fellow of CCG (Center for China and Globalization), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad, Pakistan

Yiorgos Veis, Ambassador ad honorem, Deputy First Secretary at the Greek Embassy in Beijing 1991-1994, Consul General in Hong Kong 2000-2004, Poet

Leonidas Chrysanthopoulos, Ambassador ad honorem, Deputy Ambassador at the Greek Embassy in Beijing (1991-1993)

Juergen Heiducoff, Afghan war veteran and author

Prof.Dr.-Eng. Reinhold Meisinger,

Leena Maliki, Opera singer, Sweden

Associate Professor Verner D. Worm, Department of International Economics, Government and Business, Copernhagen Business School, Denmark

Enzo Siviero, Bridge Builder, Rector of eCampus University, Online Italy, Italy

Eng. Spartak Nano, Vice/President of Albaninan Confindustria

Professor Blagoje Babic, Serbia

Carlo Levi Minzi, pianist, Italy

Mr. Thore Vestby, Former Member of Norwegian Parliament, Co-founder of Ichi Foundation.

Jasminka Simić, PhD, editor-journalist of Radio-television of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia

Bernd Matthes, Consultant, Dresden, Jinan Germany, Germany

Haider Alrubaye, President of the Iraqi-Chinese Friendship Association, Honorary member of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce, Iraq.

Professor Wilfried Schreiber, Military economist, philosopher, peace researcher

Dr. Alawi Swabury, ESSB KG / Europe-Asia-Africa Consulting Institute Berlin .

Ruben Dario Guzzetti, International affairs analyst, Argentine Institute of Geopolitical Studies (IADEG)

Andrea Szegö, Professor of Sociology (PhD), Budapest, Hungary

Živadin Jovanović, president of the Belgrade Forum for a World of Equals, Serbia

Bassam El Hachem, Professor of Political Sociology at the Arts and Human and Social Sciences Doctoral School of the Lebanese University, Lebanon

DeWayne Hopkins, Alderman at Large for the City of Muscatine, Iowa; former Mayor of Muscatine, USA

Michele De Gasperis, Founder and President, Italian One Belt One Road Institute, Italy

Prof. Dr. Wolf Dietrich Karl Rückert, industrial consultant, descendant of the poet Friedrich Rückert, Austria

George Floras, Managing Partner, Belt and Road Associates, Greece.

Elisabeth Kiderlen, CEO, Hainan Treasure Business COnsulting Services, (U.S. citizen, since 17 years in China)

Mario Cavolo, Senior Fellow, Center for China & Globalization

Eduardo Klinger Pevida, Director, Center for the Study and Analysis of China and Asia, Dominican Republic

Mr. Shakeel Ahmad Ramay, Director of China Center, Pakistan’s Sustainable Development Policy Institute.

Mr. Seymur Mammadov, Director of the International Expert Club EuarasiaAZ, Azerbaijan.

Dr. Wei – Jiang Xu, teacher and researcher at INSA Hauts-de-France, France

Bruno Guigue, researcher in political philosophy, France

Former U.S. Senator Mike Gravel (D-Alaska, 1969-1981); twice a candidate for the Democratic nomination for U.S. President, nationally known for his forceful but unsuccessful attempts to end the draft during the War in Vietnam and for putting the then-classified Pentagon Papers into the public record in 1971, at some risk to himself.

Luis González, Sinologist, Former Foreign Ministry Director of Asian and Oceania Affairs, Dominican Republic

Mme Anne Lettrée, Psychologist-sociologist in geopolitics, Modern and contemporary art historian, specialist in contemporary chinese art, CEO of Silk Road Business School, France

Ignacio Ramos Ph.D. 达奇博士 , Professor and Delegate for Chinese Affairs 教授，中国事务主管
Dept. of International Relations 国际关系处
Comillas Pontifical University 卡米亚斯大学
Madrid, Spain

Dr Kevin Yiding Wang, Ph D. INSA Lyon, founder and CEO of CEIFC Consulting (Sino-European association for economics and cultural exchange and cooperation), France

Néstor Restivo, journalist and historian, Argentina

Jason Li, PhD, CEO, America Organics LLC, United States

Colin Mackerras, AO, FAHA, Professor Emeritus, Griffith University, Queensland, Australia

Peter Achten, Journalist

Stephen Brawer, Vice Chairman of the Belt and Road Institute in Sweden, Chairman of S. Bennett Brawer Philosophical, Education and Consultation, Sweden

Frans Vandenbosch, Co-founder and senior consultant at the International Institute on Governance and Strategy (IIGS) Think Tank in Beijing; and author of “Statecraft and Society in China” about grassroots politics and neighbourhood activities in China, Flanders

Han Dongping, Professor of political science; North Carolina, United States

Godfree Roberts, Author of the book, ‘Why China Leads the World’, and the publisher of the newsletter, ‘Here Comes China’.

Yasiru, Ranaraja, Founder and the Director of Belt & Road Initiative Sri Lanka (BRISL) www.brisl.org, researcher

Dev & Ingrid Nazareth, Retired Canadians, Canada

Alejandro Yaya, Vice President of the Civil Institute of Space Technology of Argentina, Argentina

Lutz Pietrusky, graduate engineer, Germany

Yaping Wang, retired nurse, Germany

Marina Körber, Germany

Zhao Yinong, CEO gbtimes.com (founded to promote dialogue between Europe and China), Finland

Prof. Fabio Massimo Parenti, sinologist (Italy), associate professor at the China Foreign Affairs University, Beijing

Flavio Grotti, Tianjin, China

Maria Morigi, archeologist, scholar of oriental religions, author, (Trieste, Italy)

Dr. Jean-Pierre Voiret, former lecturer in China history at the East Asian Seminar of the University of Zurich, Switzerland

Qirui Li, Doctor in philosophy, and researcher at the Cluster of Excellence – “Africa Multiple”, University of Bayreuth, Germany

Wei Ling Chua, Author Australia

Dr. Simon Nigg, Financial Engineer, Switzerland

Habib Ghanim, Businessman, United States

Li Huan, general representativ of the Commerce department of the Chinese province Shaanxi in France

Hervé Machenaud, former director for the Asia-Pacific of Electricité de France, Beijing, China

Sultan M. Hali Group Captain (Retd.), Author of Six Books on China and frequent visitor to China for study, research and participation in international seminars, Pakistan

David Le Blanc, Master of Engineering, MBS, MBA, General Manager for Australian invested manufacturing company in China, China

Ulf Sandmark Chairman Schiller Institute in Sweden
Chairman of Belt and Road Institute in Sweden – BRIX, Sweden

Chen Li, consultant, expert on Chinese investments in Europe, France

Stéphane Muller-Margot, senior advisor (development strategies), Chengdu, China

Bruno Lhopiteau, company manager, Shanghai, China

Nicolas Milonas, company manager, permanent resident in China for 17 years, advises and assists European companies to set up in China, Shanghai, China

Gregory de Richemont, founder of “Le Son International”, 10 years in China, Shanghai, China

Thomas Vissing, Director of a China-Nordic trading company, Denmark

Olivier Le Clouërec, former journalist, resident in China for 16 years, Shanxi, China

Jean-Michel Auve, director of the China office of an NPO – NGO, appointed by various companies, permanent resident in China for over 25 years, Shanghai, China

Thierry Lambert, professor at the University of Aix-Marseille, France

Philippe Thadaume, expert in environment, 12 years in China, France

Joseph D’Urso, Attorney & retired New York City teacher, United States

Simon Fox, United Kingdom

Laetitia Chhiv, PhD student in Chinese studies (EPHE-PSL), president of the Association of Young Chinese in France (AJCF), France

Denise D. Rainey, Elementary Principal, retired, United States

If you wish to add your name to the list of signers, please send an e-mail to contact@schillerinstitute.org including your full name and either your position or a brief description of your personal experience with China.

Conference Invitation by Nelly Alvarado Bejarano from Colombia

March 17, 2021by madeleine in General

Conference Invitation by Professor Leonardo Merino from Ecuador

March 16, 2021by madeleine in General

International Schiller Institute/ICLC Conference: World at a Crossroad: Two Months into the New US Administration

March 20./21.

RSVP here

LaRouche in the Universities

An Example of True Agape—What Really Is Power?

The LaRouche International Youth Movement issued the following statement on the occasion of the second anniversary of the Feb. 12, 2019 death of Lyndon H. LaRouche.

Read the statement

Zepp-LaRouche on Afghanistan: ‘The New Name for Peace Is Development’

July 12, 2021by madeleine in Color Revolutions, General, General updates, Geopolitics updates, Global Diplomacy, World war danger updates

Dramatic developments are taking place over the past days which make clear that the world is sitting at a crossroads. Two clearly distinct ideas about the nature of man are contending for the future of human civilization. One, which could well lead to the destruction of civilization itself in a nuclear holocaust, sides with the Aristotelian outlook of the British Empire, that some people are born to rule and others to serve, that human beings are as defined by Thomas Hobbes, as “all against all,” with nations following the same logic, locked into geopolitical laws of zero-sum “survival of the fittest.” The other view believes that: “Development holds the key to the people’s well-being, [and] no country should be left behind. All nations are equally entitled to development opportunities and rights to development.” While it would be understandable that one may think this statement came from Franklin D. Roosevelt as he planned his postwar vision for the role of a United Nations, it is in fact the words of Xi Jinping, speaking on July 6 to delegates of 500 parties and institutions from around the world, representing 160 countries, fully three-fourths of the human race, joining in support of the principle of “Peace Through Development,” as intended by China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

Today, the Schiller Institute’s founder and president Helga Zepp-LaRouche released a statement titled: “Afghanistan at a Crossroads: Graveyard for Empires or Start of a New Era?” She posits that the policies taken by the world’s nations today on the future of Afghanistan not only affects every citizen of every country, in the sense that the danger of terrorism and drug proliferation affect us all, but also because it could well determine the fate of mankind itself. The only solution to the Afghanistan quagmire, she writes, is for the great nations of the world, and all the nations of the region, to join forces in a “Great Project” to develop Afghanistan as the hub for the New Silk Road, both East-West development corridors connecting East Asia, Central Asia, West Asia, Eastern Europe and Western Europe, and North-South development corridors linking Russia, China, Iran, India and Pakistan.

Is it possible? Or is it, as seen by the geopoliticians of the British Empire, contrary to their warped sense of “human nature,” which will always seek out an advantage against “the other”? Will Americans follow this British prescription for imperial “divide and rule,” or will they recall the spirit of the U.S. Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Was this intended only for those who follow so-called “Western values,” and who follow the so-called “rules-based order,” or is it indeed intended for all mankind?

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