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The 116th meeting on Friday, Aug. 22 of the International Peace Coalition (IPC) featured intense warnings against nuclear war, optimism about U.S. relations with Russia, and reports on the unrestrained genocide of Palestinians and the insanity of the Ukrainian and European leadership insistence of continuing the already lost war in Ukraine.

Helga Zepp-LaRouche began by emphasizing our campaign to activate the UN General Assembly Resolution 377, Uniting for Peace, to intervene against the horror unfolding in Gaza and the West Bank. A person connected to the UN told her that a deployment of Blue Helmets in the region under Resolution 377 would have a significant impact regionally and globally, to bring action against Israel’s atrocities. She asserted that Trump’s tariff wars were forcing the BRICS nations to get even closer, pointing to Indian Foreign Minister Jaishankar’s visit in Moscow and China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi in India. The September 3 military parade in Beijing, celebrating the end of World War II, and the related meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Tianjin, and the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, if they bring the leaders of Russia, China and the U.S. together for development of the Bering Strait tunnel and related great infrastructure projects, could, and must, mark a turning point in history towards a new international security and development paradigm for all nations.

Professor Ted Postol, the world’s leading expert on nuclear weapons, said that the Israeli and U.S. bombing in Iran has resulted in two nuclear powers now confronting each other in Southwest Asia, with Iran joining Israel as a nuclear power. He explained that Iran had 13,000 kg of 60% enriched uranium before the bombing, but still has 400 kg, enough to produce 10 nuclear bombs of the size of the Hiroshima bombs within 4 or 5 weeks, if they should decide to do so. “That was created by the U.S. attacks,” he said, noting that the 400 kg had been under the inspection of the IAEA, but after the bombing, the IAEA was thrown out. Iran will not announce any decision to make the bombs, but will prefer “strategic uncertainty.” Zepp-LaRouche asked him about Iran’s fatwa against producing a bomb. Postol answered that the authority of the fatwa was based on the stature of the supreme religious leader, but that it was not a law, and could be lifted according to Islamic law.

Scott Ritter described his just-completed trip to Russia, which was “citizen’s diplomacy,” aimed at capturing the reality in Russia for the American population, who lack any sense of that reality. Postol noted that he had been in discussions with Ritter, and that Ritter was understating his impact within Russia. Ritter concurred, reporting that a leading Russian political figure had told him that his trip had created a “political nuclear explosion” in the country, due to an American telling the truth about the crisis. He said that he was about to publish a public letter, co-signed by Ted Postol, Dennis Kucinich and Ray McGovern, addressing the issue. Asked by Zepp-LaRouche to comment on the state of the war in Ukraine, Ritter said the Russian view was that the war will be won by the Russians, that they have not changed their demands (neutrality, de-Nazification, freedom of language), and that they do not care about the European bluster, knowing that they have no capacity to continue the war against Russia without the U.S. He said that the territories taken over by Russia “will be Russian forever.” Neutrality, he said, will be “under a Russian umbrella.”

Zepp-LaRouche asked about the recent arrest in Italy of a Ukrainian supposedly part of the operation which blew up the Nord Stream Pipeline in 2022. Postol said he was very close to Sy Hersh, and that when Hersh was writing his exposé accusing the U.S. military, under the direction of President Joe Biden, of carrying out the Nord Stream attack, Postol questioned him with serious questions about the “underwater acoustics” in the incident, adding that he was an expert in the field. Hersh took the questions to his source, whose response fully convinced Postol, who changed his mind and led him to concur with Hersh’s analysis.

Postol also added his view on the reported 1.7 million dead or missing Ukrainian soldiers, noting that this number, with the (mostly young) men and their partners, means that about 3 million child-bearing youth had been eliminated. This, he said, would leave a devastating impact on the nation, virtually wiping out a generation of Ukraine’s population. He said the callousness of Zelenskyy’s continuing the war in this condition reminded him of Hitler’s refusal to concede when Russia was closing in on Berlin, a “racist and hateful” leadership.

Garland Nixon, a blogger with a large following, described the importance of social media, especially as the commercial media is failing. He described something called “stream yard,” which is groups of 8-10 platforms coming together to further expand their reach. He said that meetings like the IPC need to be mass-distributed in a manner that can be understood by the growing audience of social media. He was asked about his viewership in Russia, which he said was the result of a group called “Russia Accent,” which had requested permission to translate and broadcast his shows in Russian, and which has resulted in millions of views throughout Russia.

Zepp-LaRouche added that the same has to be done with people in Africa, Asia and elsewhere, to get the world unified around the September 3 events, demanding “Never Again” to fascism and war.

Dennis Speed added that, like the “Continental Congress” by the Founding Fathers, we need an “International Congress” today, to change the global paradigm.

In the discussion period, Postol was asked about something called “super fuse technology.” He responded that this was something he had discovered by accident, which is a new technology allowing far more accurate targeting of missiles in silos. His concern is that the Russians and Chinese who see this multibillion-dollar technology being built would convince them that the U.S. is preparing for a first strike. Putin, he added, knows that such fantasies about “winning a nuclear war” cannot work, but worries about Western leaders who think they can.

Zepp-LaRouche responded that Rear Adm. Thomas Buchanan, a Director for the Plans and Policy Directorate at USSTRATCOM, had argued in public that the U.S. could win a nuclear war, but should be certain to retain enough nuclear weapons to assure continued world dominance. Postol said that such a person was “ignorant” and should have no position of authority in the U.S. military. He had worked with many three- and four-star generals with more sense than that. He noted that Putin had fired a general who was leading the Russian forces in Ukraine, but who called for using nuclear weapons.

A woman from India issued a call of support for the IPC, and for all people to join the fight for development and infrastructure. Zepp-LaRouche strongly endorsed her call, emphasizing that building infrastructure was critical for the new world paradigm, including education, so that we can “create billions of geniuses.”

A question about the U.S. military forces in the Caribbean led Dennis Small to insist that this had nothing to do with countering drugs, despite the argument made by the U.S.. Any real war on drugs would start with the shut down of the banks running the drug financing, while the claim of fighting drugs was just an excuse for military intervention by those who want to continue the dying colonial system.

In her conclusion, Helga Zepp-LaRouche said, “Right now we are in the most important next period, because if we get this global development of the Bering Strait as a corridor for the World Land-Bridge, if that becomes the motor, then you can have peace between the United States and Russia. I think no other force in the world can stop it, because as Putin said, they are neighbors; it’s just a few kilometers. If that bridge or tunnel is being built, and then you start to develop Alaska and Siberia, a tremendous wealth of ideas and creativity could come from that.”

Aug. 8, 2025 (EIRNS)—The 114th consecutive weekly meeting of the International Peace Coalition took place on Aug. 8, eighty years after the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Helga Zepp-LaRouche, Schiller Institute founder, opened the session, saying, “There are many people who are acutely aware that the world has never been so close to extinction.” The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were unnecessary because Emperor Hirohito was already negotiating for peace through the Vatican. This was a demonstration of Schrecklichkeit (terror). If the proposed Putin-Trump meeting takes place, it will be the “necessary signal” that nuclear war can be avoided. On the economic war front, Trump’s tariffs are targeting all the BRICS nations, and may inadvertently trigger the de-dollarization which Trump claims to wish to avoid.

Co-moderator Dennis Speed cited the 1946 Strategic Bombing Survey’s official opinion that Japan would have surrendered, even if there were no atomic bombs, no entry of Russia into the war, no invasion. Why do most Americans today still believe the opposite? Why is this not known now, or taught in American universities and schools, 80 years after the events?

Ray McGovern, former CIA analyst and co-founder of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS), said that the “overweening objective of the Russians” has been to restore normal relations with the U.S. The recent meeting with Witkoff was constructive, and “Witkoff is about ten times smarter, in my view, than Marco Rubio,” he said, citing Russian presidential aide for foreign policy Yury Ushakov: Trump was backed into a corner with his threat of an Aug. 8 sanctions deadline, and a summit with Putin offers him a way out.

McGovern also asserted that there is “more than an even chance that Netanyahu has Epstein-type blackmail on our President.” If Israel attacks Iran again, Iran is capable of defending itself. Would Netanyahu, in extremis, resort to nuclear weapons? This is a man who uses genocide to try to defend himself from criminal prosecution.

Anthony Aguilar, a retired U.S. Army Lt. Colonel and Green Beret, worked as a security subcontractor for the Israeli and U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), tasked with delivering aid to the besieged Palestinian enclave. Aguilar said that he doesn’t use the term “war crimes” lightly; he is referring to international agreements to which the U.S. and Israel are signatories. “We are violating those every day.” He described an “active campaign” to dehumanize the Palestinians, putting them in a position where they are “literally begging for food” and then must fight for it at distribution sites. The United States is absolutely complicit in all of this. Attempting a military defeat of Hamas is “a fool’s errand,” he said. Full occupation of Gaza will lead to “much, much more death…. If Israel continues down this path … they are only going to harm their position on the world stage…. A day of atonement, a day of judgment, a day of reckoning is coming.”

McGovern responded, “Colonel Aguilar is the epitome of what a U.S. Army officer used to be.”

Steve Starr, former director of the University of Missouri Clinical Laboratory Science program, stated that the Ukraine conflict has evolved into a hybrid form of World War III. The war would have ended in a few weeks if the U.S. (and Great Britain)had not moved in and torpedoed the talks in April of 2022. Germany is on the verge of providing Taurus missiles, which will be operated by Germans and guided by U.S. targeting data. Russian strategic sites have been targeted, and there was an attempted assassination of Putin in his helicopter, guided by U.S. targeting data. What would the U.S. do if such attacks were made on the U.S.? There are 51 new U.S. bases being established in Scandinavia, and the U.S. has abrogated almost every arms control treaty that we had. We have sent nuclear gravity bombs to the U.K. in the last month. “What does that tell Russia?” If the START treaty is not renewed, Ohio-class subs will be rapidly loaded with additional nuclear weapons.

Eduardo Siqueira, Brazilian researcher and analyst, and a professor emeritus of public health at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, warned that the U.S. is violating Brazil’s sovereignty, to punish Brazil for acting against those who attempted a coup there. A network of “the international extreme right” is operating, and it has backfired, causing “a significant unity of the Brazilian people” against the sanctions. “The United States wants to be the sole power in the world … the perception of the United States is definitely becoming much more negative.”

VIPS Members Review Their Groundbreaking Analysis

William Binney is a 32-year National Security Agency (NSA) veteran, former technical director, NSA Whistleblower, and member of VIPS. He reviewed the 2016 study by VIPS which demonstrated that the DNC emails were extracted by a “leak, not a hack,” and said that this was “provable in a court of law.” Ray McGovern added that the head of CrowdStrike, under oath, admitted in 2017 that there was no technical evidence of any exfiltration. Adam Schiff hid this for two years, and after it was released, the media refused to cover it.

Dennis Speed urged participants to read the Schiller Institute’s newly released

White Paper, “Worse Than Treason: The Actual Motive Behind Russiagate.”

Kirk Wiebe is a retired analyst and whistleblower at the National Security Agency, and VIPS member. He concurred that Putin is sending a signal to Trump that he is willing to talk, and “this is a moment to seize.” He discussed the policy of mass surveillance of Americans, initially launched by Gen. Michael Hayden: Why did they get Britain’s GCHQ involved? Because NSA can’t spy on Americans without a court order, so the British do it for them. Palantir has concluded an agreement with the government to sell personal data from all your digital devices, a combination which will be “the largest surveillance weapon ever devised by mankind.” Congressional oversight is minimal, “a wink and a shake of the hand.”

Zepp-LaRouche responded, saying that the common thread here is the dehumanization of people who are designated as “the enemy.” What is required is “an urgent, urgent change in what is called the image of man,” one that holds that “every human being on the planet is as human as we are.”

Discussion

McGovern noted that the mainstream media are refusing to report the evidence revealed by DNI Tulsi Gabbard. The New York Times claims that those who do talk about it are relying on Russian disinformation, because the emails were made public by Russia. But if one doesn’t trust the Russians, why not ask the NSA? It has all the same material. In concluding remarks, he said that we must distinguish between what Trump is trying to do in Ukraine, which is constructive, and his destructive support for Israeli genocide.

Zepp-LaRouche said that this week’s IPC discussion shows that we are in a pivotal moment, and we must get active. The world situation is complex; Trump does not know that the biggest threat of de-dollarization is cryptocurrency and stablecoins. She asked everyone to sign the petition calling for Putin, Trump, and Xi to meet in Beijing. The world’s problems are solvable if we have an attitude of cooperation, for a solution without catastrophe.

Co-moderator Dennis Small added that the intention behind Russiagate was to stop precisely the sort of meeting that Trump and Putin are about to have, and to stop the paradigm shift represented by the Ten Principles of a New International Security and Development Architecture. 

The 113th consecutive online meeting of the International Peace Coalition was opened by its initiator and founder of the Schiller Institute, Helga Zepp-LaRouche, who warned that we may be approaching the “final storm” of the strategic situation. As the meeting took place, news came out that President Trump had, as he wrote on Truth Social, “ordered two Nuclear Submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions,” in the spirit of confrontation with Russia. Zepp-LaRouche, warning of this escalation, called on everyone to “alarm the whole world that we need to unify the peace movement,” and make an “extraordinary intervention in the strategic situation” to change its dangerous course.

Zepp-LaRouche in her briefing included other updates she termed “fast moving and wild.” On the genocide in Gaza, even though the media is now reporting on it, the world community has been impotent to stop it. A 24-page report delivered by UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese names the corporations that are profiting from the slaughter in Gaza, which deserves international scrutiny. In a grotesque response, Secretary of State Marco Rubio placed sanctions on Albanese. She went on to say that the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation is a “death trap,” luring desperate Palestinians to their deaths with the promise of food. No lasting solution is possible without the New International Security and Development Architecture.

Turning to economic issues, Zepp-LaRouche asserted that “President Trump has obviously created havoc” in the international economic and financial system. Trump’s trade deal will hurt Europe, but it’s already falling apart. Trump’s claims about the content of the deal are being disputed; supposedly Europe will spend $750 billion over three years to buy LNG, but it is “hanging in the air” because energy purchases are the province of individual firms and governments, not the EU.

The hope that Trump could normalize relations with Russia is very much in question. Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov has authored an article saying that Europe is becoming the Fourth Reich because of their “unrestrained militarization.” Is Trump backing General Christopher Donahue’s proposal to seize Russia’s Kaliningrad oblast?

The second speaker was Mossi Raz, former Knesset Member, former Director of-General of Peace Now, and former Israeli paratrooper, who said that the conflict in Gaza cannot be ended by force. He acknowledged the significance of Macron and others calling for a Palestinian state, and called attention to Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s statement that Indonesia is willing to recognize and establish diplomatic relations with Israel if Israel itself recognizes an independent Palestinian state. Raz supports the Egyptian peace plan, which can work under such circumstances.

Ray McGovern, former CIA analyst, co-founder of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS) and frequent IPC panelist, congratulated the first two speakers, saying, “The emphasis is exactly where it should be, that my country is enabling genocide.” He quoted South African Bishop Desmond Tutu who said, after visiting Israel, that apartheid was worse there than in South Africa. He followed this with a quote from Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, who said that when genocide happens, not all of us are guilty, but all of us are responsible. Trump is supporting Israel because he fears being blackmailed with Epstein material. McGovern described this as “heinousness squared.” He reminded participants that the Deep State, including intelligence agencies, media, and the Democratic Party, tried to “emasculate” Trump after 2016 victory to prevent normalization with Russia. “My specialty is intentions,” said McGovern, and “if Trump had any flexibility at all, he would do a deal on Ukraine.” He asked participants to look at his latest piece on Consortium News.

Veteran Brazilian journalist Luiz Erthal was pleasantly surprised by the outcome of the recent BRICS summit, which he covered along with EIR’s Tim Rush. Previously, Brazil was bending to the Biden administration. But now the Brazilian government maintained a firm position. The energetic condemnation of the genocide in Gaza was important. Lula has defended the country’s sovereignty and united the Brazilian people.

Brazil has become a priority target for Trump, because its constitution gives the government control over everything in the subsoil, including strategically important rare earths. Support for indicted former President Bolsonaro is seen as a way to circumvent this.

Erthal concluded by saying, “we hope for the day when the United States joins the BRICS.”

Reports on Activism

Diane Sare, President of The LaRouche Organization President reported on their activity around the conference at the UN July 28-29 for the two-state solution. UN security guards actually tried to confiscate their leaflets from delegates who were entering the building, but there was very little resistance to anti-genocide polemics and calling for similar measures to those that ended apartheid in South Africa.

Activist Rafed Aljoboury reported on his disaster relief organization, the Integrity Political Action Committee, and its activity in Gaza. They are getting emergency requests for baby formula, which is only available on the black market. A week’s supply for one baby costs $60-70. Israeli forces are in cahoots with bandits that steal the food and sell it.

His group plans big rallies on September 15. He called attention to Anthony Aguilar, a former Green Beret who has accused the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) of committing war crimes at aid distribution sites, and endorsed the Universal Disaster Relief Foundation.

Moderator Anastasia Battle offered a report on the recent World Peace Conference in China, which she attended along with 3,000 youth. The conference focused on the importance of the Global South and peace through economic development. She was particularly moved by the cultural panel, which featured presentations from around the world. The delegation from Japan sang “Sakura,” a traditional Japanese folk song that depicts the beauty and transience of cherry blossoms, which was seen as a gesture of reconciliation after World War II, and many Chinese participants were crying.

There were also activism reports from France and Nicaragua.

Zepp-LaRouche said we must redouble our efforts to unify the international peace movement, and thanked Erthal for his call for the U.S. to join BRICS.

Erthal said that BRICS needs a permanent headquarters in the Western Hemisphere so that no one can say that BRICS opposes the West. Rio de Janeiro has been proposed as a site.

Discussion: Is the IPC a ‘Big Tent’?

During the discussion period, there were objections to Israelis who claim they want peace, but deny the right of Palestinians to self-defense or oppose the release of Palestinian hostages held in Israeli prisons.

In response, Zepp-LaRouche said international law has already broken down after the U.S. prepared an attack on Iran while pretending to negotiate. She emphasized the gravity of the present situation: “We have a situation where Civilization is almost gone—I think the clock is ticking.” Politicians are gambling with nuclear war—if we can’t stop that, “You can forget all the other issues.” This demands the method of the coincidence of opposites—a solution must be found on a higher level than the level on which the dispute arose. This is why we don’t exclude people with whom we have disagreements on that lower level.

Co-moderator Dennis Small added that if we begin by excluding from the discussion people who are not on our line, we will be talking to ourselves. He said that on the “higher level,” the central issue of the collapse of the global financial system. Trump’s tariff policy is the flip side of the promotion of crypto-currency. Debtor nations who cannot export will default. They will be forced to choose between IMF genocide, or moving to a new trading system. There will be a massive explosion of inflation in the U.S. because Trump’s crypto-currency policy will unleash an unprecedented bubble of speculation. The money from the tariffs will not go to productive investment, but get sucked into the bubble. This is the real source of the problem which is causing the genocide.

Diane Sare emphasized that Russiagate was not just about the election. It was a British operation to orchestrate a war with Russia.

Zepp-LaRouche concluded that time is running out, and more is needed than our weekly discussion. Anyone who has access to international organizations must bring them into direct collaboration. [eir]