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International Peace Coalition #88: LaRouche’s Oasis Plan, a Path to Peace and Development

February 8, 2025by tobi in International Peace Coalition

Feb. 7, 2025 (EIRNS)—The 88th consecutive weekly meeting of the International Peace Coalition (IPC) convened in the aftermath of the Feb. 4 meeting at the White House of U.S. President Donald Trump with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. At a press conference following that meeting, with a smirking Netanyahu at his side, Trump declared a “plan” to remove all Palestinians from Gaza, have the U.S. take it over, and build a new “Riviera” over the rubble. This shocking development provided the basis for an intense debate during the IPC proceedings, involving Palestinians, Israelis, former U.S. CIA officials, and others, who discussed its implications.

Helga Zepp-LaRouche, founder of the Schiller Institute, opened the discussion, noting that Trump had answered a question about who would live in the “Riviera,” saying “the people of the world,” not the Palestinians. She noted that Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz had already ordered the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to prepare for moving the population out. She also noted the irony of Trump officials saying “if you have a better plan, let us know,” since the Schiller Institute and the IPC have been presenting such a “better plan” that would actually work to prevent war and create peace and development, the LaRouche Oasis Plan. The Oasis Plan was first proposed by Lyndon LaRouche in 1975—a massive water and power development policy, not only for Palestine, but for the entire region. She called for a mobilization worldwide to have the body of the Oasis Plan presented at the Conference on Palestine now planned for June at the UN.

Jonathan Kuttab, executive director of the Friends of Sabeel North America and co-founder of Nonviolence International, said Trump’s “plan” was not sincere, but a gift to Bibi Netanyahu. This is what radical Zionists have always wanted—no Palestinians, and a “Greater Israel.” The only truthful thing Trump said, he suggested, was that Gaza is unlivable, but without mentioning that the person grinning next to him is the reason that it is uninhabitable. The one thing proven, however, is that Netanyahu has failed. For a solution, he said there are criteria which must be met for any plan to succeed: justice; self-determinism; democracy and human rights; cooperation and co-existence.

Without Development, There Will Be No Justice

Zepp-LaRouche added that these criteria are correct and necessary, but there must be economic development to make those criteria possible to achieve. Kuttab added that there is a problem: that “most people say they want economic development, but it is a substitute for freedom and sovereignty.” Helga responded: “We are not most people.” She added that the notion of “human rights” in the West is not real human rights—China, which has lifted 800 million people out of poverty, demonstrates real human rights; that ending poverty is the biggest contributor to human rights.

Prof. Fernando Garzón, leader of the Ecuadorian-Palestinian Union, consultant for various international development agencies, and an advisor on strategic regional development plans for Ecuador, said that there must be an emergency plan for Gaza based on the Oasis Plan and sovereignty for the Palestinian people. He said the BRICS should be called upon to provide a solution, not only from China but from all the Global South countries.

The former President of Guyana Donald Ramotar said the role of the U.S. and the West being the primary negotiators regarding the Middle East does not function, as their policy fully supports Israel. He proposed that all the members of the UN Security Council must be equal partners in the discussions, so that Russia and China have an equal role. He contended that the other countries were appeasing the United States, just as Panama and Canada have recently caved to Trump’s demands. He said the situation is very dangerous, like that of the pre—World War II era when the West appeased Hitler until it was too late.

Zepp-LaRouche responded that the UN Security Council does not function because the U.S. uses its veto power to prevent any possible solutions. She said perhaps the BRICS could fill that role. President Ramotar replied that the problem is the U.S. will not accept the BRICS either, and there must be a means to get Russia and China engaged.

Dr. Gershon Baskin, an Israeli who has played a leading role in facilitating Israeli-Palestinian cooperation, including a role in the Oslo Accords of 1993 in cooperation with Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, said that there was “no chance” that the Palestinian people will be removed from their homeland, noting that even if some people wanted to migrate, they were “not welcome.” He ironically suggested that perhaps the U.S. could invite them to settle along the Gulf Coast. He said that the Trump “Riviera” plan, like the similar, earlier plan of his son-in-law Jared Kushner, was “delusional.” The potential result of this process could be the collapse of the ceasefire, and even of the existing Israeli peace agreements with the Arab states. He said that he was participating in a conference in Cyprus next week with representatives of Israel and the Palestinians.

A Successful Peace Requires No Exclusion

Jonathan Kuttab agreed, but added that he saw one problem with Dr. Baskin’s proposals—he had proposed that Hamas should be kept out of any new government for Gaza. Kuttab said that he does not support Hamas, but they can not be excluded, since they represent a significant layer of the Palestinian people. There are factions in the Israeli government whose ideas and policies are abhorrent, but they also cannot be excluded. Asked by LaRouche movement leader Jose Vega if there were interim steps toward peace that could be implemented right away, Kuttab said “yes—lift the siege, let the construction goods come in, let the Palestinians begin rebuilding their homes.”

Dennis Speed noted that President Dwight Eisenhower had proposed in 1968 building nuclear powered desalination plants in the Mideast, to start providing fresh water to green the desert. It was needed then and still today.

Larry Johnson, a former CIA officer and a co-founder of the Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity, who conducted an interview with Helga Zepp-LaRouche on Feb. 5, offered an alternative view of Trump’s proposals in the meeting with Netanyahu. He said it was not a “plan,” since there was no money offered, no time frame, and no troops involved. He said he was surprised when the extreme Zionists in the Netanyahu circle praised it, since Trump had asserted that when the war ended, Israel would turn Gaza over to the U.S.—but this contradicted the Zionist plan for a greater Israel under Israeli control. He reminded participants that the ceasefire was widely recognized as coming from Trump, and that Trump had posted a video of economist Jeffrey Sachs on his Truth Social site, denouncing Netanyahu as a genocidal monster. “I think he is trying to create a narrative which will lull the extreme Zionists,” he said. He added that the IDF, with 15 months of massive bombing, with total control of the borders and air space over a trapped population, had nonetheless failed to defeat Hamas, as shown by the armed Hamas fighters turning over the hostages. “The IDF can kill more Palestinians, but they cannot defeat Hamas.” The thousands of Palestinians marching north along the coast to return to their destroyed homes demonstrates the stamina and dedication of the Palestinian people.

Johnson added that Trump has made a serious opening to Iran, showing (as he had done with Kim Jong Un in North Korea) that he prefers a deal over war.

Helga Zepp-LaRouche said she would consider Johnson’s remarks. She agreed with Helmut Käss and called on participants to listen to a speech by German Gen. Harald Kujat (ret.), whom she called a “voice of reason” regarding the Ukraine war and relations with Russia, coming just weeks before the German elections. In that speech, Kujat warned against the geopolitical methods of Henry Kissinger; that Ukraine should act as a bridge between East and West; and that leaders of the West must not allow themselves to sleepwalk into world war, as was the case with World War I. [eir]

Live: Larry Johnson & Helga Zepp-LaRouche, Feb 5 2025

February 4, 2025by tobi in General, Helga Video, Helga Webcast

Join Larry C. Johnson and Helga Zepp-LaRouche in their discussion following Tuesday’s confirmation hearings for Robert F. Kennedy, Jr and Tulsi Gabbart as well as the Trump-Netanyahu meeting.
Send your questions to questions@schillerinstitute.org

Helga Zepp-LaRouche stated in a discussion with international collaborators that the world was in great suspense regarding the outcomes of various breaking developments. She posed the question whether these would lead to hopeful solutions or merely more of the same. Zepp-LaRouche noted the significance of confirming Robert Kennedy, Jr. for HHS and Tulsi Gabbard for DNI.  Both were successfully voted out of Senate committees this Tuesday, and now go for confirmation by the full Senate.  The vote for Patel, at a date not yet known, would also play a role in defining the outcome. She expressed hope that if these individuals were confirmed, it could result in a substantial cleanout of what is generally referred to as the Deep State, or more accurately, the permanent bureaucracy, which has been responsible for what went wrong in the United States for at least the past 50 years.

Additionally, Zepp-LaRouche mentioned that Netanyahu was already in the U.S. and would meet with Trump on Tuesday, after a meeting with Witkoff. This meeting is anticipated with great suspense, especially by millions of Palestinians and people across the Middle East and beyond. She raised the question whether Netanyahu’s policies would continue and whether Trump would again advocate displacing Palestinians to Egypt, Jordan, and Indonesia.  Or, will the plan revealed by Netanyahu’s office last May, which involved significant real estate development in the Gaza Strip and the displacement of the Palestinian population, be pursued? This has been rejected by these governments, and furthermore, a recent meeting of six Arab nations has declared that there is no solution other than a two-state solution for Palestine.

Zepp-LaRouche said that we would likely gain insight into the situation on Tuesday, pondering whether Trump would fulfill his promise to end wars and bring about a change in the current circumstances.

Join Larry C. Johnson and Helga Zepp-LaRouche in their discussion following Tuesday’s confirmation hearings for Robert F. Kennedy, Jr and Tulsi Gabbart as well as the Trump-Netanyahu meeting.
Send your questions to questions@schillerinstitute.org

Larry Johnson

Larry C. Johnson is a former CIA officer and intelligence analyst, and former planner and advisor at the US State Department’s Office of Counter Terrorism. As an independent contractor, he has provided training for the US Military’s Special Operations community for 24 years.

Since its founding in 1998, Larry has been managing partner of BERG (Business Exposure Reduction Group) Associates LLC, which specializes in investigating money laundering and counterfeit products, as well as providing financial analysis and counter terror strategy.

Larry was a frequent guest on all major US networks from the 1990s to the late 2000s, but made the “mistake” of consistently offering candid insights and honest assessments, without deferring to establishment bias. As waging “Forever Wars” became the singular policy objective of 90% of the nation’s elected officials, and of the entire media, those voices offering independent and unbiased analysis were relegated to the wilderness, Larry’s along with them.

Vilified by the establishment right, left and center, Larry must be doing something right. His take on global security, intelligence and geopolitics is regularly sought by businesses, by non-mainstream media, and by an organic and growing online cooperative of non-partisan dissident journalism and commentary.

In 2024, Larry addressed the United Nations Security Council, and attended the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF). He appears regularly on various news sites, video blogs and independent online channels, including Sputnik, RT, Judging Freedom, Redacted and The Duran, among many others.


International Peace Coalition: We Must Continue To Promote the Oasis Plan, as the Basis for Lasting Peace

February 1, 2025by tobi in International Peace Coalition

Jan. 31, 2025 (EIRNS)—Opening today’s 87th consecutive weekly session of the International Peace Coalition (IPC), Helga Zepp-LaRouche, founder of the Schiller Institute, said, “The signs and signals seem to be very contradictory, to say the least.” Ukraine’s military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov has warned that Ukraine may lose its existence if it does not negotiate. However, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte continues to insist that “Europe must become war-ready,” and in Poland, children are receiving military training at age six.

Regarding Israel’s assault on the Palestinians, the big question is what will happen after phase two of the ceasefire. What is missing is a program to create the basis for a lasting peace, and for that we must continue to promote the Oasis Plan. The big question, however, is what is behind President Donald Trump’s proposal to relocate Palestinians to Egypt, Jordan and even Indonesia. We can only speculate, but on February 4, when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives in Washington, D.C. to meet with Trump, “the secret will be lifted.” Trump’s fantasy of rebuilding Gaza with luxury buildings should be seen as similar to the Saudi scheme to build a ski resort in the middle of the desert.

Mossi Raz, former Israeli Knesset member and former director-general of Peace Now, warned, “This ceasefire is very fragile.” What is going to happen at the end of phase one? The Israeli peace movement cannot support either Netanyahu or Hamas. Extremists on both sides are gaining power. Raz argued for a return to the 1967 borders so that Israel and Palestine may both have independent states. In his view, the Palestinian Authority should become more transparent, but the world should support it as the legitimate voice of Palestinians.

In response, Helga Zepp-LaRouche emphasized, once again, that the “interest of the other” must be considered. We connect this always with the question of development. Raz replied that former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has a viable plan.

The Golden Rule Is an Imperative

Ray McGovern, former CIA analyst and co-founder of the Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS), echoed Zepp-LaRouche on the “interest of the other,” saying, “It is axiomatic that there can be no individual security without mutual security.” He added that the Golden Rule is not just a platitude, it’s an imperative. Trump, in “a strange but refreshing way,” has shown that he recognizes this, at least with respect to the war in Ukraine.

McGovern referred the participants to his interview, which he gave immediately after the Senate hearings on the confirmation of Trump nominees Kash Patel (FBI Director) and Tulsi Gabbard (Director of National Intelligence). He said, of corrupt elements in the Deep State, such as James Comey and John Brennan, that “they are sweating blood right now,” and if Patel and Gabbard are confirmed, all hell will break loose. He said that the efforts of Democratic Senators to excoriate Gabbard for her unwillingness to brand Edward Snowden as a traitor are “replete with irony,” because when Senators saw what Snowden had revealed, “they changed the law.” These Senators are acutely aware that they themselves have been under surveillance by the secret police agencies that “have dirt on all these people.”

“Let’s all hang tight and see if there is enough integrity” for the nominations to be confirmed, McGovern advised. The hysterical opposition to these nominees can be explained in part by “Trump Derangement Syndrome”—“anything that Trump does has to be ipso facto bad.” However, these two nominees are far better than the rest. “Tulsi Gabbard gave an incredibly good account of herself,” he insisted. He concluded by quoting the late anti-war activist Daniel Berrigan: “[T]he difference between doing nothing, and doing something, is everything.”

Zepp-LaRouche reminded the participants that the core message of the U.S. Declaration of Independence is that it is the right of the people to correct their government when it does wrong. If you take that away, you are in a dictatorship.

She and McGovern discussed the “six degrees of separation,” under which a person who has talked to a person who has talked to a person who has talked to a foreign national may be regarded as a legitimate target for surveillance by the National Security Agency. McGovern commented on the practice of “surveillance swaps” by the intelligence agencies of the “Five Eyes” Anglophile-bloc nations (U.K., Canada, Australia, New Zealand and U.S.), and reiterated the irony that these Senators know that they themselves are the target of surveillance. Who is going to win—the Deep State, or the people that Trump sensibly nominated to clean them out? He noted another irony: “Senator Bennet blindly condemning Tulsi Gabbard for telling the truth,” but former NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said the same thing—Russia doesn’t want NATO on its border and went to war to stop it.

McGovern noted that LaRouche activists Jose Vega and Kynan Thistlethwaite managed to gain entry into the Senate hearings chamber “by a fluke.” The two of them reported on the lobbying activity they had conducted the previous day: They had gone to every Senate office and distributed material including The LaRouche Organization report “The Liars’ Bureau,” and a statement by former Ohio Congressman and presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich in favor of Gabbard. Sen. Lindsey Graham’s staffers were “petrified” when they walked in.

BüSo Is on the Ballot in Germany

German Civil Rights Solidarity (BüSo) candidate Jonathan Thron reported on the successful petitioning campaign to put the party slate on the ballot in Berlin, and reviewed the issues upon which the party is campaigning. Zepp-LaRouche reviewed some of the proposals and material from the November 2024 Schiller Institute report, “Development Drive Means Billions of New Jobs, No Refugees, No War*.”

In response to a question about nuclear vs. solar energy, Zepp-LaRouche referred to the method of her late husband, Lyndon LaRouche: Does a proposed policy contribute to the long-term development of the human species, to increasing relative potential population density? She added later, “If you want to remedy past crises, you must address the root causes.” The right policy to address the migrant crisis is not to build walls and close borders, but to change the colonial policies which are displacing people from their homelands.

There was a discussion on the topic of “ideological purity,” since Tulsi Gabbard’s views are not perfectly in sync with ours, concluding we must think strategically and not let vexation over particulars paralyze us. IPC co-moderator Dennis Speed pointed out that Edward Snowden, whom some people feel Gabbard’s testimony inadequately defended, nonetheless intervened on her behalf.

Ray McGovern quoted Martin Luther King:

“We are now faced with the fact that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history there is such a thing as being too late. Procrastination is still the thief of time. Life often leaves us standing bare, naked and dejected with a lost opportunity. The tide in the affairs of men does not remain at the flood; it ebbs. We may cry out desperately for time to pause in her passage, but time is adamant to every plea and rushes on.”

Endorsements of the Oasis Plan were read from Dr. Kelvin Kemm, chairman, Stratek Global Ltd, Pretoria, South Africa; Father Harry Bury, founder of the Twin Cities Nonviolent, Minneapolis-St. Paul; and John A. Shanahan, civil engineer, Colorado, who is circulating his endorsement to thousands. More such endorsements are now most urgent. [eir]

Live with Helga Zepp-LaRouche, Jan 29: Confirm Gabbard and Patel to Stop Wars and Lies

January 28, 2025by tobi in General, Helga Video, Helga Webcast

Live Dialogue with Helga Zepp-LaRouche, January 29, 11am EDT/5pm CET. Send your questions to questions@schillerinstitute.org



Diane Sare, President of The LaRouche Organization, notes in her statement, “Is There a Democrat in the Senate with Half the Integrity of Frank Church? If so, you will act to ensure the confirmation of Tulsi Gabbard and Kash Patel!”, that the confirmation hearings for Tulsi Gabbard and Kash Patel coincide with the 50 year anniversary of the establishment of the Church Committee:

“Fifty years ago today [Jan. 27], the U.S. Senate voted overwhelmingly to establish the Senate Select Committee to Study Governmental Operations with Respect to Intelligence Activities, known as the “Church Committee,” chaired by Idaho Democratic Sen. Frank Church.

It was a turbulent period, following the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, his younger brother Robert, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King, and the Vietnam War and the opposition to it. President Nixon had been forced out by “Watergate.” It had come to light that various U.S. government agencies had been involved in some rather unsavory and unconstitutional activities, both abroad and against American citizens at home, and members of the Senate, led by prominent Democrats—unlike the Democratic Party leadership of today—decided that an investigation was warranted. …”

In discussion with associates today, Helga Zepp-LaRouche said that the strategic situation today is so full of contradictions that the only thing one can really say is that these contradictions will sooner or later detonate, and until then there is no predictable course that things will take. This is why, therefore, actions must be taken now to put fundamentally new solutions on the table.

Zepp-LaRouche stated that she hopes Trump’s focus on the “Deep State” will lead to some changes that will redefine all the many parameters of the other topics. Obviously, the first big decision comes this week, this Wednesday and Thursday, [Jan. 30], when there will be Senate hearings concerning the appointments of Tulsi Gabbard and Kash Patel, for Director of National Intelligence and FBI Director, respectively.

The LaRouche Movement is fully mobilized to secure the nominations of Gabbard and Patel.

Zepp-LaRouche continued: “One of the best examples of the contradictions is that among the executive orders which Trump issued on Jan. 23, was one which creates a “U.S. Strategic Reserve of Cryptocurrency,” which called for protection of the U.S. dollar, “including through actions to promote the development and growth of lawful and legitimate dollar-backed stablecoins worldwide.”  Sergey Glazyev commented on that, on Jan. 25, and he said, “this innovation can have fatal consequences. If before this decision, the dollar financial pyramid was losing stability, mainly due to a decrease in external demand for dollar instruments, now domestic demand will also fall as the cryptocurrency market expands. … [T]his will inevitably undermine the financial foundations of the American state. … This already losing stability financial system can collapse under the onslaught of an avalanche of uncontrolled issued cryptocurrencies. … Trump limits dollar circulation to the existing banking system, not allowing the dollar to circulate in an alternative distributed ledger system.”

These developments underscore the necessity that all well-intentioned persons overcome their false axioms in economics, as well as other areas of thinking, and implement the physical economic principles of Lyndon LaRouche.

Take the case of Gaza. The ceasefire is still holding, despite significant tensions in the West Bank and Lebanon. What better opportunity to rebuild the West’s credibility and moral standing in the world than to use this moment to build up a beautiful, independent nation of Palestine by creating modern infrastructure and water systems, Lyndon LaRouche’s Oasis Plan, across the region, ensuring prosperity and stability there for decades to come? Such an endeavor could naturally be taken up together with China, a country which has already chosen the path of technological and economic development over financial speculation and militarization.

Live Dialogue with Helga Zepp-LaRouche, January 29, 11am EDT/5pm CET. Send your questions to questions@schillerinstitute.org

International Peace Coalition #86: This Is the Moment When ‘Ideas Matter’

January 25, 2025by tobi in General, International Peace Coalition

Jan. 24, 2025 (EIRNS)—Today’s 86th consecutive weekly meeting of the International Peace Coalition (IPC) opened with Helga Zepp-LaRouche referencing the “relief” around the world with the end of the Biden/Blinken nightmare and the dramatic changes taking place as a result of the new Trump Administration, despite the problematic aspects. “The situation is very promising, although much can go wrong.”

Trump’s order to release the “assassination” files—the JFK files in 15 days, and the RFK and MLK files in 45 days—is a “bombshell.” The exposure of the lies and cover-up by the Warren Commission could and must clear the fog created in people’s minds about the crimes unleashed by the killing of President John F. Kennedy. The Schiller Institute Chorus’s performance of the Mozart Requiem on the 50th anniversary of his funeral mass in Boston, which included recorded statements by President Kennedy on issues of development, science and culture, demonstrated what a profound difference existed between him and all later Presidents.

These revelations, she emphasized, could open the path to the U.S. returning to its own better moments of technological advance, industrial growth, and cooperation with other sovereign nations. A recent video issued by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.—who is part of Trump’s announced cabinet—exposes the role of preeminent BlackRock financial speculators in the military-industrial complex driven wars and economic looting.

Hope for an Era of Security and Development

The Oasis Plan is the single element that can bring the world together in not only bringing peace to Southwest Asia, but giving direction and hope to the world for an era of security and development for all nations.

Col. Richard H. Black (ret.), former head of the Army’s Criminal Law Division at the Pentagon and former Virginia State Senator, lauded the potential that Kash Patel as FBI Director, Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence, and Pam Bondi as Attorney General could clean out the “rogue intelligence agencies.” He emphasized the long history of FBI corruption, reviewing several of the leading points in The LaRouche Organization’s newly-released pamphlet, “The Liars’ Bureau.” He described Tulsi Gabbard’s role, along with his own, in exposing the U.S. financing of al-Qaeda’s operation intended to bring down the Bashar al-Assad government in Syria, noting that Gabbard’s visit with Assad came one year after his own visit, as the first American political leader to visit Assad.

Graham Fuller, former CIA officer and co-chair of the National Intelligence Council, praised the BRICS, the most important part of the emerging world. He called for a renewal of the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) with Iran, which Trump dismantled during his first term. Such a move could help bring the U.S. and Russia together, and would function as an important extension of the Oasis Plan into Iran and beyond into Central Asia. The issue is, will the U.S. see the BRICS as an opening or a threat? The issue of Greenland is of interest, as the Inuit people span Canada and Greenland, and are one of the largest indigenous populations in the world. Addressing the development needs of this population and the rich resources of the territory would change the character of the potential conflict of the superpowers over the issue of the artic region and the Northern Sea Route.

Alon-Lee Green, head of the Standing Together peace organization in Israel and Palestine, was interviewed by the Schiller Institute’s Gerald Belsky, expressing hope that the ceasefire is holding—that bombs are no longer falling, people are returning to their homes (“although most of their homes no longer exist”), and hostages and prisoners are being released. He warned that this may not last, as we see already that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has moved his killing forces to the West Bank. Green at first expressed reservations about the Oasis Plan, arguing that there must first be peace and independence for the Palestinians, lest economic proposals become a diversion. Belsky emphasized that without a development perspective the peace process would not succeed, and said both the political and economic aspects must be carried out simultaneously—with which Green concurred.

Zepp-LaRouche joined the discussion to assert that the Oasis Plan would only work if there were a fundamental shift in the global parameters, but that this change is, in fact, exactly what is taking shape. She reported that Chinese economist and professor Zhang Weiwei, speaking at a recent Schiller Institute conference, said that China could build this vast water and power project. We have a rare and crucial opportunity, she said, in which people can break out of their fixed modes of thinking and bring about great developments, as happened during the Renaissance which transformed the Middle Ages into the modern age. To save Gaza requires both the creation of statehood for the Palestinian people but also the development process represented by the Oasis Plan.

Former CIA officer Larry Johnson, a co-founder of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS), warned that the CIA was lying to President Trump, exaggerating Russia’s casualties in Ukraine and otherwise making it appear that Russia was losing the war. Johnson was hopeful that Trump would put a halt to arms sales to Ukraine, which could perhaps put an end to the war. He also asserted that Trump had ordered an audit of the Department of Defense, which would expose a great deal of corruption.

Arms Control Agreements Don’t Work

LaRouche movement leader and former congressional candidate Jose Vega asked if Trump’s statement that he plans to meet with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping to discuss nuclear weapons might bring about an agreement to end nuclear weapons. Zepp-LaRouche responded that arms control doesn’t work, and in any case all the previous agreements are gone now. Rather, new physical principles which can render nuclear weapons obsolete must be developed, as Lyndon LaRouche proposed with his Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI). The Russian deployment of the Oreshnik hypersonic missile demonstrates breakthroughs in this direction. We must bring the world’s scientific researchers together to develop this alternative.

A number of those present questioned some of the policies promoted by different speakers, which led to a spirited discussion. One person complained that nuclear power was no longer needed, that solar power would provide all that the world required. Zepp-LaRouche called on the questioner to consider the issue of “energy-flux density,” and what was necessary for an expanding human race to meet the massively expanding need for energy. Another person challenged what he called “support for Donald Trump,” comparing him to the rightwing leaders in Israel as part of a “conservative international,” and saying all of the documentation of this could be found online. Zepp-LaRouche responded that people should not believe what they read online or when they search for something on Google—the very idea that knowledge consist of “googling” is ridiculous, she said.

She concluded the event by emphasizing that this is a moment of great changes in the world, and we must all work together to convince every country to reach back to the best or their own cultures, to bring those cultural expressions together for a new paradigm for all mankind. The Oasis Plan for Southwest Asia can be a decisive step in that direction. “At moments like this,” she said, “ideas matter. Get rid of the cultural garbage, as they are doing in Asia.” [eir]

Larry Wilkerson and Helga Zepp-LaRouche in Dialogue, Jan. 22nd, 11 am EDT

January 21, 2025by tobi in General, Helga Webcast

“The American Empire has gone badly astray”

Join Col. Larry Wilkerson and Helga Zepp-LaRouche in their discussion of the implications of President Donald J. Trump’s return to the White House on Wednesday, January 22nd, 11 am EDT / 5pm CET. Send your questions and comments to questions@schillerinstitute.org.

Col. Lawrence Wilkerson spent 31 years in the U.S. Army, serving in Vietnam, in the Pacific Command, on the faculty of the Navy War College, and at the Marine Corps University. In 1989 he became Chief of Staff to Gen. Colin Powell. He is a regular speaker at the International Peace Coalition.

Col. (ret.) Larry Wilkerson told participants of the 85th meeting of the International Peace Coalition (IPC), Friday, Jan. 17: “The American Empire – and I will refer to the United States of America as an Empire – has gone badly astray.”  He warned that the American empire is confronting a dangerous and chaotic situation of its own making. We have placed two billion people under our “very draconian sanctions.” Col. Wilkerson described how he and his fellow IPC collaborator, retired Air Force Command Chief Master Sergeant Dennis Fritz, witnessed 20 to 30 Capitol Police officers in one of the Senate office buildings threatening to arrest members of Doctors Against Genocide, who were peacefully lobbying to stop the genocide in Gaza.

During the discussion period Helga Zepp-LaRouche said that in her view now would be the moment to push the Oasis Plan, because Trump has said of himself many times that he is a builder, and he does understand something about construction. He wants to get the economy going for the United States. To which Larry Wilkerson responded: “You’re right to put your finger on water. Water is critical in that region. And one of the reasons you can understand partly what Israel has done with regard to Lebanon and elsewhere is their search for water. It’s going to become even more critical as climate change wreaks more of its havoc. So, yes, I would be absolutely for that.”

Join Col. Larry Wilkerson and Helga Zepp-LaRouche in their discussion of the implications of President Donald J. Trump’s return to the White House on Wednesday, January 22nd, 11 am EDT / 5pm CET. Send your questions and comments to questions@schillerinstitute.org.

International Peace Coalition: Gaza Ceasefire: a Durable Peace Requires Economic Development and the Beauty of All Cultures

January 18, 2025by tobi in General

Jan. 17, 2025 (EIRNS)—Opening today’s 85th consecutive weekly session of the International Peace Coalition (IPC), Helga Zepp-LaRouche, Schiller Institute founder, expressed guarded optimism about the Gaza ceasefire agreement, noting that the deal had already been agreed to last May. However, it took pressure from President-elect Donald Trump’s team to implement it; the Biden administration bears responsibility for the carnage that took place in the interim. Trump’s intervention shows a certain resolve, but a real settlement of the crisis requires the recognition of a Palestinian state, the comprehensive reconstruction of the destroyed areas, and the full implementation of Lyndon LaRouche’s proposed Oasis Plan for the region.

Ukraine Plus

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump could speak soon, but the British will try to disrupt it a Ukraine settlement, as we see with Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s sudden visit to Ukraine. Starmer’s proposal for a “100-year partnership” with Ukraine is reminiscent of Hitler’s dream of a “Thousand-Year Reich,” which “didn’t go so well, as we all know.”

What will Trump formulate as the strategic posture of the United States? Will we see a continuation of the plan for a $1.2 trillion modernization of the U.S. nuclear arsenal, after major setbacks in arms control negotiations? Geopolitics is a relic of the past that caused two world wars. Zepp-LaRouche emphasized that only by overcoming poverty, can we address the root cause of the migrant crisis, and solve such crises in a human way.

Col. (ret.) Larry Wilkerson, former Chief of Staff to the U.S. Secretary of State, followed saying, “The empire—and I will refer to the United States of America as an empire—has gone badly astray.” He warned that the American empire is confronting a dangerous and chaotic situation of its own making. We have placed two billion people under our “very draconian sanctions.” Col. Wilkerson described how he and his fellow IPC collaborator, retired Air Force Command Chief Master Sergeant Dennis Fritz, witnessed 20 to 30 Capitol Police officers in one of the Senate office buildings threatening to arrest members of Doctors Against Genocide, who were peacefully lobbying to stop the genocide in Gaza.

Of the announced ceasefire, he predicted that the Israelis would continue to brutally settle Gaza the way they have the West Bank. The Israel Defense Forces has significant problems: soldiers are not showing up for duty, and many veterans are seeking treatment for psychological trauma.

Scott Ritter, former UN weapons inspector, called the ceasefire a “holding action” while the Israelis regroup. Israel set out to eradicate Hamas, and failed. In this sense, the ceasefire is a defeat for Israel. But it is not a win for the Palestinian people, if a Palestinian state is not achieved. Whether you love or hate Donald Trump, he changed the dynamic. Israel had hoped that “Adelson’s widow’s $100 million investment in Donald Trump would pay dividends.” We don’t know what will happen after Jan. 20, he said, but “Netanyahu’s government is fatally injured.” When the hostages are released, the true scope of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s crimes will be exposed, causing his government to fall. Saudi Arabia will not normalize relations until there is a Palestinian state. Netanyahu and Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir will pay a “fatal political cost” for the lies they told the Israeli people.

Zepp-LaRouche, responding on the topic of the ceasefire, said, “I can only share your concern,” adding that we should not rest on our laurels, and we must go with the Oasis Plan. Instead of building a ski resort in the desert, the Saudis should spend the money on water projects.

Steve Starr, former director of the University of Missouri Clinical Laboratory Science Program, offered a provocative comparison of the recent firestorms in Los Angeles with firestorms created when nuclear weapons are detonated. The key difference between a “line fire,” such as the Los Angeles fires, and a “mass fire” from a nuclear blast, is that there is no escape from the latter, which is accompanied by 400 mile per hour winds.

Prof. Haim Bresheeth, founder of the Jewish Network for Palestine, responded to Starr by saying that it was difficult to follow that sobering discussion of nuclear war, but we must remember that this is what Israel is planning for Iran. “We should be very wary about personalizing politics,” he said, because behind people like Netanyahu and Trump, there are states. Netanyahu’s departure will not make a radical change in Israel, which has its own “Deep State”: Zionism, which has inscribed on the body of Palestine a “terrifying narrative.”

The people who will replace Netanyahu are not better than him. “Zionism has produced a population in Israel which supported the war in Gaza by 97%,” Prof. Bresheeth said. The genocide did not start on October 8, 2023, but rather, when the UN partitioned Palestine on November 29, 1947. The Zionists started the war the following day. In 80 years, more than a quarter-million people have been killed. The first person to call this a genocide was Raz Segal, who, on Oct. 13, 2023, wrote an article for Jewish Currents titled “A Textbook Case of Genocide.” Hundreds of other Israelis have agreed, which gives Prof. Bresheeth hope for Israel.

Israel bombed Lebanon immediately after signing the ceasefire agreement, which is typically what they do. A ceasefire “is just a delay in the genocide.” We have to work “as if there is international law.” Not just eight Israelis, but hundreds of people in other nations who supported them should be in the dock for genocide. Secretary of State Antony Blinken should be there.

Discussion

The discussion period began with three organizing reports. IPC co-moderator Dennis Speed presented the special report just released by The LaRouche Organization on the efforts by Deep State operatives to block the confirmation of Trump appointees Tulsi Gabbard and Kash Patel. It is titled “The Liars’ Bureau.”

Jack Gilroy gave an activism report from Veterans For Peace and Merchants of Death, and former (and future) congressional candidate Jose Vega reported on his organizing activities. He was present, along with Col. Wilkerson and Dennis Fritz, to support the Doctors Against Genocide lobbying action in Washington, D.C.

Helga Zepp-LaRouche responded to a number of questions and comments. To a question about the coincidence of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and the Trump inauguration, she said that it is something we should use, to steer Trump toward an ethical path. She said that “today, we are still on the road to dictatorship,” giving as an example the fact that in Germany it is forbidden to call what Israel is doing to Gaza a genocide. Everybody in the Global South can see that the West’s talk of “democracy” and “human rights” is a charade, and has become an object of ridicule. She mentioned a recent article in the Swiss newspaper Neue Züricher Zeitung, in which former Swiss President Ueli Maurer refers to the “Stasi 2.0” in Germany. Zepp-LaRouche observed that Tulsi Gabbard has abandoned her opposition to section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which has evolved to the point that anyone talking to foreigners can become a target of surveillance.

She concluded by saying that we are in the middle of change that is as significant as Europe’s transition from the Middle Ages to the Golden Renaissance. Having a better culture will determine how we act.

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The Old System is Dying – An Historic Opportunity for Humanity

January 14, 2025by tobi in General, Helga Video, Helga Webcast, Helga Zepp-LaRouche

Live Dialogue with Helga Zepp-LaRouche, January 15, 11am EDT/5pm CET. Send your questions to questions@schillerinstitute.org

In a discussion with staff and activists of the international LaRouche movement on January 13, Helga Zepp-LaRouche described the “historic opportunity to intervene” as follows:

Now, this year, 2025, is without any doubt, the end of the old system, it is the end of the idea of the unipolar world, the end of the neoliberal system trying to impose hegemony over the rest of the world, but it is really the opportunity to implement what Lyn has been advocating for the better part of half of the last century. And while there is still the danger that things could go really wrong, either immediately in the period before Trump gets into the White House, because there are several crisis spots still hot, but also, if we do not eliminate the geopolitical design that there is a legitimate interest of one nation, or groups of nations, against another nation or other groups of nations, that confrontation could come at any point a little bit later on. So we, as a priority, have to proceed in everything we are doing that we have to get a change in the axioms of the West, that they have to stop geopolitical thinking, and that we have to shift the direction of the nations of the collective West into one of cooperation with the countries of the Global South, in the building of a new and more just system.

So, we have to intervene, and we have to do it by recognizing that European nations, and the United States as well, have been suffocated for the last—in the case of Europe it’s been longer, but in the United States for the last 50 years, with axioms which are completely alien to the true identity of our nations. Therefore, we have to really start in earnest a project to identify, first of all, very clearly what are the best traditions of Europe, European nations, and the United States. Because if we don’t do that, there is no basis for the Europeans and the Americans to join with the countries of the Global South…

The situation with Trump coming in, looking at both the potentials and the shortcomings, it seems that Trump is considering, actively, an early meeting with Putin, and even Scholz in an interview yesterday welcomed that, but naturally he made his usual remarks that the sovereignty of Ukraine should be respected. But nevertheless, Peskov declared that Putin is open for such a meeting with other heads of state, including Trump. There are no conditions necessary for it, so I think this will probably go ahead fairly soon.

But with Trump coming in on Jan. 20, that leaves about four weeks to the German election campaign, in which Merz will have to see if the idea they presented in Ramstein, trying to compensate for everything which will be lost by Trump on Ukraine and other issues, if that can be held up. There is a push, very much, that this “war-ready” bullshit is still in the air, but it will create an opening, because the situation is very much in flux. …

I think we have a very dramatic situation, full of suspense; it is full of potential. It doesn’t mean that the dangers have been eliminated, but the vision of where the world could go is absolutely clearly there, but it will require an extraordinary effort of our organization internationally to bring that about, and bring this objective into the discussion. Because that particular idea, especially in terms of reviving the Classical culture, as Lyn always said, a society which does not know principles of Classical composition, has no chance to survive. Lyn was always extremely emphatic on that, and that is something only we can bring in, because I have never heard any of the present crop of politicians speak in any meaningful way about ideas of Classical composition and statecraft, the way we have unearthed that treasure.

So, I think we are in an incredibly optimistic situation, if we do what we have to do.

Live Dialogue with Helga Zepp-LaRouche, January 15, 11am EDT/5pm CET. Send your questions to questions@schillerinstitute.org

Make Humanity Truly Human Again

January 11, 2025by tobi in General, International Peace Coalition

Report International Peace Coalition #84

Jan. 10, 2025 (EIRNS)—Today’s 84th weekly meeting of the International Peace Coalition (IPC) was again a powerful expression of leaders from around the world joining forces to bring peace to a world on the brink of global war. Helga Zepp-LaRouche, founder of the Schiller Institute, opened by noting the suspense in the air as the world awaits the Jan. 20 inauguration of Donald Trump, with no certainty about what direction his administration will take. The outgoing Biden Administration continues to push for war policies, with Defense Secretary Gen. Lloyd Austin again lying that if Ukraine is lost, the Russians (and other “autocrats”) will make other “land grabs.” The horror in Palestine continues and is expanding to the West Bank, which even the Israeli newspaper Haaretz admits is genocidal and can be called a “pogrom.”

Zepp-LaRouche named several of the people that Kash Patel (Trump’s pick to be FBI chief) listed in his book as targets for investigation in any effort to clean out the “Deep State.” To stop the wars, she said, we must stop the cause of the wars, which is the disintegration of the Western financial system, and do this in cooperation with the BRICS, to “help make humanity human again.”

Retired Swiss Lt. Col. Ralph Bosshard said that Trump is entering office in a “difficult atmosphere” which is not of his making. He said that the 2003 deal with Iran to stop their nuclear weapons program (which did not exist, as everyone knew) was agreed to by Tehran because they knew that otherwise they would be attacked. Now we have Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is committing genocide and threatening war on Iran, being cheered in the U.S. Congress and by the Biden Administration. To prevent a global war with Russia, Russian interests must be addressed. Europe is collapsing in part because Biden used the weakness of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to blow up the Nord Stream pipeline, undermining all of Europe’s energy security. Trump must address the de-dollarization and determine which other policies must be addressed first. Time will be short, for he will soon not be able to blame Biden for the crises. The first few months will tell.

Dr. Glenn Diesen, a political scientist from Denmark, said he was optimistic that Trump will act to resolve the crisis with Russia, but that the “liberal democracy” paradigm has failed. The “international aristocracy” has constructed a “club of democracies,” but such a unipolar policy requires hegemony, which can only be implemented through force. As a result, now the so-called “democracies” are supporting genocide; they have overthrown the Assad government in Syria through force; they are supporting ISIS; and they have overturned the democratic election in Romania. They refuse to acknowledge any security interests other than their own. Multipolarity is not up for question, he said, it is a reality. The unipolar world was based on many wars with weak countries, but were nonetheless a disaster for the West. Imagine what will happen in a war against a superpower. The economies and the people of the West are exhausted, and have given up on diplomacy. Governments are falling left and right. Trump has acknowledged that the expansion of NATO was a mistake, which is at least a step toward peace.

Dr. Mimi Syed of the Doctors Against Genocide spoke as a physician and as a mother, describing the horror she witnessed during her trips to Gaza—“atrocities which should never be witnessed by anyone.” This is counter to the ideas upon which the U.S. was created, she said. She described several such horror situations, including that of an 8-year-old boy in a “safe zone” whose face was blown off by a bomb, who was wearing a t-shirt with “Captain America” on it—an ugly irony. She said America was financing these war crimes, and we must rise together to demand a ceasefire and humanitarian aid for the Palestinians.

Dr. Joycelyn Elders, the former Surgeon General of the U.S., addressed the meeting, praising the Schiller Institute and the IPC, and Helga Zepp-LaRouche in particular, for waging this fight. We are failing to prepare the next generation, she said, by allowing the destruction of children, who need health, education and hope. The horror which we all see is “making us all sick.” She pledged her support in any way she could to stop the genocide. “Everybody can do something,” she stated.

Helga Zepp-LaRouche noted that Dr. Elders had played a critical role during the COVID pandemic in working with her to create the Committee for the Coincidence of Opposites, based on the concept of Nicholas of Cusa in the 15th Century—the notion that if humanity is put first, then all apparent opposites can be brought together. She also agreed with Lt. Col. Bosshard on Trump’s shortness of time to act, noting that the U.S. has now lost all credibility worldwide, and has lost the right to address human rights, as a “dying civilization.” The U.S. can and must return to its own best traditions. “Our own humanity is at issue” if we don’t stop the atrocities underway.

Dr. Rodolfo Ondarza, a Mexican neurosurgeon and a former Representative in the Mexico City Legislative Assembly, read an excerpt from a public letter he wrote in support of the Doctors Against Genocide, praising the morality and bravery of Dr. Hassan Abu Safiya and other Palestinian medical workers incarcerated by Israel. He demanded their freedom, and an end to the genocide.

In the discussion period, people addressed the failure of the United Nations, the need for more exposure of the IPC, and the lack of adequate health systems around the world. The ongoing lobbying in the U.S. Congress by the Doctors Against Genocide, with help from Schiller Institute members and retired U.S. military officers, was discussed. Schiller Institute organizer Joe Jennings described the rally he and fellow activists held at the Texas Medical Center in Houston, the largest medical center in the world with fifty thousand health workers, with leaflets and signs to stop the genocide. There was a discussion of the Peace of Westphalia which resolved the religious wars in Europe in 1648 based on respect for the “interests of the other,” and how the Versailles Treaty after WWI, which ignored Germany’s interests, created the conditions for WWII. The end of the Cold War, in which the interests of the Soviet Union were ignored in favor of the expansion of NATO, led to the current extreme danger of global nuclear war.

In closing statements, Lt. Col. Bosshard noted that he had been in Ukraine before the military operations began, and that it was clear that Russia would defend the Russian speaking population. For the Kiev government to declare the use of the Russian language illegal was insane. The belief in Western superiority has only encouraged Western leaders to “bark louder,” he said. The West must learn to respect other cultures.

Helga Zepp-LaRouche addressed the pandemic question by noting that Lyndon H. LaRouche in 1971 created a taskforce on the impact of the “conditionalities” of the IMF, which forced nations to pay their debts even at the expense of the needs of the population. Lowering the living standards in this way, he showed, was the cause of pandemics of old and new diseases, and the related collapse of populations.

Change Course Now! Scott Ritter and Helga Zepp-LaRouche in Dialogue

January 7, 2025by tobi in General, Helga Video, Helga Webcast

Live dialogue with Helga Zepp-LaRouche and Scott Ritter

January 8, 2025, 12.30 pm EDT/6:30 p.m. (CET)

“Change Course Now – We Need a New Paradigm!”

On January 8, 2025, Helga Zepp-LaRouche will hold a dialogue on the current political situation with former UN weapons inspector and anti-war activist Scott Ritter.

Ritter is known internationally for his opposition to the neocon foreign policy and military policy in the United States and Europe. He served as an intelligence officer in the Marine Corps. He later served as a weapons inspector with the United Nations Special Commission in Iraq (UNSCOM mission) from 1991 to 1998. In this context, he emerged as a harsh critic of the Bush administration’s claims that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction, which was used to justify the 2003 war against Iraq.

Scott Ritter is an author, a member of the Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS), and a frequent commentator on international podcasts. His latest book, Disarmament in an Era of Perestroika: Arms Control and the End of the Soviet Union, details his experience working with the Soviet Union to reduce the threat of nuclear war. He has spoken at conferences of the international Schiller Institute, including a high-level press conference on the acute danger of nuclear war in Washington in June 2024.

Discuss the implementation of the New Paradigm for peace and genuine economic development with Helga Zepp-LaRouche. Send your questions to questions@schillerinstitute.org or post them in the chat.

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