Report on IPC #109
July 4, 2025 (EIRNS)—The 109th consecutive online meeting of the International Peace Coalition became a roundtable discussion of the threatened demise of International Law, in the wake of the brazen violations by Israel and the United States. The question became, is there any hope of restoring it, or are we now forced to acclimate ourselves to a new reality where nations who possess sufficient military power may violate it with impunity?
Helga Zepp-LaRouche, founder of the Schiller Institute and initiator of the International Peace Coalition, reported that following the corrupt collaboration by leaders of the International Atomic Energy Agency with the neocon war party, Iran has suspended cooperation with the IAEA, but will not abandon the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Donald Trump is pursuing a 60-day ceasefire with Hamas, which has indicated its willingness to negotiate, but Netanyahu has rejected any lull in his attacks on the population of Gaza. Who wins out, Trump or Netanyahu? Trump “has the means to put his foot down,” but he has not done so, Zepp-LaRouche said. The US has suspended weapons shipments to Ukraine, pending an inventory of US stockpiles. French President Macron spoke to Putin after three years of interruption, which Zepp-LaRouche termed a “baby step in the direction of diplomacy.” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas, telling her bluntly that if Russia is defeated in Ukraine, China will be the next target.
Turning to her homeland of Germany, Zepp-LaRouche reported that a CDU faction leader is demanding that Germany acquire nuclear weapons. The Germans have banned journalists Thomas Röper and Alina Lipp from re-entering Germany because their reporting is not pleasing to the war party. Röper has compared the rhetoric of today’s German leadership with that of the Nazis. Hitler called for Germany to become Kriegsfähig (capable of war), whereas Defense Minister Boris Pistorius prefers the term Kriegstüchtig (fit for war.)
On the hopeful side, the yearly BRICS summit will begin in Rio de Janeiro on July 6, with proposals for a “new investment platform” to channel credit to development, not speculation. Trump should not regard this as a threat.
Ray McGovern, former CIA analyst and co-founder of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS), declared that he is packing his bags and looking forward to attending the Berlin conference of the Schiller Institute in one week. He asked for 30 seconds of silence for the ongoing genocide in Gaza. He lamented the descent into lawlessness represented by the activities of the US and Israel, while also expressing his satisfaction that despite recent events, the US-Russia dialogue continues. Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov wants to pursue better relations with US despite the illegal war against Iran. Referring to Putin’s talk with Macron, McGovern declared that neither he nor Putin trusts Macron after so many broken agreements. The polls in Russia indicated that for Russians, Germany has now replaced US as their main enemy. McGovern also charged that, because of misconduct by the IAEA, we have lost our ability to accurately monitor Iran’s nuclear program.
Zepp-LaRouche replied, acknowledging the damage done to International Law, but also asserting that the Feb. 4, 2022, agreement between Putin and Xi, during the XXIV Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, underscores a new strategic reality of durable partnership between their two nations.
Jonathan Kuttab, Executive Director of North American Friends of Sabeel and Co-Founder of Nonviolence International, said that “there are some hints, some indications that China may play a more important role” in Southwest Asia. The US and its NATO collaborators are hanging on to current international order, “even as it is crumbling and collapsing.” US and Israel have shown that they can violate international law with impunity. For any country to openly threaten judges of international tribunals—and their families! —is unprecedented. He said of the widespread images on social media of the Gaza genocide, “Here, you see it every day…unlike the holocaust in Germany, which took place in the dark.”
Continuing the theme of whether international law a dead letter, Zepp-LaRouche declared that, with regard to Gaza, it was only the courageous role of South Africa that saved the honor of mankind. McGovern observed that Russia and China still honor the UN, and that polls in the US show that the tide of popular opinion is turning against “Netanyahu and his boss, Trump.”
Juan Carrero, President of the S’Olivar Foundation of Spain, praised the work of the IPC and the Schiller Institute in the battle against genocide, denouncing the horrors underway in Africa as well as Gaza. He introduced a video statement by 1980 Nobel Laureate Adolfo Perez Esquivel, reminding participants that Iran is the 7th and last planned regime change in Middle East. He said that Iran “has something more powerful than nuclear weapons—it is dignity.” In the video, Perez Esquivel of Argentina appealed to the world community, and especially the allies of Israel, to take action, to overcome the lethargy of the UN and end the genocide in Gaza. He decried the West’s “contempt for humanity, contempt for values.”
Co-moderator Dennis Small followed up by describing the extraordinary meeting of Brazilian President Lula with Argentina’s former President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, who is serving six years in house arrest for crimes she did not commit, noting that Perez Esquivel also met with Lula during his visit to Argentina.
In a video statement, Dr. Georgy D. Toloraya, Executive Director the Russian National Committee on BRICS Research and concurrently Director of the Asian Strategy Center at the Institute of Economics and Chief Researcher of the Institute of China and Contemporary Asia of Russian Academy of Sciences, stated that he has a feeling that diplomats are being bypassed and real deals are being made by unknown persons operating behind the scenes. “Israel has violated every possible rule,” but Iran has had a very limited response, so it looks like some kind of deal was made. How will international relations develop now that there are no longer any rules, and everything is permitted? The West, represented by NATO, wants to extract unearned income from the former colonial nations. If the West tries to eliminate all its adversaries, it can lead to nuclear war.
Organizing reports
Peace activists from around the world reported on their activities, beginning with a description of the recent conference held on the [[Oasis Plan]] [[https://schillerinstitute.com/the-oasis-plan-the-larouche-solution-for-southwest-asia/]] at the Iztapalapa campus of the Mexican Autonomous University (UAM) in Mexico City, which included a presentation by Ambassador Sisulu from South Africa.
This was followed by a report on the John Quincy Adams brigade, Americans organizing in Berlin to build for the Schiller Institute conference. Additional reports came from organizers in France, Spain. Colombia, and Boston in the US.
Conclusion
A leader of the LaRouche youth movement in Mexico sent a question to Zepp-LaRouche, delving further into the clash between optimism and despair in the current strategic crisis. She asked whether Nicholas of Cusa’s [[De Pace Fidei]] [[ https://archive.schillerinstitute.com/transl/cusa_p_of_f.html]] could provide the right framework for discussion. Zepp-LaRouche responded that this document helps people elevate their thinking to become philosophers. In the dialogue, God is asked by 17 representatives of different religions and cultures for guidance, because “we are all killing each other in your name,” and God demonstrates how, from the higher vantage point of philosophy, the various religions are in agreement.
She said that a common response to the Oasis Plan is: Can we embark on economic development without first receiving justice? This is not an easy question, but there is another dimension, typified by the Peace of Westphalia, which was premised upon forgiveness for offenses of the past. “For the sake of peace, you have to replace hatred with love.”
In conclusion, Beethoven’s setting in his 9th Symphony of the words of Schiller, “All men become brethren,” should inspire us. This unique work of art inoculates us against the “very negative emotions like hatred, anger, rage” which “take something away from our soul.” This is the most accessible way to access the higher vantage point that we need.