General

Oct. 17, 2025 (EIRNS)—The 124th consecutive weekly online meeting of the International Peace Coalition commenced with optimistic remarks by Helga Zepp-LaRouche, Schiller Institute Founder and International Peace Coalition initiator. “All reasonable people in the world should be happy about the recent phone call between President Trump and President Putin,” she said, announcing the upcoming meeting between the two Presidents which is scheduled to take place in Budapest. She had no reading yet on the Oct. 17 meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy, but predicted that there is now a “big big question mark” over the delivery of Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine. She spoke of the possibility of a “Putin-Trump tunnel” connecting Alaska to Siberia, adding that the multi-national development of Siberia would represent an “incredible boost to the world economy.” This brings back the idea to the European continent that “diplomacy is the way to resolve conflicts.”

Zepp-LaRouche reported that the momentum of President Trump’s Gaza peace plan has carried over into the Ukraine situation. We published yesterday a very important interview with H.E. Ambassador Prof. Dr. Manuel Hassassian, Palestinian Authority Ambassador to Denmark, which underscores the absolute necessity of a “peace through development” approach, centered upon the Oasis Plan, originally proposed by Lyndon LaRouche in 1975.

“The Historical Roots of the”Peace Through Development” Plans

Later during the meeting, Schiller Institute activist Tim Rush reported on a think tank conference in Washington, D.C., where he noted a shift in world opinion against Israeli genocide. He intervened from the floor, referencing the Oasis Plan and the Eisenhower administration’s Water for Peace conference in 1967, to illustrate that these ideas have history. He referred the participants to a June 28, 2024, article in EIR titled “When ‘Water for Peace’ Was at the Center of U.S. Politics—1953-1968”. Co-moderator Dennis Speed noted a similar historical parallel, in a hand-drawn map recently shared by the Russian Ambassador to the U.S. and made public by U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, which envisioned a “Kennedy-Khrushchev World Peace Bridge” over the Bering Strait, a predecessor to the tunnel proposed by LaRouche in his World Land-Bridge plan.

Dialogue Between Israelis and Palestinians

Ali Rastbeen, director of the Académie Géopolitique de Paris, is a French national of Iranian origin. He said, of the peace plan for Gaza, that regional actors must maintain a balance between Israeli security and justice for the Palestinians. The regional actor he chose to emphasize was Iran. “Iran has remained silent—no official declaration … we haven’t seen that since 1979,” he said, calling this a “major strategic change…. Iran has been marginalized, no longer projecting power through proxies … a forced re-definition of its role…. Its influence has decreased, to the profit of the Arab countries.”

Rastbeen emphasized that we are entering a new era with the end of proxy wars. Regional power in the Middle East is now measured in the ability to negotiate, provide stability and cooperation.

Mossi Raz, former Knesset member and Director of Peace Now in Israel, observed that neither Hamas nor Israel can solve its problems by using force, and emphasized that pressure from the international community made this agreement possible. Pressure from the international community made this agreement possible. He warned that the success of the agreement was threatened by “misunderstandings on both sides”: the Palestinians are upset that Israel has continued to kill Palestinians, Israelis are upset because Hamas has not delivered all the dead hostages. The international community must keep pressure on both sides to comply exactly with the agreement, in order to prevent a further outbreak of war.

An excerpt was shown from Zepp-LaRouche’s video interview with Dr. Hassassian, who said that “President Trump has flexed muscles on Israel” to get a breakthrough in negotiations. He warned that the occupation has to end, and an independent Palestinian state with the 1967 borders is necessary for lasting peace and security. Zepp-LaRouche replied that “this is a very precious moment” to transform the dynamic of the region with the Oasis Plan. Hassassian agreed, saying, “This is the right time for your organization to push forward and to market the Oasis Plan… The benefits will not go just to the Gazans and the Palestinians,” but to the region as a whole.

Zepp-LaRouche said in response to Rastbeen’s description of a shift from ideology to diplomacy in Iran, that this is an interesting angle from which to look at the crisis. But the most important shift will be to an emphasis on economic development. This would “completely change the parameters.” Instead of coercion, we need a policy of mutual benefit. Raz offered his support for the Oasis Plan, but added that the economic dimension is a major factor, but not the only factor.

Discussion

A participant asked whether the “peace through development” approach is really desirable, given that economic growth threatens our “finite planet.” Zepp-LaRouche explained that there is a common misconception that growth must be linear and quantitative, as opposed to what the Schiller Institute proposes, which is qualitative growth such as the development of fusion energy, which China is making a reality.

Dennis Speed asked Raz to respond to former Knesset Speaker Avraham Burg’s assertion that Israel’s acts are at odds with Jewish tradition. Raz responded by acknowledging the importance of diplomacy and dialogue. Zepp-LaRouche added we have called for a dialogue of cultures, based on the best traditions of each culture in science and art, where human creativity expressed itself. “People have lost the idea of what a renaissance really is,” she said. “Collaboration among cultures would always spark a new development.”

A participant asked: Are we talking about a kind of consciousness we have never seen before? Zepp-LaRouche responded by saying that we must both reactivate our best traditions, and also create something new. It must be as different as today’s bestialized culture, as the Renaissance was from the Middle Ages, which were dominated by superstition and barbarism.

An African participant stated that she strongly supports the Oasis Plan, but asked: Why must we forgive the perpetrators of the genocide, of the killer sanctions? In response, Zepp-LaRouche insisted that we have to take advantage of branching points in history, in which we can influence the shape of things to come. We clearly have such a conjuncture, now that 500 years of colonialism is coming to an end. We should not try to impose the Western neoliberal model, but respect the singular characteristics of various cultures. We have to end the idea that conflicts can be resolved by military means.

In concluding remarks, Raz said that we need to incorporate the Oasis Plan among other issues which must be resolved, and it will take years to resolve them all.

In response to a question about China’s tightening of its export controls on rare earth elements, Zepp-LaRouche said that this “could bring the whole military-industrial complex to a screeching halt.” China’s next five-year plan could mean a change of relations among nations, a model of governance based on sovereignty, non-interference and cooperation.

An Ecuadorian reported that her new neoliberal government is attacking the indigenous population, which is protesting unjust austerity measures. Co-moderator Dennis Small said that Ecuador is part of a larger pattern; the neocons are willing to invade Venezuela, create regime-change in Peru (which they have done through an orchestrated scandal), and bail out Argentina, in order to maintain their control.

Zepp-LaRouche reminded the participants that although the discussion has focused on Gaza, she had emphasized at the start that the Trump-Putin meeting in Budapest is of crucial importance because of the ever-present danger of nuclear war, as was described by Ted Postol in the previous week’s IPC meeting. He will give another presentation at the next meeting. “In the age of nuclear weapons, we cannot have war as a method of conflict resolution”; we must return to diplomacy. [eir]

International Peace Coalition, Week 122

by EIR Staff

Oct. 3—Helga Zepp LaRouche opened the 122nd weekly meeting of the International Peace Coalition (IPC) by calling on members to study the speech given by Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Valdai Club meeting this week and circulate it to every political and institutional leader. She emphasized that Putin had made clear that Russia has no interest nor intention to invade Europe, and that the hysteria being riled up about Russian planes and drones threatening Europe was “nonsense.” Putin said that the European people do not support the “deafening” war mongering from their leaders and the media. He said that, as in 1914, it is the Europeans who are provoking a war.

On Gaza, Mrs. LaRouche said that the world is increasingly disgusted, as demonstrated by the general strike in Italy (which is reported to have a million people on the streets), and two demonstrations in Germany against the government’s policy for building up for war on Russia. She called for more support for the Oasis Plan and attention to the need for a power- and water-development plan for the entire Southwest Asian region, and for a global new paradigm for development and security for all nations.

Jonathan Kuttab, a Palestinian international lawyer, executive director of Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA) and co-founder of Nonviolence International, among other activities, noted that there have now been two years of Israeli genocide, “in the public eye, in the light of day, despite the incredible denials by Israel.” We are witnessing the “destruction of international law,” he warned, but we must fight to retain a system of international law by all means. Trump’s policy is that international law doesn’t matter, only power, and that those with power can do whatever they want. The Gaza “peace plan” is just an ultimatum, that Israel has the power and thus can do what it wants. Hamas may accept it anyway, simply out of desperation to end the daily slaughter. The Oasis Plan demonstrates the international policy which must be adopted. People must act in the absence of government actions, he said.

Asked why he had written about some successes by the Palestinians over these years of genocide, he answered that it was to overcome despair, and to let people know that their struggle has increasingly inspired people around the world to support them, especially youth, university students, and even many Jews, and for calls for Palestinian statehood.

A Thorn in the Side of Unilateralism

Prof. Lier Pires Ferreira, of the Center for BRICS Studies (NuBRICS) at the Fluminense Federal University of Brazil, attacked “Trumpism” for its assault against Brazil. Brazil, he said, following its era of dictatorship, established relations with Russia, China, and others while also maintaining friendly relations with the U.S., but President Bolsonaro (2019-2023) ended that, aligning only with the U.S. Trumpism and the extreme right, he said, use the media and “big tech” to spread disinformation and lies. Trump is targeting the BRICS, and the Lula government in Brazil, because it is a “thorn in the side of unilateralism.” He strongly promoted the idea that water is a “public good, not a commodity” and is key to sovereign development—one of the central tenets of the LaRouche Oasis Plan.

Zepp-LaRouche agreed that we must join forces internationally, but added that it must include development as a core of any solution. She pointed to China’s extraordinary development, noting a recently completed water project larger than any other in the world, saying that, if people understood that such development were possible, they would be better able to unite for a new paradigm.

Former Guyanese President Donald Ramotar said the so-called Gaza peace plan is not a peace plan at all, but a plan to retain Israeli and U.S. domination. The U.S. is “not an impartial broker,” and other countries should assert themselves as impartial brokers. Kuttab agreed, but said it is not a question of impartial brokers, but of a “framework for discussion” based on international law, rather than “fiat” by the powerful.

Steve Starr, a renowned nuclear-weapons expert, began by announcing that he was no longer teaching at the University of Missouri, which had dismissed him, due to his talking about genocide in Gaza and related issues, but that he was continuing his work to expose the extreme danger of nuclear war. He noted that the New START Treaty would expire in February 2026 if a new treaty is not negotiated. If it expires, the number of nuclear weapons and delivery systems will essentially double, he warned. He also warned that if the plan to send nuclear-capable Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine proceeds, it will mean war, likely nuclear war. He closed by showing a clip from Terminator 2, which accurately shows the gruesome impact of a nuclear explosion over a major city, both to human beings and to the infrastructure. Zepp-LaRouche called for Starr’s presentation to be shown to every politician, especially those talking about “winning” a nuclear war.

Department of War: A Rejection of Peace

Larry Johnson, a former CIA intelligence official and a member of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS), began by noting that the Trump pronouncement that the Department of Defense will be called the Department of War is an intentional rejection of the idea behind the creation of the Department of Defense after World War II, which was to declare that there would be no more wars. Now the U.S. has warships and war planes on Venezuela’s border and in bases in Puerto Rico, which can not be sustained for long, leading Johnson to conclude that there will be a war on Venezuela within days or a week.

On Trump’s declaration that Hamas must accept the “peace plan” within four days or there would be “Hell to pay,” he ponders whether or not Trump has been watching what has gone on in Gaza over the past two years, which is already pure Hell. On Ukraine, the Russians are moving forward rapidly, and he suspects they plan to finish the operation within about three months.

Father Harry Bury, a long-time international peace advocate, submitted a video statement. He said he had formed a non-violence movement in the Twin Cities, where he lives, and that the mayors of those cities had declared the cities to be “non-violent,” while advancing efforts to educate former gang members to gain employment. He said he has partnered with the Schiller Institute on the Oasis Plan, a concept already being implemented by the BRICS nations around the world for development as a basis for peace, calling on the U.S. to cooperate with the BRICS.

Asuka Burke of the Schiller Institute gave a report on the international call with youth around the world held with Zepp-LaRouche this past week, with 60 participants from countries across Africa, Europe, Ibero America, and the U.S.

A comment posted by one participant said: “I am 78 years old, but I’d like to be part of the Youth Movement.” Mrs. LaRouche responded that he and other older people are totally welcome to join.

Another questioner observed that there could be no peace without justice. Zepp-LaRouche responded that justice had to include development for all nations, or it would not be just. She pointed to the Peace of Westphalia, which included justice, but also forgiveness, without which there would be no peace. IPC co-moderator Dennis Small added, in a variation of the famous concept by Pope Paul VI, “the new name for justice is development.”

Christoph Mohs of the Schiller Institute gave a report on two rallies for peace in Germany today, in Berlin and Stuttgart, with about 30,000 people. This included the distribution of many leftists, but also attendance by many “regular people,” many youth, and many Jews. Prof Jeffrey Sachs addressed both rallies by video, noting that it was the Western nations, not Russia, who cancelled the nuclear treaties, and that the Europeans refuse to even talk to Russia today.

Zepp-LaRouche closed the meeting with a call for distributing both Father Harry Bury’s statement to churches around the world and the presentation from Steve Starr on the horror of nuclear war.

International Peace Coalition, No. 119

The 119th consecutive weekly meeting of the International Peace Coalition (IPC) began with remarks by Helga Zepp-LaRouche, Schiller Institute Founder and initiator of the International Peace Coalition. She said that “the world is completely out of order,” cataloguing the latest eruptions: the uproar about Russian drones over Poland, the Israeli attack on Qatar, the assassination of Charlie Kirk, and others. She warned that the Kirk assassination can be seen as a warning to U.S. President Donald Trump, and the bombing of Qatar is another manifestation of the law of the jungle, which could be the final nail in the coffin of peace negotiations. The only “plus point” is that for the first time, all five members of the UN Security Council denounced the Qatar attack, with no U.S. veto.

She added that the common denominator in the violent acts around the world is that they all represent a reaction to the emerging new world economic order. A new development of the highest importance for the emerging order is China President Xi Jinping’s Global Governance Initiative, which echoes her Ten Principles of a New International Security and Development Architecture.

Donald Ramotar, former President of Guyana, focused on the tensions in the Caribbean region. He rejected Venezuela’s claim to two-thirds of the territory of Guyana, but also reminded the participants of U.S. attacks on Guyanese sovereignty in 1962, much as the United States is trying to bring about regime-change in Venezuela today. In the Caribbean, fear of U.S. sanctions is a major factor, after what has been done to Cuba and Venezuela. U.S. sanctions against a Brazilian judge are unprecedented interference in the internal affairs of a South American nation.

Regarding Trump’s justification of his assault on Venezuela, claiming that its government is a drug cartel, Ramotar reminded the participants that Pino Arlacchi, who served as the Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), has characterized Venezuela’s anti-drug cooperation as one of the best. The issue is not drugs, Ramotar said, it is oil. Since President Nixon declared the War on Drugs in the 1970s, the drug scourge has gotten much worse. The use of the military to combat it has failed.

Looking at the global outbreak of violence referenced by Zepp-LaRouche, Ramotar asserted, “It is a clear sign of desperation and a new aggressiveness on the part of the NATO countries…. Gaza is being used in order to destroy international laws and international institutions.” He called the Ukraine war “a failed attempt to destabilize Russia.”

Shakeel Ramay, Political Economist and CEO of the Asian Institute of Eco-Civilization Research and Development, discussed the 2025 Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, saying that it should be a step toward a multipolar world, not a multibloc world. SCO has facilitated the resolution of conflicts, unlike NATO and similar “bloc” organizations. The SCO Development Bank will be created, complementing the efforts of other Global South organizations. Xi’s Global Governance Initiative is intended to combat the residual Cold War mentality. China respects diversity in its own society, and follows a people-centered policy; this approach can be applied globally.

Prof. Fernando Garzon, architect, urban planner, and leader of the Ecuadorian-Palestinian Union, referenced Ramotar’s warnings about regional tensions, noting that there are 25-30 U.S. and European military bases in the Caribbean, which represent a threat.

Turning to the issue of Palestine, he said that all members of the UN should recognize the Palestinian state and make it a full member. He called for the transfer of UN meetings to Geneva to include Palestinian representatives, and said we should hold corporations accountable for their participation in crimes in Gaza. Francesca Albanese has carried out an important study on this. We should consider sending armed forces into Gaza, and implementing UN Resolution 377, Uniting for Peace.

Jacques Cheminade, head of the Solidarité et Progrès party of France, dissected the confused and impotent foreign policy of his nation. Macron’s goal of sending troops to Ukraine provides targets for Russian missiles, and is rejected by the French population. “France has neither the money nor the weapons for what they pretend to do.”

An EIR video interview with Jonathan Kuttab, co-founder of Nonviolence International and executive director of Friends of Sabeel North America, was presented. He began by saying, “On the Palestinian side there is a strong feeling of helplessness, but not hopelessness.” Israelis know that their conduct is unacceptable to the world, but their attitude is “So what? We can do whatever we want.” Israel has a new sense of impunity. In response to a question on the role of the British in the Middle East, he said, “The British are behind every evil thing that happens in the world…. Many people think that they are also manipulating the United States itself.”

“We really need international law,” said Kuttab, including the Israelis. The Israelis are very shortsighted if they think they can ignore international norms. What would it take for nations to support UN Resolution 377? It will take pressure from ordinary people on their governments.

Zepp-LaRouche responded by saying that if the Palestinian delegates to the UN do not receive visas, we should mobilize the IPC to move the General Assembly meeting to Geneva. AOC is cancelling her appearance in North Carolina due to security concerns after the Kirk assassination. “The role of the British subversion of the American republic needs to be addressed,” she said, because it is the root cause of the destructive campaign for a “unipolar world.” She urged everyone to sign the new statement from the Schiller Institute.

Ramotar asserted that the BRICS is offering a viable alternative to the collapsing colonial system, and the ongoing aggression and sabotage is intended to wreck international law, replacing it with the “survival of the fittest” where the colonial forces hope to come out on top.

Discussion Period

In response to a question, IPC co-moderator Dennis Speed asked Zepp-LaRouche to elaborate on the 10th principle of her proposal for a New International Security and Development Architecture, that humans are essentially good. She responded by saying that when you are confronted with a great evil, we need to have love, and that is most difficult. If you don’t have that love, you cannot find a solution. Rage short-circuits your reason. Man has an infinite capacity for self-perfection, not only of the mind, but for the improvement of one’s character.

Cheminade suggested that Resolution 377 is often misunderstood as a way to trigger military intervention. Its effectiveness is to present a consensus of the world community and to isolate Israel, leading to boycotts and a halt to weapons sales, and to touch the consciences of Israelis.

A participant questioned whether the recognition of a Palestinian state would deter Israel, which has attacked numerous sovereign states. Speed emphasized the importance of intervening with their representatives at the upcoming UN General Assembly session and vowed that the Schiller Institute and The LaRouche Organization would have a regular presence there. Ramotar insisted that Israel will not stop because they see the opportunity to realize the dream of a Greater Israel, with the acquiescence of the U.S. He castigated the Arab countries for their passivity, saying that “we have to shame them.”

In her concluding remarks, Zepp-LaRouche urged everyone to pressure their governments in the context of the upcoming UNGA meeting. The SCO conference showed a new confidence in the nations of the Global South, and we have to convince the citizens of the Global North/Global West to give up their arrogance and cooperate with the Global Majority.

eir