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.
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