Grasping the Present Opportunity
[Print version of this article]
Dec. 4—In the 26 days since the U.S. Presidential election, the American people have been subjected to a roller-coaster array of conflicting emotions: hope, fear, uncertainty, triumphalism, despair—and just plain ordinary confusion. The shocking election results have left millions wondering exactly what to expect from the new administration.
Some individuals point, with hope, to President-Elect Trump’s discussion of building infrastructure, re-enacting Glass-Steagall, and repairing relations with Russia. Others single out some of the recently announced Cabinet appointments, as well as both Mr. Trump’s ties to Wall Street and his alleged bellicose stance on trade with China, as causes for deep concern. There is a great deal of speculation, both positive and negative, as to what to expect. But that is all that it is—speculation, the type that is fodder for internet blogs and gossip columnists. No one knows, as of this moment, exactly what the new President will do on Day 1 of his administration.
 en.kremlin.ru
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin are offering the incoming Trump Presidency a new basis for relations.
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What the majority of observers fail to grasp, amidst all the confusion and misrepresentations, is the reality that, as of Nov. 8, new and profound potentials have emerged as a strategic reality, potentials which may change the destiny of all mankind. Following the 1863 military victories of Vicksburg and Gettysburg, the entire nature of the American Civil War changed. The war was not won—and the ensuing months were fraught with dangers and struggle—but the conditions of the strategic battlefield were radically altered. That is where we find ourselves now.
The election results in the United States, and the impending regime change in Washington D.C., come at a moment when the world is being transformed by the actions of Russia and China. Since the Russian victory in 2009 in the Second Chechen War, and the 2012 ascension to power of Xi Jinping in China, Russia and China have together taken actions—through the BRICS, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the Eurasian Economic Union, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization—as well as through many other institutions and initiatives—which have fundamentally changed the world. The old British Empire methods of colonialism and geopolitics are being replaced by a paradigm of friendship, cooperation and economic development.
Future progress, future development, future opportunities, future discoveries are now the governing philosophy within this new paradigm. This represents a radical altering of human relations on the planet, and the promise of even greater changes to come. It is within the context of these global shifts that the significance of what has occurred within the United States, as a result of the political revolution which took place on November 8, is to be located.
I. A U.S./Russian Rapprochement
On Nov. 30, 2016, Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered a speech to the Primakov Readings International Forum in Moscow. This was followed the very next day, Dec. 1, by his Annual Presidential Address to the Federal Assembly, also in Moscow. The two speeches had different purposes, the first being given in honor of the recently deceased Yevgeny Primakov, the former Russian Prime Minister, and the December 1 “State of the Union” address primarily devoted to an official review of the Russian economy, social issues, and domestic policy.
In both of these speeches, President Putin offered an olive branch to the new Trump Administration, while at the same time making it clear that any improvement in relations will hinge on a clean break with the anti-Russian policies of George W. Bush and especially Barack Obama. On Dec. 1, Putin stated,
Russia is ready to work with the new U.S. Administration. It is important to put bilateral relations back on track and to develop them on an equal and mutually beneficial basis . . . Cooperation between Russia and the United States in addressing global and regional issues will benefit the whole world. We have a shared responsibility to ensure international security and stability . . .
I certainly count on joining efforts with the United States in the fight against real rather than fictional threats, international terrorism being one of them . . . We do not want confrontation with anyone. We have no need for it . . . We do not seek and never have sought enemies. We need friends. But we will not allow our interests to be infringed upon or ignored.
In his remarks at the Primakov Forum, Putin pointed to Primakov’s belief that “without a serious partnership between Russia and the United States,” it would be difficult to address the world’s “big challenges.” With a new President soon to occupy the White House, Putin said, “We hope that this will create an opportunity to improve these relations, which are so important not only for our two peoples, but also for ensuring international stability and security,” and he noted that in his recent phone conversations with President-elect Trump, the two agreed that “something must certainly be done about the current unsatisfactory state of bilateral relations.”
Putin also pointed to Primakov’s warnings against a policy of “regime-change,” and even prior to the “Arab Spring,” he said, Primakov had warned “about the disaster that would ensue” if secular Middle Eastern regimes were toppled. Here, again, the stated intentions of President-Elect Trump cohere with Russia’s concerns and portend a dramatic shift in U.S. policy.
Vladimir Putin: ‘Our schools must promote creativity’
The general tenor of the bulk of President Putin’s speech to the Federal Assembly could be described as “somber but optimistic,” and determined to make further progress.
At the same time however, Putin identified the cultural and psychological upward shift which has become manifest within the Russian population, as it has fought against great odds and through great obstacles, to rebuild from the disaster of the late Soviet era and the post-Soviet catastrophes of the 1990s:
Our people have united around patriotic values. We see this unity and we should thank them for it. They have united around these values not because everyone is happy and they have no demands; on the contrary, there is no shortage of problems and difficulties. But people have an understanding of their causes and, most importantly, are confident that together we can overcome these problems. It is this readiness to work for our country’s sake and this sincere and deep-seated concern for Russia that form the foundation of this unity we see . . . Let’s remember that we are a single people, a united people, and we have only one Russia.
Colleagues, the basis of our entire policy is to take care of people and increase human capital as Russia’s most important resource. Therefore, our efforts are aimed at supporting the traditional values and the family, at [implementing] demographic programs, improving the environment and people’s health, and promoting education and culture.
And, continuing into the area of youth and Russia’s future, he said,
Our schools must promote creativity. The children must learn to think independently, work both on their own and as part of a team, address unusual tasks and formulate and achieve goals, which will help them have an interesting and prosperous life . . . We must promote the culture of research and engineering work. The number of cutting-edge science parks for children will increase to 40 within two years. They will serve as the basis for the development of a network of technical project groups across the country. Companies, universities, and research institutes should contribute to this, so that our children will see clearly that all of them have equal opportunities and an equal start in life, that Russia needs their ideas and knowledge and that they can prove their mettle in Russian companies and laboratories . . .
There are several things I would like to stress. Our education system must be based on the principle that all children and teenagers are gifted and can succeed in science, in creative areas and sport, in careers, and in life. Our task is to help them develop their talents. When they are successful, Russia is successful too. Colleagues, I view the young generation as Russia’s reliable foundation in a turbulent and complicated 21st century. I believe that they are able not just to rise to challenges, but also to make their contribution to the development of the intellectual, technological and cultural agenda of global development.
As will become clear in the excerpts which will be given later in this article from Donald Trump’s speech in Cincinnati, Ohio, there is a common theme—a human theme—that is interwoven throughout both that speech as well as the above cited remarks from Vladimir Putin. To wit: the improvement of life for the common citizen; peace and cooperation among nations; the fostering of industry, science, and education; and a commitment to the development of the potentials of youth for the creation of a better future.
There is much that can be built upon there.
II. China: an ‘Inalienable Right to Development’
Within this issue of EIR there are to be found two articles by William Jones. The first deals with a major White Paper released by the Chinese government, titled, “The Right to Development: China’s Philosophy, Practice, and Contribution”; the second reports on EIR’s participation in a Nov. 30, Washington, D.C. event on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), sponsored by the China Energy Fund Committee and the Asia Society.
Readers of this article must study those two pieces by William Jones, for once again, they define, together with the offerings of friendship and cooperation by Vladimir Putin, a decisive opportunity for the incoming Trump Administration to shatter and expunge all of the geopolitical nightmares of the Bush/Obama years.
Simply put, the Chinese White Paper states,
The right to development must be enjoyed and shared by all peoples. Realizing the right to development is the responsibility of all countries and also the obligation of the international community. It requires governments of all countries to formulate development strategies and policies suited to their own realities, and it requires concerted efforts of the international community as a whole.
The Nov. 30 event, attended by EIR, could be characterized as the opening salvo of the New Paradigm knocking on the door of Washington, D.C. As reported by Jones, most of the American participants had great difficulty in breaking with the mentality of geopolitics and imperial confrontation, but one after aother of the Chinese speakers laid out the great projects being built, and the great opportunities for both the United States and the rest of the world. Dr. Patrick Ho, the Secretary General of the China Energy Fund Committee, concluded the event with the admonition, “It’s not possible for one section of the world to alone have a sense of prosperity. The Belt and Road is not a sphere of influence, but an accommodating of different interests, a vision that keeps on unfolding.”
Thus, as in the case of Vladimir Putin, China is offering the incoming Trump Presidency a new basis for relations and a new path for the human race.
III. Donald Trump in Cincinnati
What is presented here are verbatim excerpts from the speech which President-Elect Trump delivered in Cincinnati, Ohio on Dec. 1. There were other things also said in that speech which EIR and Lyndon LaRouche might not agree with, and there were certain aspects which may prove problematic in the months to come. But, within the context of what was presented above concerning the initiatives being taken by China and Russia, these remarks are a breath of fresh air for America and the trans-Atlantic world. Ask yourself this question: When was the last time you heard an American leader speak like this? Even remotely?
 C-SPAN
President-elect Trump, speaking in Cincinnati, Ohio on December 1.
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Trump said:
One of the reasons we are so divided today is because the government has failed to protect the interests of the American workers and their families, making it too easy to see ourselves as distinct groups and not unified as a whole . . . Washington’s politicians have spent so long appealing to competing interests, they’ve forgotten how to appeal to the national interest, combining the skills and talents of our people in a common cause. . . But that is all about to change. Our goal is to strengthen the bonds of trust between citizens, to restore our sense of membership in a shared national community. We are going to seek a truly inclusive society where we support each other, love each other, and look out for each other.
We’re going to bring back the American Dream. The problems that plague American cities or that afflict poor rural communities—and we do have rural communities; some of them are poor—we’re going to help these people; we’re going to rebuild these communities. They’re not permanent features of American life. They can be fixed, and, together, we are going to fix them.
People are constantly telling me and telling you to reduce our expectations. Those people are fools. They are fools . . . Anything we want for our country is now possible. Anything. Now is not the time to downsize our dreams, but to set our sights higher than ever before for our country. Now is the time to push for real profound change that restores the full promise of America for all its people, and those people are great people . . . Now is the time to unlock the potential of millions of Americans left on the sidelines, their talents unused, their dreams unrealized and their aspirations totally forgotten. These are people of great talent. This is the moment. This is our chance. This is our window for action. This is the hour when the great deeds can be done, and our highest hopes come true. We’re going to do it, folks; we’re going to do it.
We will build new roads, tunnels, bridges, railways, airports, schools, and hospitals, including major projects in the inner-cities. There’s such potential in the inner-cities, we’re not using our potential . . . We will deepen our harbors, we have harbors that ships can’t even get into . . . We’re going to fight for every last American job. It’s time to remove the rust from the rust belt and usher in a new industrial revolution. We’re going to do it.
We will pursue a new foreign policy, one which finally learns from the mistakes of the past. We will stop trying to topple regimes and overthrowing governments . . . Our goal is stability, not chaos . . . We’ve spent $6 trillion in the Middle East, and the Middle East today is far worse than it’s ever been. You will see changes very quickly.
We are a nation that won two world wars, dug out the Panama Canal, put a man on the Moon and satellites all over outer space, but somewhere along the way we started thinking small. I’m asking you to dream big again, and bold and daring things for your country will happen once again. I’m asking you to join me in this next chapter of this unbelievable and unprecedented movement, as we work toward prosperity at home, peace abroad, and new frontiers in science, technology, and space. I’m asking you to believe in America again. We have many challenges, but this is truly an exciting time to be alive . . .. The script is not yet written. We do not know what the next page will read, but what we do know is that the pages will be authored by each one of you. Each one of you. Americans will be the captains of their own destiny once again. I talked about our great movement, but you are the movement; I’m just the messenger.
IV. Our approach
There are many danger signs ahead, both from within the United States, but more ominously, emanating from the extended power structures of the British financial empire, as well as the current pre-war deployment of NATO. They have suffered a defeat, but they are not defeated.
Adding to the difficulties is the unpleasant reality that the intellectual competence of American leaders has declined precipitously since the death of Franklin Roosevelt in 1945. Today, with this great opportunity before us, will those leaders—or the American people—look a gift horse in the mouth? Will they fail to act on what is being offered? Will they understand what is at stake? For too many, in Congress and elsewhere, the answers to those questions are Yes, Yes, and No.
Our approach is simple. We must act—and demand that others, of whatever political stripe or background, also act—on the principles embodied in Lyndon LaRouche’s “Four Laws to Save the U.S.A.” Those principles are not only coherent with the intentions declaimed by Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping; they go to an even higher level in defining the human mission.
As stated, the Trump victory of Nov. 8 has transformed the battlefield. We must think and act accordingly.
Our goal is to bring the United States into the New Global Paradigm. That is the Prize. Don’t take your eyes off it. Do not be distracted by secondary issues. Disagreements on non-essential “programmatic” points or setbacks on issues of lesser importance must be ignored. Bring the United States into a full partnership with the nations of China and Russia. That will win everything.
