SCHILLER INSTITUTE CONFERENCE

Call for ‘New Bretton Woods’ Initiative for Economic Security, Peace for All Nations

by Marcia Merry Baker

[Print version of this article]

June 19—The Schiller Institute international conference June 18–19, titled, “There Can Be No Peace without the Bankruptcy Reorganization of the Dying Trans-Atlantic Financial System,” was an extraordinary process of dialogue, on the focus of initiating the actions to mobilize world-citizen leadership to bring about a new economic and security architecture as early as possible, given the present accelerating breakdown spiral, and world war danger.

Participating in the conference were 31 speakers, from 12 countries, including Russia, China, Brazil, and Afghanistan. The presentations were grouped into four panels, including opening with videotaped classical music offerings, moderated by Schiller Institute activists from the United States and Germany.

Conference convener Helga Zepp-LaRouche, founder of the Schiller Institute, stressed the point that the views expressed by the speakers are critical to circulate widely because they are “a counterpole to the synchronized media” which present narratives at a complete “discrepancy” with reality.

The live viewership of the conference numbered in the thousands at different points over the two days, and the advance registration of 1,200 represented dozens of nations. Simultaneous interpretation was provided in English, Spanish, French, and German. Short video clips from the conference are in preparation for the most rapid circulation of its key ideas. The conference is already archived, by panel; and will soon be available by speaker.

A special feature throughout the conference, were the selected historical video clips opening each panel, by statesman-economist Lyndon H. LaRouche, Jr., whose birth centennial is celebrated this year.

The conference came about, as part of an ongoing mobilization process, including an international petition, issued by the Schiller Institute in February, 2022—“Convoke an International Conference To Establish a New Security and Development Architecture for All Nations,” which as of mid-June has nearly 5,000 signatures, from dozens of nations. On April 9, a prior Schiller Institute international conference, with attendance representing 65 nations, laid the groundwork for this month’s two-day event.

Zepp-LaRouche raised the point, during the first day’s discussion periods, that in the weeks since April, the Western governing elites are taking no action in the right direction at all. She posed the question point-blank to many fellow speakers and the audience, during the discussion periods the first day: what should be our next step? She raised as a specific proposal for consideration, a new international petition calling for a “New Bretton Woods” financial framework, for a just credit system serving the development interests of all nations, in the tradition of the original intention of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

The Schiller Institute has initiated attention to a New Bretton Woods through petitions in the past, in 1997, 2000, and 2006, attracting thousands of backers, including lawmakers. Aspects of a New Bretton Woods were discussed, including the need for fixed exchange rates, to accommodate stable trade relations and to implement large-scale, mutual-benefit infrastructure projects, to advance the world productive platform.

The critical role of the Schiller Institute, for coalescing the ideas and forces for an emergency shift in policy is underscored by the menacing events on the eve of the conference itself. Ministers of NATO’s 30 member nations met June 15–16, to confirm their Global NATO agenda for the upcoming June 29 NATO Heads of State and Government Summit in Madrid, Spain, identifying China as a threat, and deploying still more and more military matériel and forces into Ukraine and Eastern European NATO member countries. At the same time, trans-Atlantic officials are backing energy-austerity and similar measures killing their own economies, and furthering famine and disease around the globe.

In contrast, pro-development international activities are continuing, by the Belt and Road Initiative, and collaborative allied nations and groupings, including the Eurasian Economic Union. The June 14–17 St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in Russia drew 14,000, from 130 nations, resulting in multiple economic agreements adding up to $100 billion.

Zepp-LaRouche stressed at the conclusion of the conference that “we are heading for a perfect storm [of crises right now]. This is the moment we can inject new ideas” that can change course of history. To that end, the Schiller Institute will re-issue an international call for a New Bretton Woods, she said, asking for contingents of activists in all countries to put this forward. “This is not a moment to sit on the fence!”

Dialogue sessions at the end of each panel’s presentations provided participating speakers the opportunity to further exchange ideas and answer a number of questions submitted by conference attendees.

Panel I
A Decoupling of the Two Systems,
or a New Paradigm for Humanity?

Opening the conference and the first panel was an historic videotape of bass-baritone William Warfield, performing Robert Schumann’s “Die beiden Grenadiere” (“The Two Grenadiers”), a setting of Heinrich Heine’s poem.

Leading speakers from Russia, China, India, Germany, and the United States then presented a powerful picture of the global crisis facing mankind today, described by Zepp-LaRouche as the worst crisis in the history of civilization. They conveyed the urgency for a new paradigm to be negotiated and implemented through the cooperation of all the relevant nations, including the U.S., Russia, China, and India.

Zepp-LaRouche, in her keynote, “Let’s Win Mission Impossible or Find Another Planet!” posed the image of a high-speed train approaching a cliff at top speed, with an engineer at the controls who has gone mad, and will do nothing to stop the train. She called on people, in effect, to “pull the emergency brake.” She described how the massive sanctions on Russia and the West’s ongoing “decoupling” from China are proving to be self-destructive, intersecting the already collapsing Western financial/economic system, and threatening 1.7 billion people with starvation. Lyndon LaRouche warned in 1971 that President Richard Nixon’s destruction of the FDR’s Bretton Woods System would lead to precisely this breakdown crisis, and the threat of global war we now see today.

Speakers from Russia and China added to the picture. Andrey Kortunov, Director General of the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) spoke on the “Indivisible Security of All Nations.” The current severe economic and military actions against Russia are not a reaction to the deployment in Ukraine, but have been building for years. Most recently, look at AUKUS, the Quad, the Biden Summit of Democracies, and many other things. However, what has been presented by imperial geopolitical forces as an historic difference between East and West, North and South, are fast losing their relative importance. A new coalition of forces with Russia and China are uniting nations from all parts of the world.

Wang Wen, the Executive Dean of the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, and Deputy Dean of the Silk Road School at Renmin University in China, spoke on “Why China’s Rise Is Beneficial to the World.” He reviewed the miraculous rise of China over the past 40 years. Today China accounts for 30% of annual world economic growth. China accounts for more than 60% of Africa’s infrastructure construction. China sees its strength as a benefit for world development, and peace.

Col. Richard H. Black (ret.), a Marine combat veteran, former head of the Army Criminal Law Division at the Pentagon, and a Virginia state senator, spoke sternly on the topic, “Ukraine Has Lost the War: But Thermonuclear War Still Threatens.” Black reviewed the situation in Ukraine, pointing out the reality that, “The war is not over, but Ukraine has lost.” He called for a resolution, perhaps using the Austrian “neutrality” model, and denounced as madness, those Western voices raising the prospect of using nuclear weapons.

Three more speakers completed the panel. Sam Pitroda, a former cabinet minister or advisor to seven Indian prime ministers, spoke from Chicago, on “India and the Emerging New World Architecture.” He called for a thorough-going re-design of the world’s economy and society.

Dr. Wolfgang Bittner, a Doctor of Law and prolific author, spoke on “The West-East Conflict—An Orchestration.” He blew apart myths of “Western values” being defended in Ukraine, where neo-Nazis are openly part of the military. Europe is subservient to U.S. policy. Look at Germany, where there are 11 U.S. military bases.

Dr. Cliff Kiracofe, a former Senior Staff Member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, and President of the Washington Institute for Peace and Development, decried the U.S. leading the West back to a Cold War “crusade” against the reality of a world of multipolarity and the rise of China. His topic was, “Diplomacy and Cooperation in a Time of Crisis.”

Panel II
Runaway Inflation or Glass-Steagall?

Opening the second panel was a musical offering by the Schiller Institute NYC Chorus, directed by Diane Sare, of the Spiritual “Hold On.” The exciting second panel had presentations from 15 speakers—nine as part of a Food Producers’ Roundtable, who know what it takes to solve the current economic breakdown crisis such as have been mobilizing for solutions. Harley Schlanger of the Schiller Institute moderated.

Fittingly, the panel started with a video excerpt from Lyndon LaRouche, speaking on Sept. 4, 1994, about how to generate credit, even during a breakdown crisis such as we have today. He stressed there must be “trillions of dollars in projects” of new infrastructure, meaning “trillions of dollars of work.”

Diane Sare, LaRouche Party candidate for U.S. Senate from New York, spoke on “The Collapse of the West and the Urgent Need to Join the Belt and Road Initiative.” She gave an illustrated presentation, showing four great infrastructure corridor projects that had been achieved through American System credit practices: 1) the Erie Canal; 2) the Transcontinental Railroad; 3) the Tennessee Valley Authority; and 4) the Apollo Project.

Geoff Young, the Democratic Party’s nominee for U.S. Congress in Kentucky’s 6th CD, is a long-time supporter of the Glass-Steagall Act and other core measures. He spoke of his winning his party primary recently, using the slogan, “Unlike my opponent, Republican Rep. Andy Barr in November, I will never vote to send billions of dollars to Nazis.”

Three speakers—from Japan, Germany, and Greece—provided an important international perspective. Daisuke Kotegawa, Japan’s former Finance Ministry reorganizer of bankrupt banks, and IMF Executive Director for Japan, gave a punchy talk on, “Don’t Let This World Be Destroyed by Filthy Gamblers Who Call Themselves Wall Street and City of London Bankers.” He said that unlike in past swindles by the City of London in 1985 and since, this time we should use the principles of bankruptcy reorganization effectively to deal with them.

Dr. Uwe Behrens, a logistics expert and author from Germany, spoke on the subject, “The Non-Rival Doctrine.” He reviewed how the so-called “unipolar world” of London and Washington is being challenged by China and the BRI.

Amb. Leonidas Chrysanthopoulos, former Greek Ambassador to Poland, Canada, and Armenia, and former Secretary General of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization spoke on “The Crisis in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Belt and Road Initiative.”

The other panelists focused on agriculture and the world food crisis. Italian economist Nino Galloni, former Director General of the Italian Labor Ministry zeroed in on policies for Africa, in his presentation, “Make Africa Self-Sufficient Again,” discussing large-scale infrastructure projects such as the Transaqua and desalination. He reviewed how Western cartels had undermined agriculture in Africa by making the continent grain-import dependent, and preventing development, including even preferred regional cereal grains.

The kick-off speaker in the Food Producers’ Roundtable of farm and fishing leaders, was outspoken about the same point. Mike Callicrate, from Colorado and Kansas, the founder and president of Ranch Foods Direct, who raises and processes cattle, denounced the “biggest lie” that, “America will feed the world. America can’t even feed itself!” Callicrate called for busting up the food cartels and ending the financialization of food. He presented a model of region-serving production and processing. The other speakers called for restoring Glass-Steagall, and breaking up the food conglomerates, as well as the biggest banks and other commodity cartels, or face mass hunger. They denounced the hopelessness of the green outlook that people and food production endanger the planet. They stressed family scale fishing and farming, for “generational knowledge” and commitment.

The Roundtable was titled, “Science and Culture to End Famine—Principles of Agriculture Productivity.” Bob Baker, Agriculture Liaison of the Schiller Institute, introduced the speakers. From Iowa, was the Kehrli family, three generations of livestock and crop producers, Wilbur, Ken and Kyle. Also from Iowa, Jon Baker, a cattleman and farm community banker. From California, Frank Endres, a wheat grower and cattleman in the Sacramento Valley and longtime National Farmers Organization leader. Speaking also was James Benham, President of the Indiana Farmers Union, and National Board Member of the National Farmers Union. James Moore, a past President of the Alaska Trollers Association spoke from Sitka.

Panel III
Principles of Science for
Durable Economic Progress

The five speakers on this panel presented many aspects of science from the perspective of economic progress and the necessity for creative breakthroughs to advance both science and the economy. Moderator Stephan Ossenkopp, speaking from Berlin, began with an update on the latest insanity on energy policy in Europe, where German and other officials are extolling rationing of fuel and electricity.

The opening presentation was on “Vernadsky, LaRouche, and the Arrow of Economic Time,” by Jason Ross, the Secretary-Treasurer of The LaRouche Organization, and former Science Adviser to Lyndon LaRouche. Speaking of the “arrow of time” to mean that time and development are directional, he explained that principle as expounded by Vladimir Vernadsky (1863–1945), who developed the division of three main domains of processes on Earth: the non-living, the living, and the “noösphere.” Ross further discussed the coherence between living processes and a human economy as defined by Lyndon LaRouche.

Three scientists—from Italy, Russia, and the United States—presented aspects of their specialties. Francesco Battaglia, Professor of Physical Chemistry at the University of Modena, spoke on the “Fraud of Climate/Energy Transition.” With illustrations, he blasted the fraud of the CO₂ climate change narrative, and the terrible damage to society caused by degrading energy provision to the economy.

Dr. Ed Calabrese, Professor of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts at Amherst and co-editor of Hormesis: A Revolution in Biology, Toxicology and Medicine, also debunked another fraud, which is that all radiation is harmful. He spoke on the topic, “Real Science Disproves the Linear Non-Threshold (LNT) Radiation Myth.” He reported, for example, the benefits of bone healing from targeted doses of radiation.

From Russia, Professor Sergei Pulinets spoke on, “A Vernadskian Approach to Earthquake Forecasting.” He is the Principal Scientific Researcher of the Space Research Institute, of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow. The subtitle of his talk was, “We Should Unite and Survive!” Crediting Vernadsky as laying the groundwork for his work today, Pulinets presented, with many illustrations, his work, giving the audience a sense of the three-dimensional dynamics of the Earth’s atmosphere. He called for extended international cooperation, in scientific work based on a holistic approach to climate, weather and seismic activity.

William C. Jones, formerly EIR White House correspondent, rounded out the picture of Vernadsky’s life, including political history, scientific advances, and his great cultural contributions. His topic was “V.I. Vernadsky, Scientific Thought as a Geological Force.”

Panel IV
Classical Culture and the
Dialogue of Civilizations

The stage was set for this panel’s discussion by two musical examples of classical beauty—a performance of the “Kyrie” from Wolfgang Mozart’s Requiem, by the Schiller Institute NYC Chorus from 2014; and a 1990s performance by the late operatic tenor George Shirley of the spiritual “Little Boy,” arranged by Roland Hayes, accompanied by Sylvia Olden Lee. Shirley described the “classical principle” in the Spiritual, and in Mozart and Schubert as “universal.” This music was introduced by Dennis Speed, of the Schiller Institute, who moderated this and the first panel of the conference.

Four speakers, each from a different country, then followed on differing aspects of culture, but all sharing the imperative that people must activate on behalf of humanity in today’s crisis. The fifth speaker gave an update on various anti-culture, dehumanizing campaigns that must be defeated.

Jacques Cheminade, from France, gave the keynote, on the topic “A Culture of Curiosity and Perseverance to Explore the Impossible.” He is the President of Solidarité et Progrès. Beginning with reference to the U.S. and how NASA is a “treasury of optimism” still in that nation, Cheminade said that putting the dying, but still kicking financial system into bankruptcy reorganization requires both “curiosity and perseverance”—the names U.S. children gave to space rovers in a NASA contest. Cheminade stressed that time is short, but we must find it in ourselves to meet the challenge.

Felipe Maruf Quintas, from Brazil, spoke on “The Role of Brazil in the Dialogue of Civilizations and in the World’s Physical Economy.” He is Professor of Political Science, Fluminense Federal University, Rio de Janeiro, and a columnist for Monitor Mercantil. Quintas reviewed both the resource riches and mission of Brazil for “breaking the South Atlantic from Anglo-Saxon imperialism” and the beneficial relations already in motion through the BRICS and relations with Asia and Africa.

Dr. Zaher Wahab, Emeritus Professor of Education, former advisor to the Afghan Ministry of Higher Education, and teacher at the American University of Afghanistan 2013–2020, spoke on the topic, “Dialogue, Not Clash, of Civilizations.” Dr. Wahab, whose homeland is Afghanistan, who now resides in Oregon, denounced Samuel Huntington’s “clash of civilizations” thesis and called for an end to the Western policy of arrogant domination and mis-use of power.

A view of what U.S.-China relations ought to be was presented by Dr. George Koo, a retired business consultant in bilateral trade of these nations, and Chairman of the Burlingame Foundation. His topic was, “U.S.-China Cultural Relations Are Critical to Prevent War.” He particularly warned that Washington is encouraging Taipei toward what are red lines for Beijing. This is a course for disaster, he said.

A dramatic description of the enemy of culture and civilization was given by Mike Robinson from Britain. He is the Editor of The UK Column, and spoke on the topic, “The Dehumanizing Meta-Sphere.” Showing headlines of articles such as, “Is Nanotech Making Humans Unnecessary,” Robinson covered the spectrum of such threats as “transhumanism”—promotion of a brain-computer hook-up, to notions in the metaverse of the equivalence of a computer avatar and a real human.

The final conference Dialogue session, which included Helga Zepp-LaRouche and Diane Sare, came to the consensus that despite the dark menace just described, the old paradigm of suffering and geopolitics is in the process of being replaced by one concerned with mutual development and problem-solving among equal nations.