This article appears in the November 4, 2022 issue of Executive Intelligence Review.
Legislators, Citizens of the World Unite for World Peace, New Development Order
[Print version of this article]
Oct. 29—Even as it was taking place on Oct. 27, the Second Seminar of Current and Former Legislators from around the world, “For World Peace, Stop the Danger of Nuclear War,” began receiving messages from new leaders, supporting the call for a global movement of citizens acting together to secure a new peace and development order in the world. With 16 participants, representing nine nations, and interpreted into English, Spanish, French and German, this was truly an international event that delivered the powerful message that an alliance of patriots from different nations to fight for the One Humanity is not only possible, but is underway.
Transmitted from a meeting room in the Mexican Congress, and with other participants joining by Zoom, the seminar was co-hosted by Schiller Institute founder Helga Zepp-LaRouche and former Mexican Congresswoman María de los Ángeles Huerta, together with Mexican Congressman Benjamín Robles Montoya, who is the first sitting Congressman to sign the call for stopping nuclear war upon which the conference was organized.
The decision to hold this second conference had been taken only three weeks earlier, by the participants in the Schiller Institute’s Oct. 7 seminar of current and former legislators of Latin America and the Caribbean on the same topic. The participants in that seminar decided, that given the threat of imminent world war, their activity could not stop with one seminar, but more such dialogues must follow, involving more people, from more countries. They urged, in particular, that Europeans step forward and join them.
This week’s second seminar, with double the number of participants, included prominent participation from Europe, specifically France, Germany, Italy, and Serbia. Presentations were also heard from representatives of the United States, Mexico, Colombia, Guyana, and Trinidad & Tobago. Discussion was intensely focused on what must be done to save humanity. Different initiatives were proposed for engaging legislators, political and peace organizations, other elected officials, and media in a mobilization not only to prevent nuclear war, but to demand a new global security and development architecture to ensure a peaceful future. The decision was taken to organize another such seminar on November 22, involving more nations and more social layers, in which specific proposals to solve the crisis would be made.
Congressman Robles’s address to the conference captured the spirit of the discussion when he called for “the formation of a group of legislators who represent everyone on all continents, if possible of all nationalities, to enter into dialogue directly with the governments of every country interested in world peace… as well as a New Economic Order that incorporates the new principles in favor of humanity,” a proposal which was endorsed by others. (His full speech is in this issue of EIR.)
Adding to its reach, the seminar was livestreamed on RT Deutschland, with over 30,000 views registered at one point.
It is clear, as the moderator, Dennis Small of the Schiller Institute, said at the end, that “this train is moving, and people are lining up to get on board.”
Setting the Agenda
In opening the seminar, Small quoted the great Mexican President and patriot, Benito Juárez, who declared on July 15, 1867, upon the defeat of the Hapsburg Emperor Maximilian, that “among individuals as among nations, respect for the rights of others is peace,” a statement that has been the foundation of foreign policy for every patriotic Mexican government since that time. Today, when the world stands on the brink of nuclear war and a systemic crisis threatens to plunge the world into a New Dark Age, Small said he would take the liberty of adding two words to Juarez’s immortal statement: “Among individuals as among nations, respect for the rights of others to develop is peace.”
Helga Zepp-LaRouche, in delivering the opening keynote, said from the outset that what is so disturbing about the crisis today, is that the vast majority of people have no inkling of the imminent possibility of nuclear war. She summarized that possibility in chilling detail, and put two specific proposals on the agenda in response. (Her full speech is in this issue of EIR.)
The first was a call for a public debate, involving also broad discussion among military experts, on the question: “Is it acceptable to be part of NATO when the policy of NATO is a first strike policy?” That is not some theoretical question, she warned; “what is at stake is the existence of the human species.”
She called also on the participants to launch a mobilization, in all nations worldwide, for some group of nations, whichever that might be, to come forward and offer an alternative to the present descent into world war. An emergency session of the UN General Assembly could be called, or a group of nations could use the occasion of the upcoming G-20 meeting in Indonesia in mid-November as an opportunity to propose that alternative, she proposed.
Questioned later in the seminar whether she thought anything could come out of the G-20, given that it includes the U.S. and Europe, she insisted that people not exclude the possibility that Modi, Xi, Putin, and others could come into that meeting with an initiative along the lines needed, and they should be encouraged to do so.
This requires action by everyone, she emphasized again. When the existence of all of civilization is at stake, “by definition, every person on this planet is a world citizen, and has to think like a world citizen. We have been catapulted to be representative of the One Humanity, whose existence is at stake right now.”
It is crucial that alternatives be offered to head off the attempt by the West to decouple from the nations of the BRICS, China, Russia, and other nations that do not buy into the existing system. “You cannot split the world in two pieces and think that with all the problems we have that there can be a solution. We need a motion to put on the table for a new international security and development architecture, a new world economic order which also addresses the fact that the trans-Atlantic financial system is in a hyperinflationary blow-out.”
Latin America and the Caribbean Muster Up
Mrs. LaRouche’s presentation set the stage for an intense discussion among all participants on proposed initiatives to stop the danger of nuclear war that can be acted on immediately. Not everyone agreed on the specifics or the analysis, but there was absolute clarity on the need to act.
This was emphasized by former congresswoman María de los Ángeles Huerta of Mexico, who stressed that “we cannot continue to be mere spectators of a possible planet-wide disaster.” She, as Mrs. LaRouche and Congressman Robles had done, pointed to the unjust economic system which must be changed, as well as the war danger. “If we wish to create a truly different world in which it’s not just a handful of people who own practically all material and natural resources, which really belong to us all…. We need to do something that will guarantee our right to life and happiness.” She put five initiatives for “global collective action,” on the table for discussion. Later in the discussion, she also heartily endorsed the proposal to create a global network of “legislators for peace.” (Her full speech is in this issue of EIR.)
That “legislators for peace” network grew in the course of the seminar. As the meeting was coming to an end, Colombian Congresswoman Jennifer Pedraza Sandoval of the Dignity Party, the party to which belongs another of the speakers, former Sen. Jorge Robledo, wrote in to express her support for the proposal to create a global network of legislators and announced she was adding her name to the signers of the Declaration calling for the meeting. She stated that she would raise the intent of the conference and its initiatives in a speech on the floor of Congress the following week and invite her colleagues to join as well.
Others were equally focused. Former Guyanese President Donald Ramotar pointed out that the group is meeting when the world faces the “terrifying prospect” of nuclear war, in a crisis that could be worse than the Cuban missile crisis. He called the justification given by the British and U.S. for maintaining nuclear weapons “insane,” because nuclear weapons do not “keep the peace… What kind of peace can we have if it’s going to be a balance of terror? Mankind cannot continue in this type of atmosphere,” he exclaimed. He stressed the urgency of people acting and of mobilizing mass organizations and building for mass demonstrations. The Caribbean press does not cover anything related to reality, he pointed out, so “we need a joint effort at this point in time to raise the alarm to the dangers we face,” by reaching out to mass organizations, trade unions, peace organizations, throughout the Third World as well.
Dr. Rodolfo Ondarza, a neurosurgeon and former representative in the Mexico City Assembly, speaking from Bogotá where he was attending a medical conference, warned of the heightened danger of nuclear war and the possible deployment of bioweapons, the latter a particular concern of his as a doctor. The situation is worsened by the development of “tactical” nuclear warheads, he warned; “nuclear war is unpredictable.” Dr. Ondarza specified that it is necessary that associations of the Americas take a stand against this war danger and its consequences, “to stop these threats on the lives of human beings by joining forces for freedom and peace.” He proposed that an organization to defend the health and development of society around the world be created.
Former Senator Jorge Robledo of Colombia also focused on the danger that the war taking place on Ukraine’s territory “could … break out into a nuclear confrontation,” should a peace process not be initiated “that could extract us from this dire future.” Robledo agreed that “the ideal solution would be to trigger a world mobilization against this war from participants from many different points of view…. The goal is to make this grow into a universal clamor from people of every different point of view or ideology.”
Trinidad’s Kirk Meighoo stressed the need for concrete proposals. The United Nations does not function, he said. Endorsing Mrs. LaRouche’s call for a new security and development architecture, he proposed that such organizations as the BRICS, ASEAN, the SCO, CELAC and others come together to build an alternative UN—a “UN2”—to form the basis for a new global organization that will act in the interests of all nations. He underscored, as did Mr. Ramotar, the important role that the Caribbean has to play in the current situation.
A ‘Sonic Wave’ from Europe
Seven Europeans, representing differing forces from four countries, addressed the conference, providing dramatic proof that Europe is not marching in lockstep behind the NATO war policy, as NATO’s media would have you believe.
Retired French Gen. Dominique Delawarde, whose military career included such posts as military attaché in the French Embassy in Washington and commander of the 7th Alpine Infantry Battalion in Croatia (1995), led off this section. Delawarde argued that the real war underlying the danger facing the world, is “the world war between globalism, people who want to keep a unipolar hegemony under the authority of the United States and NATO; and on the other side, … those who want to try to keep their sovereignty, who are fighting today for a multipolar world.” He specified that when he speaks of the danger of “American hyper-power,” he is speaking of “the small mafia which runs America. Because America itself is not fundamentally bad: It is the small mafia which runs the United States which wants to preserve its advantages and its hegemony, which is bad.” That small mafia, he said, are the globalists.
But while he views Russia’s fight in Ukraine as a fight for a multipolar world, an effort which, “thank God, is understood by the majority of states on the planet, whether they be in South America, Africa or Asia,” Gen. Delawarde insisted that there is nothing immediate that can be done to oppose the globalist tyranny. His proposition, that only when the other side builds up, over a long time, its independent power through the BRICS, Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), etc., can a multipolar world result, led to an interesting response from Mrs. LaRouche, as did his later argument that nuclear war is not likely, because NATO, both its European and American components, are not ready for war, and know they cannot win a head-on war with Russia.
On the latter point, Mrs. LaRouche warned against “complacency,” given the danger of provocation after provocation in the weeks immediately ahead as the globalist financial system collapses. As for the goal of a multipolar world—the view of many—it will not resolve the crisis. Blocs of nations can no longer work because they contain the seeds of new crises. The survival of Mankind now requires an international system which serves the needs of the One Humanity, of all humanity, and there is no way around organizing Americans and Europeans to make this conceptual leap.
The Word ‘Peace’ Echoes Across Germany
Perhaps most stirring, were the taped addresses from two leaders of the protests spreading across Germany, a country many thought least likely to see mass protests. Karl Krökel, leader of the group of producers and skilled craftsmen who began protesting several months ago under the name of “Craftsmen for Peace,” spoke first. He cited the demands the group made in a letter they sent to the Federal government of Germany last June: “Stop the sanctions policy! No arms deliveries to Ukraine! Peace policy instead of warmongering!”
These demands are “more relevant than ever,” he said. “The situation has become aggravated enormously since then. The war zone has been expanded by the act of sabotage [of the Nord Stream gas pipelines] in the Baltic Sea. The livelihoods of entire generations are in danger.”
He was firm: “We are standing up against this, nor do we want to continue to be drawn into the conflict as a warring party, and we want to leave NATO. This security policy allegiance towards the U.S.A. must come to an end, and we want a European peace order…. And we are fighting with all our might against high energy prices, where, as a result, the lights will go out for tens of thousands of enterprises and the work of generations, above all also in the future, will be destroyed completely senselessly.”
A similar bold message was delivered by Moreen Thuemmler, a leader of the Forum for Democracy and Freedom that is also organizing protests in Germany.
“People are taking to the streets by the hundreds, by the thousands and by the tens of thousands, because they feel betrayed by the Federal government…. Billions are invested in armaments, while there’s nothing left for education and healthcare… Companies are going bankrupt due to the immense price increases; employees are losing their jobs and the livelihood that goes with it. There is no money for our old people and for children,” she said.
“The sanctions policy is inflicting enormous and perhaps even irreparable damage on Germany, turning a once progressive, innovative and rich country into a rubble heap. People are afraid: They’re afraid of losing their jobs, afraid of impoverishment, afraid of expropriation.
“And above all, people are afraid of war. The word ‘peace’ echoes across all of the streets in Germany at demonstrations, rallies, vigils; it can be read on placards, flyers, posters, tee-shirts, stickers and buttons. The little word ‘peace’ which means everything to all of us, and decides everything, peace is the highest and most valuable thing to strive for worldwide.”
“And I think I can speak for all people, when I say, peace is the only important thing that we should bring about and leave to our children,” she said forcefully.
That is why the organizers of the citizen protests and vigils against the threat of nuclear extinction are standing firmly together, despite being attacked and defamed. We act, she said, “in the interest of the human race!”
Two strong calls for peace also came from Italy.
The seeds of disaster have “found fertile ground in the indifference of public opinion,” warned Sergio Tancredi, an outgoing state parliamentarian from Sicily. “We are playing with fire … a fire that would give no one on this planet a chance.” Tancredi, like others, views the conflict in Ukraine as fueled by a war for economic hegemony, as well as geopolitical interests.
“Today it has become necessary to act…. The time has come to silence the guns, and give diplomacy a voice again,” he insisted. In any dialogue, there must be respect not only for Ukraine and for Russia, but if the current situation is not stopped, the entire human community faces the danger of extinction. “It is necessary for each of us to do everything in our power to make sure that pressure reaches our governments, and it is necessary for each of us to mobilize as many people as possible so that this cry for peace becomes a sonic wave so strong that no one can ignore it.”
He, too, asserted that we must act “in the interest of the human race!”
Antonio Ingroia, a judge and magistrate, famous for his work in the anti-mafia task force of Sicily, and former candidate for prime minister of the Popular and Sovereign Italy party with which he works, was appropriately alarmist: “We have before us the risk of a great nuclear catastrophe.” Therefore, he argued, Europe must take the first step to start peace negotiations. His party sent an appeal to the new Italian government to do just that, he said.
“We need to tell the Italian government and all governments in Europe and the world that it’s time to take a step toward peace.
“How? First of all, a truce, an immediate ceasefire. all weapons should stop, and we should stop sanctions against Russia since sanctions against Russia are a measure of war. Italy is at war. Italy must get out of this war and start this peace negotiation. I think Italy has to do it also because of its history.”
He announced his happiness at joining the other prestigious men and women from various parts of the world in signing the seminar’s appeal for peace. Adelante, con coraggio e buena suerte. Go forward with courage and good luck.”
Adding Serbia to this global mobilization was the message sent by the president of the Belgrade Forum for a World of Equals, Živadin Jovanović. Jovanović was unable to attend but wrote that “your mobilization coincides with our own efforts for peace. We are deeply concerned regarding the worsening of the global confrontation which is accompanied by a deep-seated economic and social crisis in Europe as well as worldwide. This crisis, which is worsening on a daily basis, constitutes a threat to global life, peace and security.”
He cited the “Belgrade Forum Appeal” to the world they had just issued, which appeals “for immediate dialogue and diplomatic action at the highest levels between Washington, Moscow, Beijing, and Brussels,” in order to establish “peaceful coexistence between sovereign nations determined to prevent further worsening of the conflict which could lead to a World War III scenario, without excluding nuclear incineration. Recognition of equality, independence, and partnership in preserving peace, security and development, as indivisible civilizational values, is the only way for the survival and secure future of humanity.
“Let us combine our efforts for a peaceful world, focussed on joint development of sovereign nations for the well-being of all mankind!”
U.S. Voices Are Heard
Three voices spoke for the United States. George Koo, a Chinese American business leader, added a needed element to the discussion, by calling attention to the danger of a confrontation between the United States and China over Taiwan, a conflict between two nuclear powers whose “outcome is just too horrifying to contemplate.”
Diane Sare, independent candidate for Senate from New York, and former Virginia state senator Richard Black provided good examples of people who make “sonic waves.” For people in other countries who look at the U.S. and see only terrible things, Sare and Black represent the voice of sanity, reflecting the founding intentions of the U.S. republic.
Sen. Black’s previous videos exposing the U.S./NATO plans to destroy and dismember Russia, using the Ukraine war as a pretext, and asking such uncomfortable questions about whether the U.S. was behind the sabotage of Nord Stream 1 and 2, have garnered millions of views in many languages, including Russian. In the seminar, he asked whether the U.S. were planning an “October Surprise,” a dirty bomb or other provocation to blame on Russia, right before the midterm elections. (His full speech is in this issue of EIR.
Sare provided a lively picture of the “state of play” in the U.S. elections around the fight for peace, including her own efforts and the potential opened by Congressman Paul Gosar’s peace initiative, and contrasted this to the capitulation of the group of cowardly “progressive” Democrats. That capitulation demonstrates how important it is for this assembly of legislators and other leaders gathered in the seminar to come together determined to act, she stressed.
Sare returned to the importance of organizing people to understand the true concept of “One Humanity,” giving her insight as a trained classical musician and chorus director:
“We have to create this alliance for one humanity of many voices from many nations. It’s my personal view that if more people had experienced playing in a symphony orchestra or singing in a chorus, that they might recognize that it’s possible to have perfect integrity of your unique role, and create something which is far greater and more beautiful than the sum of its parts.”
