The Age of Reason or
the Annihilation of Humanity?

by Daniel Platt

[Print version of this article]

Feb. 4—The international Schiller Institute’s day-long conference, titled “The Age of Reason or the Annihilation of Humanity?” held online Feb. 4, 2023, opened with moderator Dennis Speed noting that Feb. 2 was the 80th anniversary of Russia’s victory over Nazism at Stalingrad, which was the largest battle in world history.

This introduction by Speed, of the Schiller Institute, was followed by a video presentation of a 1997 speech by Lyndon H. LaRouche, Jr., economist-statesman, in which he presented the reasoning behind his proposal for a new doctrine to be jointly shared by the U.S. and Soviet Union for Mutually Assured Survival based on new physical principles, which was initially adopted by U.S. President Ronald Reagan. Because LaRouche’s proposal was rejected in 1983 by the Soviet leadership, and undermined by the Anglophile faction in the U.S., the danger of nuclear war persists, and as one speaker at the Feb. 4 conference noted, it is now at an all-time high. Numerous speakers reminded the viewers that the Doomsday Clock of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists now reads 90 seconds to midnight.

The conference had 25 speakers, representing 17 nations, with two panels moderated by Dennis Speed and Dennis Small of the Schiller Institute. It proceeded for eight hours of intense discussion, with live Q&A periods involving panelists and questioners from the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Europe. Several participants previewed the coming Feb. 19 rally against nuclear war in Washington, D.C., and demonstrations in other cities and nations this month, which the international audience was asked to multiply in any way they can. The full event is video-archived; viewership went into the thousands within hours of the forum.

Panel 1
‘How Nuclear World War III Can Be Avoided’

The opening presentation was made by Schiller Institute founder Helga Zepp-LaRouche. She incisively demolished every component of the official, neocon-inspired “narrative” regarding the history of the Ukraine war, and mocked the “legions of mentally disturbed journalists” who obsessively repeat it. She noted that Russia gave up hope for a diplomatic solution in June. However, she expressed her satisfaction that newly-elected Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is forming a “peace club” which will strengthen the initiative of Pope Francis, for the Vatican to be a venue for talks. She characterized the Anglo-American faction’s intransigence and bellicosity as “attempts to reconquer control over a unipolar world.”

She concluded with a reference to her Ten Principles of a New International Security and Development Architecture, and remarked that the most controversial is number 10, “The basic assumption for the new paradigm is that man is fundamentally good and capable to infinitely perfect the creativity of his mind and the beauty of his soul.” She said that the Tenth Principle goes to the essence of our ability to solve the crisis. Only the various forms of oligarchism insist on the intrinsic evil of man, and therefore we must “rid the world of oligarchism once and for all.”

Donald Ramotar, former President of Guyana (2011-2015), decried the complete colonization of Europe by the U.S. through the EU. Ramotar said that the U.S. attitude toward Europe was succinctly expressed by State Department operative Victoria Nuland, in an oblique reference to her notorious “F— the EU” statement. He went on to discuss the growing movement to find replacements for the dollar as the basis for the global financial system, including a possible role for China’s yuan, or the possibility of a new currency taking shape. This is necessary because financial sanctions imposed by the U.S. are like a Sword of Damocles hanging over the heads of nations across the globe. The debt of the U.S. is 1.5 times larger than its GDP, which would be a major crisis in any other country. The U.S. survives it because of the dominance of the dollar. If the dollar becomes less important in international trade, it will be a major challenge to the dominance of the U.S.

Ramotar went on to say that many of the masks of democracy and human rights are being ripped off the face of the so-called democracies. The “peace club” initiative of President Lula da Silva gives the Global South a place at the table. He added that Helga Zepp-LaRouche’s initiative linking peace to development is essentially correct and needs to be fine-tuned and placed on the world agenda. He urged support for the peace initiative of the Pope.

Ray McGovern, former senior analyst, U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, and a founding member of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS), titled his presentation, “Know Where You Stand, and Stand There!” This is drawn from a commencement address given by McGovern’s mentor, Fr. Daniel Berrigan. McGovern wryly asked the viewers to “remember that anger is a virtue. None other than Thomas Aquinas said that.” He cautioned that it should be just the right amount of anger, and went on to describe some of his numerous interventions at public events where public officials were engaged in lying or other objectionable activity.

For his trouble, McGovern was rewarded with beatings and incarceration even in his old age, but he reminded the viewers that “good things happen in jail. You get to feel what other people feel, being all closed-up and un-free.” He showed photos of himself protesting Hillary Clinton’s speech on repression in Iran, and his being thrown to the floor at the Senate confirmation hearing of torturer-in-chief Gina Haspel as head of the CIA. He cited the young American volunteer Rachel Corrie’s death from being deliberately crushed by an Israeli bulldozer as an example of what “we Catholics call a sacramental.”

McGovern showed a two-minute video of his confrontation with California’s wretched Congressman and serial liar Adam Schiff on the mythical relationship between Russia and WikiLeaks, and Schiff’s patented, evasive response, that the evidence proves it, but cannot be made known. McGovern remarked upon “the one thing Schiff said that was true—he couldn’t share that information with me, because it didn’t exist.”

Jack Gilroy, who is an organizer for Pax Christi, New York State/Pax Christi International, and a board member of New York Veterans for Peace, urged support for the peace initiatives of Pope Francis and President Lula. He observed that sending more weapons to Ukraine means putting gasoline on an existing fire.

Remarks by Ambassador Chas Freeman, former Ambassador to Saudi Arabia and former Deputy Chief of Mission to China, were presented via video clips, from his recent interview with EIR, in full elsewhere in this issue. Addressing recent developments in the Ukraine war, he said that tanks are offensive weapons, allowing infantry to break through enemy lines. German tanks on Russia’s border evoke “nasty memories” on the Russian side, and among other nations, given Germany’s past. We are on the eve of what appears to be a major Russian push that will take place long before Ukrainians can be trained to operate and repair these tanks. Looking to the broader strategic picture, he said that China’s policy resembles that of the original U.S. during the 19th century. China is non-interventionist and open for business. Freeman said that he thinks democracy is a good system, but if other countries disagree, that is their prerogative.

Dr. Jur. Wolfgang Bittner, a German jurist and author, reviewed the history of the Ukraine conflict. He pointed out that when Obama admonished Russia to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty, the U.S.-staged coup in Ukraine—in defiance of its sovereignty—had already taken place. Kiev ignored the Minsk Agreement. Putin’s offers to negotiate with Ukraine were dismissed as propaganda. The U.S., for more than 100 years, has aimed to prevent cooperation between Germany and Russia. He said, “The U.S. wants to assert with all its power its claim to global domination,” and “this hubris emanates from the neoconservatives in Washington along with the financial and economic elites there and their figurehead Joseph Biden, who has shared responsibility for almost all the conflicts and wars of recent decades.” According to Merkel, Hollande, and Poroshenko, war against Russia was the intention of the Minsk Accord negotiations from the beginning. Apparently, U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley and other senior military men are beginning to feel the incompetence of the political officials. More than half of humanity no longer wants to put up with the impositions and oppression of the U.S.

Diane Sare, candidate for U.S. Senate from New York, then held a colloquy with the People’s Party National Chairman Nick Brana, and the Libertarian Party National Committee Chairwoman Angela McArdle. Brana and McArdle are the principal organizers for the upcoming “Rage Against the War Machine” event to be held Feb. 19 at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington. Sare reminded the viewers that we were the first nation to defeat the biggest empire in history, the British, and we did not do so only to replicate their crimes. “We very much lost our way,” she said. Brana characterized the U.S. as an “empire that is falling apart in militaristic fury, like so many empires before it.” Brana and McArdle eloquently made the case for people of different ideological stripes to put aside their differences and join forces to oppose the military-industrial complex.

What came next was a panel of African-American clergy including Pastor Robert Smith, Pastor of the New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit and Chair of the Foreign Mission Board of the National Baptist Convention; Rev. Kinzer Pointer, who is former Pastor of the Agape Fellowship Baptist Church and now Pastor of Liberty Missionary Baptist Church in Buffalo, New York; and Rev. Dr. Ernest Johnson, a Professor at the Southern University Law Center and Pastor at Windows of Heaven Ministry in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Pastor Smith observed that while there are constant wars against darker-skinned people around the planet that are considered unremarkable, Ukraine was exceptional because it is a “white on white war” that can lead to the threat of nuclear confrontation. He called for ecumenical cooperation against the war and against the exploitation of Africa, as did his two colleagues. Rev. Pointer recalled Martin Luther King’s April 4, 1967 speech on “breaking the silence” about the Vietnam War, and said that we are once again in that place where it is time to break the silence. He pointed out that we can’t seem to spend money on the poor, but we are excited to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to support an unjust war in Ukraine, just as we did in Vietnam.

Sam Pitroda of the U.S. and India, a telecom and IT innovator who advised several Indian heads of government, made a plea that we shift our emphasis from military power to human concerns.

Discussion Session

During the Panel 1 discussion period, Ray McGovern called the Ukraine war “the mother of all opportunity costs,” meaning that the money spent on the war could instead be used productively. Donald Ramotar said that as a byproduct of the war drive, freedom of speech is being undermined: France has banned RT, and social media are demonetizing anti-war voices. Wolfgang Bittner said, “the goal of the war is clearly regime change in Moscow.” He added later that he is constantly astounded by the intensity of Helga Zepp-LaRouche’s engagement. He thanked Scott Ritter and Ray McGovern as well, adding that he knows from his own experience what sort of hostile reaction that speaking out can provoke.

A question came in from the president of the Rotary Club in Kiev: Why were the concerns and proposals of Russia ignored for so many years until now, “after the child has fallen into the well”? He asked specifically about Germany. Helga Zepp-LaRouche responded that Germans behave as they do because Germany is still an occupied country. “Germans need a kick in the behind,” she said, adding that the German foreign minister and economic minister are “tools of the war machine.”

Donald Ramotar returned to economic issues, saying that the appearance of a strong economy in the U.S. is deceiving—it’s due to the dominance of the dollar in the world. Zepp-LaRouche emphasized again that the roots of the war danger are in the collapsing financial system. Meanwhile, the developing countries are having a renaissance—the Spirit of Bandung has re-emerged. She recalled Pope Paul VI’s encyclical, Populorum Progressio, in which he wrote that “Development is the new name for peace.”

Diane Sare pointed out that leaders of nations that we would call “weak” are having the courage to say “no” to the Anglo-Americans. A question then came in from José Antonio Benllochpiquer, a leader of the Christian Democratic Party in Peru: What are the chances that NATO countries themselves might say no? Angela McArdle replied, saying that the U.S. pays the bills, so the chances are not good. Ray McGovern disagreed, insisting that after February 19th, that will change. He reminded the viewers that NATO requires unanimity in its decisions, and Türkiye, Croatia, and Hungary are digging in their heels. Biden himself, at a press conference a month ago, stated we have to do what the NATO countries will allow, possibly setting the stage for a de-escalation of American bellicosity. McGovern added that there will soon be a Russian offensive that will give the lie to the claim that the Ukrainians are winning. Explaining the basis for his optimism, he referenced I.F. Stone: the kinds of fights that are worth fighting are the ones you are going to lose, and lose, and lose, until one day somebody wins.

Continuing the theme of optimism, Dianne Sare said that if we are merely the political fringe, why have they spent millions of dollars trying to stop us? The biggest mistake we can make is to underestimate our power. Ramotar, who described himself as “possibly old-fashioned,” said that the internet is great, but there is no substitute for meeting others face to face.

Helga Zepp-LaRouche brought the discussion to a close, saying that we need to evoke the devastating experience of World War II. Young people have an artificial conception of war because they were raised with video games which were designed to desensitize them to killing human beings. The U.S. has not had a war on its territory for so long, that people here haven’t had that experience and it somehow is not real to them.

Panel 2
The Name of Peace: A New Security and Economic Development Architecture

Dennis Small introduced the panel with a provocative map of the BRICS+, saying that the BRICS organization (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), along with the growing number of nations who wish to join it, represents the hope of a new paradigm to supersede the parasitical City of London/Wall Street system which is presently in its death throes. What followed was a video presentation of Lyndon LaRouche speaking in 2004, reiterating his warnings of the inevitable bankruptcy of the present financial system, and developing the distinction between humans and animals: the ability to discover and wield universal principles of physical science and classical art.

Jacques Cheminade, president of the Solidarité et Progrès party in France and a former French presidential candidate, described how the trans-Atlantic economies are now organized for war production at the expense of meeting the needs of their populations, saying, “Let’s face it: the true name [for this] is a culture of death…. If we abstain from acting, we become the collaborators of evil.” He provided shocking figures on poverty in Europe. Referring to the pervasive propaganda, “to get rid of all that manure for once and for all, defines our challenge.” He cited a book by Lyndon LaRouche, Earth’s Next Fifty Years, in which LaRouche calls for a return to the principles of the 1648 Treaty of Westphalia. In this book, LaRouche also develops the Promethean principle of using discoveries of physical principle to increase relative potential population density. Cheminade insisted that we must provide leadership to those people who are “disgusted with the transformation of NATO into an offensive alliance.”

Cheminade was followed by two leaders from Ibero-America. Celeste Sáenz de Miera, Secretary General of the Mexico Journalists Club, who reflected upon a time when calls for world peace were pro forma and were to be expected even from contestants in beauty pageants. Today it is a far more serious matter, because a new world war threatens to be apocalyptic. And Julio De Vido of Argentina, former Minister of Economics and Public Works under both Kirchner administrations and a former member of Congress, said that we are taught a distorted view of history as a series of wars. One of the causes of the war in Ukraine was the persecution of Russian-speaking minorities. BRICS+ offers an opportunity for regions of the South to help build the new paradigm.

Prof. Liu Haifang, an Associate Professor at the School of International Studies and Director of the Center for African Studies at Beijing University, began a discussion of the situation in Africa by stressing the need for trilateral cooperation between Africa, China, and the “West.” She emphasized that China’s perception of peace building aims to resolve the root causes of conflicts—social, political, and economic—as opposed to the liberal approach of the Western countries, the UN, and the World Bank. China encourages self-sufficiency and independence.

Ugandan attorney Ellison Karuhanga, an oil and gas lawyer, gave a very polemical presentation, reporting that Uganda has discovered 6.5 billion barrels of oil. They are building pipelines [EACOP—East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline] and a refinery. Uganda has a constitutional commitment to a clean environment, but “that does not mean the conservation of poverty.” He described the tactics of the climate-change ideologues as follows: Stop investments in oil and gas, which will cause the price of oil and gas to rise until renewables become competitive. “The people who will pay for this transition will be poor people. It is a transition which favors incumbents.” He vowed, “Come hell or high water, we are going to develop our energy projects … in the most responsible manner imaginable…. Those who are flying on private jets to moralize to us … we will listen respectfully … but we have listened far too long.”

Prof. Yoro Diallo of Mali is Executive Director of the Center for Francophone Studies and Director of the African Museum, Institute of African Studies, at Zhejiang Normal University in China. He pointed out that during the history of the People’s Republic of China it has not provoked a major conflict with another nation. He reviewed the history of China-Africa collaboration on African infrastructure and development. Only 20% of Africa’s external debt is owed to China, and much has been forgiven. China is the largest provider of scholarship and training to African countries.

Dr. Fred M’membe, President of the Socialist Party of Zambia, former editor of the Zambia Post, and a former Presidential candidate, reviewed the history of China’s support for national liberation and anti-colonial movements in Africa. The relationship between China and Africa is a strategic alliance. China has never had colonies. China seeks win-win relationships. He said, “Today China is target #1 for those countries who think that only they have the right to develop.” They are “choking with envy” over China’s success. But China does not respond in kind. “They are able to cope with all these provocations in the most mature way.”

Next, the discussion turned to Asia. Abdul Fatah Raufi of Afghanistan described his nation as the “victim of multiple invasions and wars waged for narrow geopolitical interests.” He described the devastation wrought in particular by the NATO invasion, which caused such a degree of hopelessness and despair in the nation’s culture that there is now a 10% rate of drug addiction. Shakeel Ahmad Ramay, CEO of the Asian Institute of Eco-Civilization Research and Development in Pakistan, said that the two fundamentals are development and justice. Security needs of all nations must be taken into account. Armies can only win wars—they cannot win development.

Returning to the question of China, Marcelo Muñoz, the founder and President Emeritus of the Cátedra China think tank in Spain, said that it is impossible for Europe to decouple from China without sinking into poverty. The nations who participate in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) have invested a trillion dollars a year. He stated his agreement with LaRouche that philosophy must be at the foundation of strategic thinking.

Pedro Augusto Pinho of Brazil, the President of the Association of Petrobras Engineers (AEPET), reviewed the shifts of the past 70 years: In the 1960s, stateless financial interests arose as a significant factor in world affairs. In the 1980s they promoted financial deregulation. With the demise of the Soviet Union, they began to call the shots globally, he said.

A voice from Australia came to the conference through a video clip of an exchange in a recent international Zoom meeting, between Schiller Institute U.S. activist Gerald Belsky and Ambassador John Lander of Australia. Lander said that Australia turned against the BRI in response to pressure from the U.S. The West is struggling to maintain the geopolitical divide between the West (the imperialist countries) and the rest. Lander is former Ambassador to Iran, former Deputy Chief of Mission to China, and former Director of the China Section in the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs.

Discussion Session

During the Panel 2 discussion period, Helga Zepp-LaRouche quoted Confucius saying that you can tell what sort of shape a nation is in by listening to its music, which is why we conclude our conference with music.

There was a very dramatic discussion by two of the African participants in response to questions on proxy wars, such as in Ukraine, and on the killing of Congolese Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba in 1961. Ellison Karuhanga said, “We are not looking for Nuremberg trials or war crimes tribunals for those who colonized us, but rather we are looking to the future…. We are interested in the ability and right to develop our countries, not in the settling of historical scores.” Dr. Fred M’membe said that the nations of Africa did not exist as such before the Berlin Conference of 1885, and they are still not recognized as real nations. Today, they are told not to deal with China, Russia or Iran. “We are still being treated as children, whose friends should be chosen by the parents…. We choose our own leaders, they kill them … sometimes they turn against their own puppets and they kill them.”

A question came via email from Argentina: When will we stop talking about nations, and start talking about the real powers, such as the Federal Reserve, Wall Street and City of London? Julio De Vido said in response that LaRouche was correct to say that the bankruptcy of the system is driving the world toward war.

Marcelo Muñoz again referenced the importance of Confucianism as a factor in China’s foreign policy, saying that if the mutual respect mandated by Confucianism were practiced by the three leading powers (U.S., EU, and China), the war in Ukraine would not have happened.

Helga Zepp-LaRouche said in conclusion that, as someone who has fought for nearly half a century for a new world economic order, she is worried that some idiots may blow it all up, but she is also optimistic that we can win it and eradicate poverty within a few years.

The conference concluded with a montage video of performances of the canon Dona Nobis Pacem by Schiller Institute activists on the streets of cities throughout the world. There followed videos of performances of songs of hope from a diverse assortment of cultures, taken from Schiller Institute conferences over the years. The conference concluded as it began, with Franz Schubert’s “An die Musik,” performed in 1993 by baritone Robert McFerrin, accompanied by Sylvia Olden Lee.

The Conference Presentations

In order of appearance, the presenters at the conference were the following. Transcripts of both video excerpts by Lyndon LaRouche are included elsewhere in this issue. Videos of the full conference are available here.

For Panel 1:

Dennis Speed (U.S.), Schiller Institute, Panel 1 Moderator

Helga Zepp-LaRouche (Germany), Founder and leader, the Schiller Institute

H.E. Donald Ramotar (Guyana), former President of Guyana

Ray McGovern (U.S.), former senior analyst, U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA); founding member, Veteran Intelligence Professions for Sanity (VIPS)

Jack Gilroy (U.S.), Organizer, Pax Christi, New York State/Pax Christi International; Board Member, New York Veterans for Peace

Ambassador Chas Freeman (U.S.), former Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, former Deputy Chief of Mission to China

Dr. Jur. Wolfgang Bittner (Germany), Jurist, Author

Sam Pitroda (U.S./India), Telecom and IT Innovator

Diane Sare (U.S.), candidate for U.S. Senate (New York State)

Nick Brana (U.S.), National Chairman, People’s Party

Angela McArdle (U.S.), Chairwoman, Libertarian Party National Committee.

Pastor Robert Smith (U.S.), former Pastor, New Bethel Baptist Church, Detroit, MI; Chair, Foreign Mission Board, National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc.

Rev. Kinzer Pointer (U.S.), former Pastor, Agape Fellowship Baptist Church; now Pastor of Liberty Missionary Baptist Church in Buffalo, New York

Rev. Dr. Ernest Johnson (U.S.), Professor, Southern University Law Center; Pastor, Windows of Heaven Ministry, Baton Rouge, LA

For Panel 2:

Dennis Small, Schiller Institute and Executive Intelligence Review (EIR), Panel 2 Moderator

Jacques Cheminade (France), President of Solidarité et Progrès party, former candidate for President of France

Celeste Sáenz de Miera (Mexico), Secretary General, Mexico Journalists Club

Julio De Vido (Argentina), former Minister of Planning and Public Investment, former member of Congress

Prof. Liu Haifang (China), Associate Professor, School of International Studies; Director, Center for African Studies, Beijing University

Ellison Karuhanga (Uganda), Attorney; Expert in Energy Law; former State Attorney, Directorate of Civil Litigation, Attorney General’s Chambers

Prof. Yoro Diallo (Mali/China), Executive Director, Center for Francophone Studies; Director, African Museum, Institute of African Studies, Zhejiang Normal University, China

Dr. Fred M’membe (Zambia), President of the Socialist Party of Zambia; former editor, Zambia Post; former Presidential candidate

Abdul Fatah Raufi (Afghanistan), representative of the Afghan exile community

Shakeel Ahmad Ramay (Pakistan), CEO, Asian Institute of Eco-Civilization Research and Development

Marcelo Muñoz (Spain), Founder and President Emeritus of Cátedra China think tank

Pedro Pinho (Brazil), President, Association of Petrobras Engineers (AEPET)

Ambassador John Lander (Australia), former Ambassador to Iran; former Deputy Chief of Mission to China; former Director, China Section, Department of Foreign Affairs