EIR LEAD EDITORIAL FOR TUESDAY MAY 16, 2023

To Stop a War, Revive the True American Spirit

May 15, 2023, 2022 (EIRNS)—As Hungary’s Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said while on a visit to Beijing today, Western nations are “gripped by a psychosis of war,” and that what is needed from the sane portions of the world is “to increase the voice of the peace camp.” Indeed, the war party is on a rampage, as can be seen by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s tour throughout Europe, having made visits to Germany, France, Italy, and then Britain, getting showered with more and larger instruments of death at each stop. These are not the actions of leaders who have compassion for the lives their nation’s citizens, nor for those of others.

The message was made exceptionally clear during Zelenskyy’s visit to the Vatican, where he met with the most prominent voice calling for peace negotiations in Europe: Pope Francis. In a characteristically arrogant (and tragic) response, Zelenskyy rejected the Pope’s offer to mediate a peace deal with Russia, saying that the Pope “knows my position,” and that Ukraine will continue fighting until Russia is defeated. From there he was whisked away to London, where offers were made of new, longer-range drones capable of reaching into Russian territory, further escalating the conflict.

In response to this, pro-peace forces are mobilizing. China is sending a high-level official to Ukraine this week, in an effort to defuse the “psychosis of war.” From there, he will travel to Germany, France, Poland, and Russia, seeking dialogue. In addition, China’s role as a productive force for peace was acknowledged by Hungary’s Szijjarto, who emphasized that Hungary attaches “huge significance to the role [of China].... We appreciate your peace plan a lot.”

In discussions with associates today, Helga Zepp-LaRouche emphasized that the peace movement globally must be mobilized to force their voice out into this dangerous dynamic that currently is driving the world towards a new world war. Americans in particular have the power to transform the situation if they were to act as their true selves, as epitomized by John F. Kennedy’s June 10, 1963 Commencement speech at American University. Kennedy said at that time, speaking on the topic of world peace:

“What kind of peace do I mean? What kind of peace do we seek? Not a Pax Americana enforced on the world by American weapons of war. Not the peace of the grave or the security of the slave. I am talking about genuine peace, the kind of peace that makes life on Earth worth living, the kind that enables men and nations to grow and to hope and to build a better life for their children—not merely peace for Americans but peace for all men and women—not merely peace in our time but peace for all time....”

A little later he said:

“Let us focus ... on a more practical, more attainable peace—based not on a sudden revolution in human nature but on a gradual evolution in human institutions—on a series of concrete actions and effective agreements which are in the interest of all concerned. There is no single, simple key to this peace—no grand or magic formula to be adopted by one or two powers. Genuine peace must be the product of many nations, the sum of many acts. It must be dynamic, not static, changing to meet the challenge of each new generation. For peace is a process—a way of solving problems.”

And with those comments, he was killed, making him and his vision of ensuring peace among the nations of the world the victims of an assassination apparatus determined to prevent it. The rediscovery of this today, by Americans and others around the world, could play a crucial role in introducing the ideas needed to stop the world’s plunge into a thermonuclear war. Peace is not the cessation of war, it is a different outlook, a different way of thinking, and it was at one time the way real Americans thought.

Next month is the 60th anniversary of Kennedy’s speech at American University, and a day of action to take place internationally is being planned on the date to elevate the intervention at this critical time. Don’t think: What will they do to me if I speak out. Instead, think, as Scott Ritter said recently when asked if he worries about this: “The consequences of me doing nothing are far greater than whatever the government can do for me for trying to stop war. So, I’m not afraid.”