EIR LEAD EDITORIAL FOR TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 19, 2023

United Nations To Open Amidst a Polarized World—But Solutions Must Be Found on a Higher Level

Sept. 18, 2023, (EIRNS)—Today the UN General Assembly Debate begins, and will likely be one of the most tumultuous such assemblies in the organization’s history. The world is polarized on a historic scale, and not because of a so-called divisions between “democracies” and “autocracies,” as bobble-heads like Tony Blinken would have us believe.

The Biden Administration is gearing up to push for the expansion of the UN Security Council this week, not to promote increased representation or inclusivity, but rather to dilute the influence of Russia and China, who still hold two out of the five seats with veto power. In addition, Western nations are putting on a show to prioritize the interests of the Global South at the UN, so as to preempt the increased calls to address issues of global inequality. Such plans are being organized by the Anglo-Americans to “pick off” those nations deemed weaker and easier to pull into the Western “rules-based order” camp. Geopolitics at its worst.

To further illustrate the lawless nature of the so-called Anglo-American democracies, a report was released by The Intercept which details how the U.S. secured IMF relief for Pakistan in exchange for that country “agreeing” to send $900 million in weapons to Ukraine. This followed the ousting of the previous Prime Minister Imran Khan, who had refused to take sides over the Ukraine conflict—a maneuver that was later exposed to have been made under pressure by the U.S.!

Not only are these efforts disgusting and unfitting for modern nations—it will never work! If one thing can be said following the recent period of diplomatic activity—from the Russia-Africa Summit in St. Petersburg, to the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, to ASEAN in Jakarta, to the G20 in New Delhi, to the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, to the G77+China in Havana—there is a growing sentiment among non-Western nations that the world can no longer be controlled by global hegemonic interests, while the rest are left to fight over scraps. Instead, the time has come for the “comprehensive reform of the international financial architecture,” as was demanded at last week’s G77 Summit. Nations of the Global South have no doubt been discussing these matters over the preceding weeks, and will be bringing an entirely different quality of discussion into a slumbering United States and UN General Assembly.

Further underscoring the massive shift taking place in the world is an article by Pepe Escobar on Russia’s transition to the Far East as its “strategic priority for the 21st century.” Russia is now positioning itself to the Far East as the “natural hub for swinging the entire Russian economy to Asian geoeconomics,” Escobar writes. In contrast, Western nations are turning away from the East and away from an orientation of growth, increasingly adopting “green” policies of de-growth instead. As a result, the West continues to see rising costs and declining standards of living, replete with new strikes and protests. The “green” transition, long promised as the savior for struggling Western economies, continues to implode, leaving increased energy prices in its wake.

Rather than be sour when Western sanctions and financial warfare locked Russia out of Western markets, Russia simply noted the reality taking place in the world. Quoting Russia’s Business Rights Commissioner, Escobar writes: “Although Western economies are well-developed, they are already ‘too heavily invested and sluggish.... In the East, on the other hand, everything is booming, moving forward rapidly, developing rapidly. And this applies not only to China, India, and Indonesia, but also to many other countries. They are the center of development today, not Europe, our main consumers of energy are there, finally.” Today, Escobar reports, there are 2,800 projects underway throughout the region.

The situation is extremely dangerous, but also extremely ripe for change. Those who are deaf to this massive shift taking place in the world are living on borrowed time, as this reality will only become more and more apparent as it unfolds. This week is sure to be a further wake-up call as nations from across the Global South descend upon the UN.

What will be the response? Will the West continue to threaten world war to defend their “rules-based order”—using up Ukraine in the process? Or will a shred of humanity emerge, reviving that former identity of nations such as the U.S.?

Only history will fully answer these questions—yet that doesn’t mean we should passively await its results. As the greatest poets and artists throughout the ages have known: The spark of creativity is inherent in every human being, waiting to be awakened. During moments of true crisis, significant numbers of people become susceptible of “receiving and imparting profound ideas concerning man and nature”—even leaders of nations and institutions. It is this necessarily future-looking task that today’s organizers and world citizens are called upon to take up.

As Helga Zepp-LaRouche emphasized in a discussion with associates Monday, this dramatic situation must be elevated to a higher level than currently exists anywhere else in the world. The crisis will not be solved by seeking retribution for wrongs done. It can only be resolved by a new organization among nations, such as that posed in Mrs. LaRouche’s “Ten Principles of a New International Security and Development Architecture,” where the interests of all nations are defended and a Westphalian commitment to the “good of the other” is maintained.

War and geopolitics are a disease, and only introducing a scientifically truthful cure will work.