International Peace Coalition Meeting

‘There Is Goodness in the Universe, and That Will Prevail’

by Daniel Platt

[Print version of this article]

May 10—The 49th meeting of the International Peace Coalition took place today, opening with Helga Zepp-LaRouche’s report of the acute danger of escalating war in Ukraine, highlighting the provocations of French President Emmanuel Macron, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron, and U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. She noted that Russian President Putin then announced on May 6 that Russian forces would be practicing the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons. Zepp-LaRouche stated emphatically that the claim that Putin will launch a general invasion of Eastern Europe, should Russia win in Ukraine, is entirely without foundation. Rather, one should go back to December 17, 2021, and look at Putin’s release of his offer of a draft treaty with security guarantees; that continues to be what he wants.

In Gaza, 100,000 out of 1.3 million refugees have been relocated from Rafah, with some having been relocated as many as eight times. Many are starving and have no medical supplies. Zepp-LaRouche called the negotiations process an “incredibly cynical game.” Hamas was promised a permanent ceasefire, which has now been redefined as “not a full-stop at the end, but a comma,” meaning once the hostages are freed, the war can continue.

“If the Oasis Plan were realized, it can be the first stepping stone for the new paradigm,” Zepp-LaRouche said. Even the “City of London mouthpiece,” the Economist, now admits, in the words of its editor-in-chief, that “the old order is dying. Its sudden collapse could be sudden and irreversible.” She reported on the successful Schiller Institute diplomatic seminar in Copenhagen on May 8, which presented the Oasis Plan to diplomats and invited guests, and sparked further potentials for peace.

Russia Is Not Bluffing

Col. Richard H. Black (ret.), former head of the U.S. Army’s Criminal Law Division at the Pentagon, and a former Virginia State Senator, insisted that the Russian nuclear tests are not saber-rattling, not a bluff. “It’s actually a reminder of a very cold reality,” he said. “[T]he West is playing a game of chicken on the world’s most dangerous nuclear playground.” The U.S. sabotaged the Nordstream Pipeline, which has damaged the entire European economy. Ukraine apparently orchestrated the terror attack on the Crocus concert hall near Moscow. But these actions come from desperation. “Today, Ukraine’s lines are trembling. The White House knows that this is happening, but they will not permit this war to end before the November elections.” Black warned that “NATO boots on the ground in Ukraine will be considered legitimate targets” and could mean retaliation against NATO targets. This “may presage the outbreak of WW III.”

Former United States Marine Corps intelligence officer and UN weapons inspector Scott Ritter said, “We have a situation where classic deterrence is failing. NATO and the United States have articulated a strategy for the strategic defeat of Russia.” Russia will never allow that to happen, warning the collective West that Russia will not tolerate an intervention in Ukraine. He added that Russia doesn’t believe in a limited nuclear exchange. Today’s Western “strategists” are committed only to erroneous “policies which will cross Russia’s red lines.”

Helga Zepp-LaRouche and Ritter discussed Ritter’s proposal that “New Yalta” and “New Potsdam” conferences be convened on the respective February and July 80th anniversaries of each in 2025. These conferences would bring experts from the United States, Russia, and many other nations together “to talk about post-conflict resolution between Russia and Ukraine … where Europe and Russia can begin talking about reconciliation in a post-Ukraine environment,” according to Ritter. Zepp-LaRouche responded: “This idea of having a new international conference to discuss how to live together on the planet is the most important.” She introduced her proposal to develop a new security and development architecture “on the model of the (1644–1648) Peace of Westphalia.”

The Grim Reality of Nuclear War

Prof. Steven Starr of the University of Missouri, a leading expert on nuclear warfare, addressed the ignorance and stupidity rampant today. “I get the impression that the political elite in the West are like my students coming in, who know virtually nothing about nuclear war.” Adding that “the Western media have become an echo chamber for official narratives,” he reviewed some of the laughable claims about the Ukraine war which have been relayed to the public with a straight face.

Since WWII, Russia and the U.S. have fought only proxy wars; but that changed with Ukraine’s attacks on targets within Russia. Starr presented an extensive list of provocative NATO actions, including the fact that “NATO is building the largest military base in Europe in Romania.” The Russians are acutely aware of all of this. “We have a leadership, at least in the United States, that is bent on starting a war with Russia,” Starr said. He concluded by reviewing the grim reality of thermonuclear warfare which he has presented in previous meetings.

Dr. Chandra Muzaffar of Malaysia, President of the International Movement for a Just World (JUST), said that the West obscures the fact that the intention of the Ukraine war is the annihilation of Russia. The IPC, having met consistently for now 49 weeks, has become a major factor in the world strategic situation. “That we have sustained this dialogue for so long is a great achievement.… We can reach out to various groups, on the Russian side, and in the West. Both have to realize the danger that faces us. I cannot think of a moment in our history where we have come as close to Armageddon, a total destruction. We don’t have much time.”

A Sign of Hope From the UK

Sian Bloor, an organizer for the Workers Party UK, reported on George Galloway’s recent election victory. Galloway, an independent, won more votes than the Labour, Conservative and Liberal party candidates combined, shocking Britain’s entire political establishment. Galloway’s victory shows the disaffection in the UK electorate with what she described as the “uniparty” or “duopoly,” the Labour and Conservative parties: “You can’t get a cigarette paper between them as George regularly says.” She was joined by New York independent Congressional candidate Jose Vega, running against Richie Torres, author of a Congressional bill to suppress the support among college students and faculty for stopping the destruction of Gaza.

Italian Nuclear Engineer and founder of Atomi per la Pace (Atoms for Peace), Vincenzo Romanello, warned that the worst part of nuclear war would be the resultant radioactive fallout, followed by nuclear winter. No one would survive. He discussed the nuclear energy technologies for desalination that will make the Oasis Plan a success.

Every Nation Must Develop

Father Harry Bury of Pax Christi spoke passionately about the need to “spread the word” about the Oasis Plan everywhere. He lamented how few people are advocating it, calling on the IPC to immediately remedy this. The First World War taught us that by punishing Germany, we brought Hitler to power. By helping the vanquished nations after World War Two, we laid the foundation for peace. He compared the Oasis Plan to the Marshall Plan, and concluded, “We need to work hard to help every nation to develop.” He was followed by a live report from Diego Machuca López and Fernando Garzón of the Ecuadorian-Palestinian Union, who were participating in a demonstration for Gaza in Guayaquil, Ecuador.

In her concluding remarks, Zepp-LaRouche said, “If the elites understood what they are playing with, they wouldn’t do it.” The most important weapon, speaking metaphorically, is to be informed strategically,” encouraging participants to sign-up for a complementary introductory subscription to the EIR Daily Alert. She called attention to conductor and pianist Daniel Barenboim’s recent essay on the 200th anniversary of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, which Beethoven presented to the world on May 7, 1824. “There is goodness in the universe, and that will prevail,” Zepp-LaRouche said.