April 18—It is bad enough that the West ignored Russia’s red line against NATO expansion to its borders; but next to no one in the ranks of nominal leadership is honest and moral enough to acknowledge this mistake, and start acting responsibly. Now we have more red lines being crossed. In this dangerous and ugly situation, those singular individuals who do have the character to recognize the red lines, see the big picture, and stand up for a new paradigm, count immeasurably in history.
A current red line of Russia is that no NATO, or U.S. forces be deployed in Ukraine. On Dec. 15, 2021, Russia provided this security proviso in writing to Washington, Brussels, and all NATO capitals, but it was completely ignored. Now several sources, including senior Le Figaro contributor Georges Malbrunot, have reported that the U.S. Delta Force, and British SAS have forces in Ukraine, despite Washington demurring it has “no boots on the ground” there.
In Washington, Sen. Chris Coons (D) is now calling vociferously for U.S. troops to be deployed to Ukraine. Coons is a crony of Biden’s, and now holds the seat Biden had held in Delaware.
Biden, NATO’s head Jens Stoltenberg and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson are all acting to thwart any negotiations to resolve Ukraine and Russia. The EU Commission Vice President and foreign policy chief Josep Borrell expressly has said there must be a “military solution.” He tweeted April 9, after visiting with President Zelenskyy in Ukraine, “This war will be won on the battlefield.”
Accordingly, the Ukrainians refused the Russian offer made April17 of “preservation of life” to all those entrenched in the massive Azovstal steelworks at Mariupol, who would lay down their arms. Reports late today indicate Russian forces are now moving strongly there and elsewhere in the Donbas. The White House has announced that President Biden will hold a teleconference on it on April 19 with European leaders.
Reviewing specifics of these factors, Schiller Institute President Helga Zepp-LaRouche today called for more voices of sanity to step up, from all countries and constituencies, to provide leadership against this insanity, and instead, to mobilize for actions in line with a new paradigm of international relations.
Granted, because of the media black-out, millions of people in the West have no idea that there is a history of NATO moving eastward to Russia’s borders, which predates what they are told is an “unprovoked” Russian attack on Ukraine on Feb. 24. But the stench of the lies in Washington, London, and Brussels is so bad, people can wise up fast.
Another red line being crossed is that of Taiwan being part of one China, which Global NATO denies, while Washington pays lip-service to it. Last week, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Bob Menendez (D-NJ) led a delegation of other Congressmen on a U.S. Air Force jet, to Japan, Australia and Taiwan. Graham met with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen. Menendez and Graham extolled an AUKUS (Australia, U.K., U.S.) military build-up in the Indo-Pacific, to push back against China. “This is a chance for democracies to stand up to thugs and you’ll see a backlash to the thugs all over the world,” Graham declared madly.
Meantime, China and Russia are acting in their national economic and strategic interests in concert and in depth. Today, President Vladimir Putin met with his top economic leaders, to discuss the Russian economy on a televised videoconference. He said that the “economic blitzkrieg” of sanctions against the country is having the worst effect on its originators in the West. Meanwhile, Russia has continued to ship out wheat to selected countries, including Turkey, Egypt, Iran, Algeria, Sudan and China. On April 17, Russia also announced that it will increase the volume of fertilizer it will ship, by 700,000 metric tons.
In China this morning, the State Council reported on economic progress in the First Quarter, with overall year-on-year performance of 6.5% increase in manufacturing, and similar measures. In fighting COVID-19, China is now innovating measures for what is called “closed loop management” of production in factories. Workers in communities with the SARS-CoV-2 virus active, will work at factories for a 14-day period under very safe and monitored conditions, then have a break, with testing and new work cycles planned. The idea is both to save lives and to provide for the means to life at the same time, with no trade-offs.
Contrast that situation with the obvious breakdown and non-mobilization of production in the trans-Atlantic, in the most basic sectors of power, food and water. One recent example makes the point. The Union Pacific Railroad, based in Omaha, Nebraska, a main rail carrier for the farm states from Iowa to California to Texas, has informed CF Industries, a major nitrogen fertilizer company, that CF Industries has to cut its fertilizer shipments by 20% on rail, because Union Pacific can’t handle it. Union Pacific is trying to work down its existing backlog of shipments of grain, ethanol and other commodities. U.S. rail capacity has been underdeveloped for decades, from deregulation, financialization and mergers. This means a disaster for crops and farmers, which is what CFI’s president said in a statement last week.
Combine the disruption with the massive impact of the Western drought in North America, affecting California, through the High Plains, down to Mexico, and the conditions for a food crisis for Americans “at home” are imminent. There have been wildfires in the wheatlands of Kansas and Texas, it’s so dry. The cause is not climate change: It is the decades of lack of construction of water infrastructure. This one can’t be blamed on Putin.
Thus, the immediate dangers of nuclear war, prolonged geopolitical strife and economic breakdown are all aspects of the disintegration of a Wall Street/London political system whose establishment leaders represent only their own worthless selves, and no one else. The situation calls for leaders for the common good to activate, for negotiations for the earliest resolution in Ukraine, and for concerted action against famine, for meeting world health needs, and to secure the future.
