Jan. 5—“In the face of unprecedented pressure and provocations from the West, we defend our principled positions and protect not only our own interests, but also the interests of all those who stand for a truly democratic world order and the right of countries freely to determine their destiny,” said Russian President Putin during his December 30 video summit with Chinese President Xi.
“President Xi emphasized that the world has now come to another historical crossroads,” reads the Chinese readout of the summit. “To revert to a Cold War mentality, provoke division and antagonism, and stoke confrontation between blocs, or to act out of the common good of humanity, to promote mutual respect and win-win cooperation — the tug of war between these two trends is testing the wisdom of statesmen in major countries.”
The relationship between the two non-NATO members of the Security Council has been strengthened by the incessant, and increasing provocations against them by the US-UK-NATO bloc, which seeks to destroy them as exemplars of the independent sovereignty the would-be unipolar hegemons cannot tolerate. The recent attack on Russia’s Engels-2 strategic air force base is a significant escalation.
That US-UK-NATO bloc has less and less to offer the world — besides terrible advice. And the world as a whole realizes it. International trade is moving away from dollars, as energy and other deals are increasingly made in national currencies. Sanctions have had a profound effect on the world economy, driving millions into food, fertilizer, and energy poverty, even as Russia’s current account surplus soars. De-dollarization, well underway, is coming to be De-Westernization.
Consider Philippines President Marcos’s very successful trip to China this week. Tens of billions of dollars in bilateral deals were signed. “China is the strongest partner of the Philippines, and nothing can hold back the continuation and development of the Philippines-China friendship,” he said. Efforts to bring the Philippines into an anti-China alliance, such as over disputes in the South China Sea, have failed.
At the suggestion of Patriarch Kirill, and with the encouragement of Turkish President Erdoğan, President Putin has declared a 36-hour truce to allow the faithful to celebrate Christmas, celebrated on January 7 in the Orthodox tradition. Unfortunately, Ukraine has rejected the ceasefire.
Who can bring peace? And who must be brought to the table?
Italian Prime Minister Meloni’s offer to help in peace negotiations was rejected by Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Maria Zakharova: “It is strange for us to hear mediation proposals from nations that have taken an unambiguous and quite aggressive anti-Russian position from the very beginning of the military operation in Ukraine… In light of the agenda-driven stance taken by Italy, we obviously cannot consider it either an ‘honest broker’ or a potential peace process guarantor.”
Peace is not a matter of negotiations between Ukraine and Russia simply. It is a matter of ending the attempted US-UK-NATO hegemony and adopting new principles for international relations and development. Helga Zepp-LaRouche, Schiller Institute Founder, has issued ten principles for such a discussion, and, through her co-thinkers, is moving the deliberation forward:
On Sunday, January 8 at 2 p.m. US eastern time, Diane Sare will host an online policy discussion, “Can Nuclear War Be Avoided? Only If the U.S.A. Becomes Trustworthy,” with Scott Ritter, Col. Richard Black, Steve Starr, Helga Zepp-LaRouche and others. The event will only be on Zoom, so you must register here.
On Tuesday, January 10 at 11 a.m. eastern, the Schiller Institute will host an internet discussion “Do You Care about International Law, Frau Merkel?” with Ray McGovern, Scott Ritter, Helga Zepp-LaRouche, General (ret.) Dominique Delawarde, Colonel (ret.) Alain Corvez, and others.
On Saturday, January 14 at 10 a.m., the LaRouche movement will host an event on, among other things, recovering the soul of the United States. “To Stop NATO’s World War, Dismantle the ‘JFK International Assassination Bureau’” will include Garland Nixon, Helga Zepp-LaRouche, and Ray McGovern.
In early February, the Schiller Institute will hold a major conference “Ten Principles for Organizing a New International Security and Development Architecture.”
