March 23, 2025 (EIRNS)—As Benjamin Netanyahu continues the campaign of ethnic cleansing against the Palestinians, he is facing increasing popular unrest, both because of his attempts to fire leading members of the government and a growing recognition that the only hope for the remaining Israelis held in Gaza is to negotiate a full ceasefire with a plan for the day after.
The dangerous situation in Southwest Asia has been maintained as a powder keg, ready to be ignited if there is a serious threat of peace breaking out in the world. That Christian Zionism—the belief by people who call themselves Christian that by bringing the Jews to Israel, the Rapture will be brought about—was most prominently promoted in Britain points to its role as a social tool.
Netanyahu’s greatest dream of all, dragging the United States into a war with Iran, poses the danger of unimaginable conflict, including with nuclear weapons. The shocks to the world economy would spell the end of the current animation of the zombie-like trans-Atlantic financial systems.
In the United States, support for the Palestinian people is becoming increasingly illegal. The supposedly pro-free speech Trump administration has charged forward in instituting a task force to combat “anti-Semitism,” an effort that has already succeeded in forcing Columbia University to give in to its demands: harshly disciplining protesters, adopting a definition of anti-Semitism that includes speech critical of the State of Israel, and installing thought-policing to control dialogue in its Middle East department, among others.
At the border, more and more travelers are reporting that their political activities are being scrutinized, and holders of valid visas are denied entry.
As Europe thinks about how to maintain NATO without the United States, Canada’s new Prime Minister Mark Carney promises to join in, with a military buildup of his own.
How much labor, money, and material are wasted on military expenditures that could be avoided altogether with diplomacy and discussion? Looking at China gives some insight—its gleaming new infrastructure, growing scientific acumen, and potential for peaceful enjoyment of life testify to the value of investing in internal improvements, rather than armaments.
Truly, we must beat swords into plowshares.
Otherwise, the resolution of the NATO-Russia conflict playing out in Ukraine—possibly the most favorable foreign policy goal of the Trump administration—may only be a Pyrrhic victory, if the military resources shoveled into that black hole are simply redirected against Iran, or even China.
While the energy infrastructure ceasefire (courteously offered by Putin as a positive gesture in his March 18 discussion with Trump) has not been an unmitigated success, the improvement in diplomacy and discussion is itself an extremely positive development. The imminent arrival of new Russian Ambassador to the United States Alexander Darchiev will remedy the fact that there has been no Russian Ambassador in Washington for nearly half a year.
Trilateral and bilateral meetings among Japan, China, and South Korea in Tokyo give reason for optimism, with dialogue continuing over issues of shared concern (such as the countries’ declining birthrates and aging populations) and others of a more delicate nature, such as maritime disputes.
And the inherently good nature of human beings, our ability through reason to change our ideas and actions, the bending of the arc of the moral universe toward justice—should give us optimism for the future.
The work of the LaRouche movement, whether in the United States, Europe, or internationally, is making that potential a reality.
