The choice between war and peace is now up to the West

What follows is my English translation of a short article originally in Italian, published on Movisol.org yesterday, Wednesday 13th November 2024.

Helga Zepp-LaRouche.

With Donald Trump's landslide victory in the United States, the fall of the German government and the mobilisation of a growing number of nations around the BRICS, we are in a historical moment full of great potential, but also great dangers. The old neo-liberal order is rapidly crumbling, which could push the “military-financial complex” to counter-attack, in a last-ditch attempt to escalate wars and conflicts, particularly in Southwest Asia.

On the other hand, the Global Majority, represented by the BRICS and other countries of the South, is determined to bring about a fair economic and financial system that will enable all nations to overcome poverty and underdevelopment. One possibility, as Brazilian President Lula da Silva has said, is to transform the New BRICS Development Bank into the “big bank of the Global South”, to provide access to development loans on favourable terms and to create additional platforms for the expansion of investment and trade between countries.

The collective West can respond, as it has done so far, by perceiving this potential as a threat to its own hegemonic power and resort to “decoupling”, “de-risking”, sanctions and military threats as means of intimidation. Or it can adopt a positive and future-oriented stance, opting for cooperation instead of confrontation.

The Schiller Institute has announced initiatives to ensure that change takes place in a positive direction, towards a new paradigm in international relations. The international online conference to be held on 7 and 8 December will be a step towards this goal. In the next two weeks, the Schiller Institute led by Helga Zepp-LaRouche (photo) will publish a preliminary brochure on some of the industrial projects on which the BRICS and Western nations could and should cooperate in mutual interest. These include the Transaqua water transfer project for Africa, the port of Chancay and the bi-oceanic railway in South America, and the Oasis Plan for Southwest Asia, all in association with China's great Belt and Road Initiative.

If Western countries were to join forces with the BRICS to promote the economic development of Africa, Asia and Latin America by investing in basic infrastructure, energy production and distribution, communications, agriculture and advanced industry, some two to three billion new productive jobs would be created in the coming years in those countries. This, in turn, would solve the current migration crisis in the only humane way possible, creating an irresistible incentive for people to help build their countries, rather than face the threat of dying of thirst on the road to Europe, drowning in the Mediterranean, or being killed or abused at the US-Mexico border. The political leaders of the BRICS countries, including Presidents Xi and Putin, have repeatedly emphasised that they do not intend to form a new bloc, but are open to cooperation with all, including NATO members, as is already the case with Turkey.

Don't miss it!

7-8 December 2024, from approx. 15:00 to 22:00. Further information on the programme and a registration page will soon be available at https://schillerinstitute.nationbuilder.com/20241207_conference. To have access to simultaneous translation into English, French, German and Spanish on the Zoom platform, please register at the above address.

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