THE PATH TO PEACE HAS BEGUN - IN SPITE OF WASHINGTON, LONDON AND BRUSSELS
...plus some updates from the Middle East.
What follows is my English translation of a short article originally in Italian, first published on Movisol.org on 2nd August 2024 and then on ComeDonChisciotte.org today, 4th August 2024.
As transatlantic nations sink deeper and deeper into the quagmire of permanent war and regime change, China has emerged as a key player in diplomatic efforts to end ongoing conflicts around the world. This has inspired other countries outside the West to join the process.
Just last week, after three days of intensive talks in Beijing with Fatah, Hamas, and 12 other Palestinian resistance groups, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi succeeded in drawing up a three-step initiative towards Palestinian statehood, which envisages the creation of an “interim national reconciliation government” for post-war Gaza. Although there is no guarantee that it will hold, the agreement opens up a new perspective [see my article published on 24th July 2024].
Not long ago, China also brokered a historic agreement between two long-standing adversaries in Southwest Asia, Iran and Saudi Arabia, offering both enhanced cooperation with the Belt and Road Initiative [see this Al Jazeera article, for example].
Then on 23rd July, Wang Yi received Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, who declared that “Ukraine is ready and willing to engage in dialogue and negotiations with Russia... in order to achieve a just and lasting peace” [see this South China Morning Post article, for instance].
Previously, there had been the peace mission undertaken by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, which took the latter to Kiev, Moscow, Beijing, and Washington and was greeted with unprecedented hostility by Brussels [I reported about Orbán’s visit to Putin in Moscow here]. Commenting on the latest developments in a video posted on his X account on 27th July, Orbán wrote: “Let's remember that, despite all the criticism, since the beginning of the peace mission the American and Russian defence ministers have been talking to each other, the Swiss and Russian foreign ministers have been negotiating, President Zelensky has finally called President Trump, and the Ukrainian foreign minister has been in Beijing. In other words, the fermentation has begun. We are slowly but surely moving from a European pro-war policy to a pro-peace policy. This is inevitable, because time is on the side of pro-peace policy”.
This is a promising dynamic. However, as Lyndon LaRouche has always argued, the indispensable key to lasting peace is mutual economic and social development for all hitherto hostile parties. For Palestine, this means the rapid reconstruction and development of the entire region along the lines indicated in LaRouche's Oasis Plan [read this document or watch this video for more information].
Only China is currently in a position to embark on such a massive development project.
The reconstruction of a neutral and de-nazified Ukraine, which has already lost more than half a million people, including the flowering of its youth, will also require a massive injection of energy, transport and other infrastructure. China's Belt and Road Initiative, as Wang Yi pointed out, could help provide them.
Before leaving, a relatively short update from the Middle East: former CIA analyst Larry C. Johnson has reported in his latest blog post that “the Commander of CENTCOM — who normally is based in Tampa, Florida at MacDill Air Force Base — arrived at the Headquarters of the Fifth Fleet in Bahrain. This is just one more indicator that something ugly is in the works”. However, Al Mayadeen has reported that “General Michael Kurilla, the chief of the US Central Command (CENTCOM) which oversees American forces in the region, had planned a visit before the recent Israeli escalations”. Nevertheless, yesterday (Saturday 3rd August 2024), the US Embassy in Beirut (Lebanon) urged its citizens to leave Lebanon on “any ticket available”, with UK, Sweden, France, Canada and Jordan issuing a similar warning, as reported in this BBC article, thus suggesting that the region is going to get hot soon! Some are speculating that the retaliation of the Axis of Resistance against Israel for its assassinations of Hezbollah senior commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut (Lebanon) and Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran (Iran) may happen as early as tomorrow (Monday 5th August 2024), others speculate that it may take place on the Jewish holy day of Tisha B'Av (12-13 August), as reported by Simplicius The Thinker in his latest article:
It is hard to say when the Axis of Resistance will retaliate, but, based on declarations of Lebanese and Iranian officials since the killing of Fuad Shukr and Ismail Haniyeh, they will for sure, as Lebanon and Iran have to respond to the latest Israeli violation of their sovereignty, in order to restore their deterrence and placate their peoples' thirst for vengeance against the Little Satan (Israel) and the Great Satan (the Outlaw US Empire)! Since the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh on 31st July, Iran has been quite explicit in its statements, saying that recent Israeli escalations will not go unpunished. Here is a collection of statements from Iranian officials only from today, all from IRNA (Islamic Republic News Agency):
Iran seriously determined to make Israel accountable: Acting FM
US, Israel will regret Haniyeh assassination: Iran’s parl. speaker
IRGC official: Iran's response to assassination of Haniyeh will be surprising
Al Mayadeen also cites “an informed Iranian source as saying that Iran considers Haniyeh's assassination to be one of its red lines that was crossed, ‘regardless of the details of the operation’, indicating that it will handle the response accordingly. That is why ‘Iran will respond in a way that crosses the red lines set by the Israeli occupation’, the informed source affirmed.”
In the same article, Al Mayadeen quotes The Wall Street Journal as saying that “Iran has refused to provide detailed warnings that would help mitigate the impact of any strike”, meaning that Israel will feel the pain this time. If it struggled to contain the Iranian attack last April, with advance notice and the help of US and UK, it will sustain significant damage from a well-coordinated surprise attack by all parties of the Axis of Resistance, even if the Outlaw US Empire manages to garner help from other (NATO) countries (minus Turkey, of course!).
P.S.: Earlier this evening Yahya Saree, Yemeni Armed Forces spokesperson, announced “new operations in support of the oppressed Palestinian people” and the downing of the 7th American MQ-9 Reaper drone since November 2023, as reported by IRNA. The Outlaw US Empire should take note, because next time the Houthis may down some NATO fighter jets!
I hope the peace process continues and is successful. Thanks for posting, Ismaele.