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12. juli 2025 (EIRNS) – Schiller Instituttet holdte en to dage lange internationale konference, »Mennesket er ikke en ulv for mennesket: Et nyt paradigme i internationale relationer!«
Panel 1: Samarbejde mellem BRIKS og Europa om at gennemføre Oase-planen for Sydvestasien og Agenda 2063 for Afrika
Panel 1 åbnede i Berlin i morges med en koropførelse af African National Congress’ hymne »N’kosi sikelei« i en firestemmig bearbejdelse af Benjamin Lyloff.Stephan Ossenkopp fra Schiller Instituttet introducerede derefter temaet for den nye dynamik for skabelsen af en ny global økonomisk og sikkerhedsmæssig arkitektur som vejen til at overvinde Vestens inkompetence og dets neokoloniale aggression, en aggression, der, hvis den ikke stoppes, vil eskalere til atomkrig.
Hovedtalen blev holdt af Schiller Instituttets præsident Helga Zepp-LaRouche, der fremhævede Friedrich Schillers begreb «punctum saliens», det historiske vendepunkt, der rummer potentialet for alle aktiviteter, der skaber betingelserne for et nyt paradigme. Dagens situation er resultatet af årtier med forværring af den strategiske situation siden 1971, fortsat med NATO’s udvidelse mod Sovjetunionens grænser, på trods af løfter fra vestlige politikere om ikke at gøre dette. Sovjetunionen stolede på disse løfter, men de blev forrådt. Jeltsin-æraen, hvor den russiske økonomi blev indskrænket af IMF’s »chokterapi«, Maidan-kuppet i Ukraine og dets udvikling til krig mod Rusland, i overensstemmelse med det vestlige dogme om, at Rusland skal ødelægges, at Rusland skal tabe krigen mod Ukraine, eller for at citere den daværende amerikanske formand for Joint Chiefs of Staff, general Mark Milley, der i slutningen af 2022 sagde, at der ville være krig i mange år fremover … Det tyske folk må indse, at deres egen overlevelse ikke er en prioritet, at den vil blive ofret, hvis denne politik ikke stoppes. Og ideen om en begrænset atomkrig fungerer ikke, som Theodore Postol har påpeget: Den vil straks blive til en generel krig – 80 år efter Anden Verdenskrig, hvor »Aldrig mere krig« blev proklameret. Tyskland er udsat for en eksistentiel trussel om at blive ofret af den anglo-amerikanske fraktion.
Aldrig før har det været så presserende at skabe en ny global arkitektur, og det, der blev erklæret på Bandung-konferencen i 1955 af Den Alliancefrie Bevægelse, nemlig afslutningen på 500 års kolonialisme og krige, må nu blive til virkelighed. Kina har givet et lovende eksempel på, at et nyt paradigme er muligt: Det har løftet 800 millioner kinesiske borgere ud af ekstrem fattigdom og har konsekvent udviklet sin økonomi, så det i dag ifølge en australsk undersøgelse er førende inden for 57 ud af 63 globale banebrydende teknologier. Bælte- og Vej-Initiativet, der blev søsat i 2013, samarbejder i dag med 150 nationer. Dets økonomiske aktivitet involverer mere end halvdelen af menneskeheden, og intet af dette er rettet mod Vesten; i stedet er det rettet mod at overvinde underudvikling – hvilket Vesten bør samarbejde om.
Schiller Instituttet er i gang med en rapport, der tager fat på potentialet i et euro-kinesisk-afrikansk samarbejde om store projekter for økonomisk udvikling, efter eksemplerne fra nogle projekter, der allerede er foreslået for Afrika: Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, Transaqua-projektet og Grand Inga Hydroelectric Project. Europa har ekspertisen til sådanne projekter. Parallelt hermed skal Oase-planen realiseres for at give Sydvestasien en fredelig og produktiv fremtid. I modsætning til Vestens konfrontationsmetoder er det nye paradigme et tilbud til alle nationer om samarbejde.
Igen: Som Friedrich Schiller skrev i 1786, befinder verden sig ved et punctum saliens, der rummer potentialet for en overgang til frihed, hvor menneskets eksistens bliver større end omstændighederne. Dette er et revolutionært øjeblik i menneskehedens historie, hvor sværdet erstattes af ønsket om at forbedre tingene, ikke kun for sig selv, men tillige for andre.
Den anden taler var professor Zhang Weiwei (Fudan Universitet, Kina), der præsenterede aspekter af »Vestens relative tilbagegang og resten af verdens fremgang, især BRIKS-landene«, hvis BNP allerede overstiger G7-landenes. Hvad angår udviklingen i Afrika, handler Kina, mens Europa taler. Derfor er den kinesiske tilgang relevant for Afrika. Kinas projekt for at opdyrke Taklamakan-ørkenen er en model for Afrikas kamp mod ørkenerne. I modsætning til Vestens »hårde magt« er Kinas tilgang »at diskutere sammen, bygge sammen, drage fordel sammen«. I stedet for Vestens »del og hersk« tilbyder Kina »enhed og velstand«. En sådan tilgang giver mulighed for et optimistisk blik på fremtiden, og det er yderst gode nyheder for verden.
Dernæst var der en videopræsentation af Dr. Naledi Pandor, tidligere minister for internationale relationer og samarbejde i Sydafrika, der understregede, at denne konference i Berlin ville være begyndelsen på noget helt andet end Berlin-konferencen om Afrika i slutningen af det 19. århundrede. Det ville være begyndelsen på en bevægelse, der, mens verden står på randen af atomkrig og handelskrig, ville skabe et nyt system. Pandor henviste til Schiller Instituttet og dets aktiviteter i den Internationale Fredskoalition som vigtige bidrag til dette nye system. Afrika står over for betydelige problemer, men også betydelige fremskridt. For eksempel er Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda og Sydafrika på vej til at realisere Agenda 2063 – udviklingspotentialer, som suppleres af Oase-planen. Efterhånden som den internationale diskurs bliver mere bekymrende, må disse planer blive fokus for den globale diskurs. Det er muligt, sagde Pandor, da der engang blev skabt en international solidaritet for at bringe apartheid til ophør, at en sådan ny solidaritet kan gøre disse planer til virkelighed.
På baggrund af sine 27 års tjeneste for FN, bl.a. som assistent for FN’s generalsekretær, talte Hans-Christoph von Sponeck fra Tyskland om »De strategiske udfordringer og den nye verdensorden, der er ved at opstå«. Nu, hvor vi befinder os i den største geopolitiske krise, bør man huske drømmen fra Jalta, drømmen om oprettelsen af FN, om at der efter afslutningen af Anden Verdenskrig ville begynde en æra med samarbejde. Denne drøm var meget kortvarig og blev afløst af et mareridt af frygt og konfrontation, men FN-pagten fra 1944 er stadig et tilbud til en menneskehed på 8 milliarder mennesker. FN har brug for reformer: FN’s Sikkerhedsråd er en fiasko, USA’s unilateralisme lammer FN, mindretallet i FN’s Sikkerhedsråd underminerer Generalforsamlingens flertals vilje, og FN’s institutioner skal gøres uafhængige af indblanding. Manglende respekt for folkeretten må have konsekvenser. Der må ikke længere være en vestlig centreret verden, men et system bygget på en multilateral holdånd, der afspejler viljen hos FN’s 193 medlemsstater, som det blev udtrykt på et særligt topmøde i september 2024 med en »pagt for fremtiden«. Den nuværende geopolitiske situation antyder, at vejen til en ny, retfærdig verdensorden er lang, med mange forhindringer, huller og landminer, men det er muligt at opnå noget i overensstemmelse med denne pagt. Alle nationer bør acceptere denne pagt, ikke af geopolitisk pragmatisme, men af humanitære årsager. »At skabe noget nyt betyder at yde modstand. At yde modstand er at skabe noget nyt,« citerede Von Sponeck den store franskmand Stéphane Hessel.
Den næste taler i panelet var Dmitri Trenin, akademisk leder af Institut for militær verdensøkonomi og Strategi, Higher School of Economics University, Moskva. Trenin gav en nøgtern vurdering af de dybtgående forandringer, som Europa og især Tyskland har gennemgået. Europa er fast besluttet på at blive frontlinjen i den militære kamp mod Rusland. Denne konfrontation tjener som en samlende faktor for Europa, der vil erstatte USA som strategisk aktør mod Rusland, mens USA fokuserer på Kina som sin næste fjende. Alt dette sker under den latterlige påstand, at Rusland planlægger at angribe NATO, en påstand, der skal retfærdiggøre militære forberedelser til et angreb på Rusland i løbet af de næste fem år. Fokus på langtrækkende systemer og planer om at sende tropper til den ukrainske front er baseret på illusionen om, at Rusland ikke vil gøre gengæld. Situationen er nu farligere end under Cuba-krisen i 1962, men der er stadig håb om, at det værste kan forhindres ved relevante handlinger i denne 11. time, sagde Trenin.
I en videooptagelse præsenterede Daqi Fan, vicepræsident for Academy of Contemporary China and World Studies, et uddrag af en rapport udarbejdet i samarbejde med Schiller Instituttet. Arbejdstitlen på rapporten, der udkommer i september, er: »Kina-EU’s økonomiske og handelsmæssige samarbejde«. Rapporten er baseret på vurderingen, at Kina og Europa, som er hinandens vigtigste handelspartnere, kan bidrage meget til skabelsen af en ny multipolær arkitektur og dermed yde et stort bidrag til verdensfreden og stabilitet, udvikling og velstand. Dette sker med henvisning til de nu 50 års diplomatiske forbindelser mellem EU og Kina. Partnerskabet mellem dem bør karakteriseres som et partnerskab, der har samarbejde som hovedtræk, uafhængighed som en nøgleværdi og win-win som retningslinje for de næste 50 år.
Den tidligere CIA-analytiker Ray McGovern (USA), medstifter af Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS), var den næste taler, som fortalte konferencen de »gode nyheder« om det personlige møde mellem den amerikanske udenrigsminister Rubio og den russiske udenrigsminister Lavrov, der drøftede en interessant køreplan for Ukraine. Selv om detaljerne fra mødet naturligvis ikke er blevet offentliggjort, må man gå ud fra, at fokus var på at forhindre en stor krig – og det er en god ting. USA må indse, at verden har ændret sig, at en unipolær verdensorden ikke længere er mulig, at der er to andre magter – Rusland og Kina – på scenen, hvor kineserne spiller en særlig rolle. Det står nu 1 mod 2, og kineserne ved, at hvis Rusland taber, bliver Kina Vestens næste mål.
Problemet er, og det indrømmer de russiske ledere, at Rusland stolede på de amerikanske løfter om, at NATO ikke ville udvide sig mod øst – et løfte, der blev givet mundtligt, men ikke skriftligt. Så NATO udvidede sig mod øst. Var sovjetrusserne naive, som Putin har sagt? I det mindste kan man stole på, at Trump ønsker at forhindre en stor krig. McGovern fortalte en anekdote om en kirke i Tyskland, der blev genopbygget efter 2. verdenskrig, men hvor Kristusstatuen ikke havde hænder. Statuen blev alligevel sat på sin plads, og præsten sagde: »Nu er der ingen andre hænder end dine …«
Denne præsentation blev efterfulgt af et indlæg af professor PLO Lumumba, tidligere direktør for Kenya School of Law, der påpegede, at Afrika består af 54 stater, der alle lider under kolonialisme og efter Anden Verdenskrig under USA’s overherredømme. Afrika er stadig en legeplads for andre magter; der er i bedste fald smukke ord, men virkeligheden er en anden. Afrikanerne må overvinde deres egne svagheder, som er udviklet i dette system; de må styrke deres svage institutioner, det er kampens realitet. Der findes løsninger, men diplomati består af høfligheder, som ikke svarer til virkeligheden, som f.eks. de sanktioner, USA netop har indført mod fem afrikanske stater. Afrikanerne har brug for regeringsførelse, ikke nogen urealistiske demokratiske ordninger, hvor andre bestemmer deres skæbne. De stærkeste må ikke få lov til at bestemme, og grusomheder som Tony Blairs ”numre” i Gaza må ikke accepteres. Afrika skal sidde med ved bordet, hvor beslutningerne træffes, og ikke acceptere at blive udelukket. Der skal træffes beslutninger i Afrikas interesse, herunder om gældsspørgsmålet. Vil BRIKS-landene arbejde sammen med en ny overherre, eller uden?
Den sydafrikanske journalist Abbey Makoe var næste taler, som berettede, at han havde lært meget af George Bizos, Mandelas juridiske forsvarer, der reddede Mandela fra at blive hængt under apartheid og i stedet fik ham og hans kammerater idømt livsvarigt fængsel. Journalistikken har gennemgået en dybtgående forandring siden tiden med den amerikanske præsident George W. Bush og den britiske premierminister Tony Blair, hvor »fastlåst« journalistik tjente invasionen af Irak og dens iscenesættelse gennem løgne. Tendientiøse journalister følger reglen: Hør intet ondt. Se intet ondt. Sig intet ondt. Derfor er der ingen rapporter om, at Netanyahu er ond, at Hamas er ond, men at selv efter Israels ødelæggelse af Hamas vil krigen fortsætte.
Ægte journalistik er forpligtet til at følge sandheden. Dette er også netop blevet italesat af Brasiliens præsident Lula på BRIKS-topmødet: »International lov eksisterer kun på papiret.« Hvad angår LaRouches »genopbygning af den globale økonomi« og de »næste 50 år«, synes det at være langt væk, på grund af det faktum at Europa ønsker krig, at det for NATO »er lettere at investere i krig end i udvikling«, som Lula netop har anklaget. Når Lyndon LaRouche (1922-2019) ser på tingene fra himlen, er han måske modløs, gættede Makoe.
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Panel 2: Voices of Sanity from the Western World
The second panel, moderated by Claudio Celani, editor of the {E.I.R. Strategic Alert Service}, began with a musical offering: Tenor John Sigerson, accompanied by pianist Martin Kaptein, presented two songs by Robert Schumann, {Belsazar} (to a text from Heinrich Heine), and {Der Himmel hat eine Träne geweint} (to a text from Friedrich Rückert).
Then, Jacques Cheminade from France, President of Solidarité et Progrès, discussed “A new beginning to avoid human annihilation”. He started out quoting Helga Zepp-LaRouche’s “tenth principle”, that man is fundamentally good. “This has to be the position, from which to meet the strategic challenge. No way to hide, no place for romantic despair. In such a world, to take refuge in the coward comfort of pessimism would amount to cooperate with the evil.” We have to confront the worst danger in human his tory, he said, because it is based on its control of the most ad vanced technology deployed worldwide, “to rule the world with digital weapons.” But, their policy is self-de structive, “like a casino player who continues betting against the reality principle.” Their system is “doomedtodrownfor lack of energy,” and the devel opment of the generative artifi cial intelligence (AI) has reached its limit: “To steal data from the web andonline human activity has reached its limit, and to face this scarcity in the real world, the tech masters are issuing artificially generated data by the algorithms from … AI itself!… Of course this creates the conditions of a model collapse: increase of biases, loss of diversity and amplification of mis takes and errors.”
“From Intel Officer to Peace Activist,” was the theme of Elizabeth Murray, former U.S. Deputy National Intelligence Officer for the Middle East. Since retiring, she has become an activist and taken part in several protests, including one at a Raytheon facility which manufactures nuclear weapons. She faces charges of criminal trespassing for entering this facility on Ash Wednesday with a sign that said “Raytheon nu clear weapons will turn all of us into ashes.” She organized at another military base, as part of an action that had been going on for 40 years, respectfully planting seeds of doubt. “Never underestimate who will be influenced with your actions,” she ended.
Ali Rastbeen, president of the Académie de Géopolitique de Paris, France, which co-sponsored the conference, described the frontlines of the conflicts in the Middle East, since 1970: “On the one hand, a pro-Western axis formed by Israel, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt; on the other, an ‘Axis of the Resistance,’ composed of Iran, Syria, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Hamas, often backed by Russia.” In this context, he raised the question, “What theoretical and practical perspectives allow us to think about peace in the Middle East today?” He answered: “Peace cannot be thought of without law, without justice, without the sovereignty of peoples. It can only exist if the balance of power is governed by common, universal rules that are applied fairly. It requires a rebuilding of trust, based not on domination, but on cooperation and mutual recognition.” He warned: “Multipolarity, if not accompanied by shared norms, will only result in disordered chaos. It will only become an opportunity for peace if it allows for the emergence of a cooperative, non-conflictual balance.”
Donald Ramotar, former President of Guyana (2011 2015), stated that U.S. and European policies “are based on wars and threats of wars,” including sanctions “against countries and international organizations, and even against individuals…. There is a genocide taking place, in the plain sight of the world, but no attempt to stop it is being done.” The United States and NATO members in particular, he said, “are not just complicit in this barbarism, they are participants and facilitators. They have even moved to destroy inter national law and international institutions.” But there is hope, he said, because of “the rise of the Global South,” as a result of the decisions taken by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, to come together, in order to create a more fair and more equitable system and prosperity. “This win-win philosophy of mutual benefit is what we have to look forward to. New institutions are being created, like the BRICS bank, and hopefully other institutions that look for justice and prevent wars, by creating development.” But: “We have to continue to be on guard against the machinations of the West.
Italian trade unionist Alessia Ruggeri, a representative of the Southern Italy Party, read a short message supporting the Schiller Institute’s call for a new international security and development architecture.
Diane Sare, president of The LaRouche Organization and former independent candidate for one of New York’s seats in the U.S. Senate, asked: “We have been accustomed to measure our success with arbitrary standards, like number of votes, numbers of social media likes.… But how does the universe measure ‘success’?” “Why does this matter?” she asked. “Because we are up against an enemy that believes it can disregard the principles of the creation of the universe, including the nature of man.” But “the controller of the narrative does not win the war. The Truth always has the final say, even if we can’t predict the precise moment that will occur.” Here lies the importance of what is happening in Gaza. “For the last year and a half, I have been saying that the children of Gaza will save the United States.… Because a mass strike isn’t just when people protest an injustice which has been done to them. The change occurs when people are moved to risk their own safety and security for another.… This is what is moving the young people who are protesting the murderous policies of their governments throughout the world. The power of the children of Gaza is located in their physical weakness.” She concluded: “So, speaking here as an American, I would like to propose that instead of emulating the barbarian hordes of the Crusaders, the Spanish Inquisition, the fascist scourge we defeated 80 years ago, or the Modern ‘Global Britain’ of King Charles III, that we … swallow our unjustifiable arrogance, and join forces with the Global Majority, whose dedication to the advancement of the human species is in perfect harmony with our true ideals.”
Dr. Jérôme Ravenet, professor of philosophy and sinologist from France, gave a very thought-provoking speech on “Lyndon LaRouche as a Precursor.” His basic thesis was LaRouche`s placing of human creativity at the heart of a productive physical economy. This is the way to overcome a concept of the economy where man becomes a wolf against man, while according to the logic of the dominant paradigm of economic “reason,” the possession of a good by some implies its deprivation for others. LaRouche, he stressed, opposes the paradigm of rivalry with the promise of creativity. He underpins his hope with a rereading of ancient, Re naissance and post-Renaissance authors ranging from Plato to Schiller and Nicholas of Cusa. LaRouche used the idea and concept of potency “to philosophically ground his approach, for example through the concept of ‘successful survival’ developed in his text In Defense of Common Sense [1989].… LaRouche never ceased to criticize empiricism and logical-deductive reason as inferior or limited modes of knowledge, to emphasize the superior fruitful ness of a ‘creative reason’ placed at the service of a ‘common sense’:he exalted this intelligence capable of seeing with the eyes of the future, of immediately grasping the arrangements or compositional relationships likely to help life prosper.”
He was followed by Achim Bonatz, vice president of the East German Board of Trustees of Associations (Ostdeutsches Kuratorium von Verbänden, OKV), which was a co-sponsor of the conference, speaking on “5% of GDP for the Defense Industry: A Redistribution of National Wealth—Too Great a Demand on Society.” He started his speech, quoting from Friedrich Schiller that “The best merchant is war. It turns iron into gold.” He referred to the latest June 25 NATO summit. This summit decided on bypassing national parliaments to spend 5% of NATO countries’ GDP on armaments. He stated that his math teacher often said that you cannot compare apples with oranges. “This is done deliberately here to deceive the population. Five percent of GDP can account for almost 50% of a country´s national budget. This puts massive pressure on all other budget items, especially social spending.” Five percent of Germany’s GDP is €215 billion. In 2024, the German national budget amounted to €476.8 billion. The calculation for the cost of the planned reintroduction of military service ended up at €500 billion, which is more than the entire budget of 2024. Mr. Bonatz went on to calculate the cost of rearma ment, with more and more shocking figures, showing that even with massivecuts, the state will still be unable to meet its obligations. The armaments and interest payments are eating up all other budgets.
Cornelia Pretorius, of the Mothers against War Berlin-Brandenburg, reported about their affiliated peace groups in different townships in Berlin. Some groups have as many as 30 youths participating. These youths are very well-informed when they join. That is a cause for optimism, she said.
Then, a number of former German and French military officers addressed the audience. Wolfgang Effenberger, a former officer of the German Bundeswehr, who has published books on the pax Americana, among others, discussed “International Law and the so-called ‘Values-Based Order’ of the U.S.A.” He started out presenting core concepts from Immanuel Kant’s Perpetual Peace: A Philosophical Sketch (1795): that no unjust peace should be concluded that contains the seeds of future conflicts (such as the Treaty of Versailles after the First World War); that national territories cannot be exchanged or ac quired; that standing armies must be disbanded; and that no state debts should be incurred in relation to external state affairs. Then, Effenberger listed the numerous wars the United States has begun, during the recent 30 years, in violation of international law, with the intent to gain perpetual advantage over Russia, China, and anyone else. “This is precisely why we should remember Kant’s principles,” Effenberger concluded. “A unipolar world will always end in des potism. Respect among states allows only a multipolar world order.”
Major (ret.) Florian D. Pfaff, a representative of the Darmstädter Signal, an association of active duty and former soldiers who are active in the peace movement, reported on how school administrations invite Bundeswehr recruiters to address school classes, but try to keep him and other opponents of war away from the students.
Colonel (ret.) Jacques Hogard, a former officer of the French Foreign Legion and the French Special Forces, reported on how he, a career officer coming from a military family, resigned his commission when he recognized, during the Kosovo War, “that the U.S. were our ‘best enemy’.… We were in a false position since we were coming to help an Albanian rebellion … [that] was considered until 1997 as a terrorist movement, included on the list of terrorists by the United States of America, and strangely suddenly passed into the camp of our best allies.” He called for a return to General Charles de Gaulle’s concept of a “Europe from the Atlantic to the Urals.… That Europe would make sense. Because it would be a balanced Europe, between two poles. To the West, one pole would be France, and to the East, Russia.” He then quoted Chateaubriand: “When Russia and France are allies, are close, well, Europe does well. And when they are divided, Europe
does badly.”
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Concert: A Musical Dialogue of Classical Cultures
A highlight of the conference was the concert on Saturday night, titled „The Beauty of Cultural Diversity“. The performers were professional musicians, as well as members and friends of the Schiller Institute, from many countries and ages from 25 up to 90 years. The combination really radiated cultural diversity, with a Swedish-Finnish soprano, an Albanian-Danish-German soprano, an American tenor, a Chinese baritone, a young Dutch-Russian-German pianist and the Schiller-Institute chorus bringing together singers from Paris, Copenhagen, several German cities and the U.S., directed by a French as well as a German member. A professional conductor from Berlin who had years ago led one of our performances helped in the preparation and joined the chiors.
The concert was a little over an hour long, beginning and concluding with the chorus, whose members were excited to sing together again after a long pause.
We got many positive reactions from the audience. Two of the professionals praised the „profound sound“ of the chorus. Three contacts from France, with no acquaintance with Classical music ever before, were enthusiastic, and one of them expressed the wish to learn to sing.
There was an arc between the opening, with the 2nd movement of Haydn’s great work „The Creation“, ending on beautiful harmonies to the words „A New World Sprang Up“, and the end, with two songs about freedom, the spiritual „Oh, Freedom“ and the famous German song „Thoughts Are Free“ (Die Gedanken sind frei). The audience thanked with great applause.
—– Box —–
The program:
Joseph Haydn – From “The Creation”:
Nun schwanden vor dem heiligen Strahle … Und eine neue Welt
(Now vanish before the holy beams … A new created world)
Choir of the Schiller Institute, conducted by Werner Hartmann,
John Sigerson, tenor, Martin Kaptein, piano
Lola A. Gjoka – Eja Vashe (“Come, girl”), Albanian song
The Brocade Lute, Chinese song
Kanding Love Song, Chinese duet
Feride Gillesberg, soprano, Fan Xu, baritone, Martin Kaptein, piano
Robert Schumann – From the Heine Songs, Op. 24
Es treibt mich hin, es treibt mich her (“It drives me here, it drives me there“)
Schöne Wiege meiner Leiden (“Beautiful cradle of my sorrows“)
Anfangs wollt’ ich fast verzagen (“At first I almost despaired“)
Mit Myrten und Rosen (“With myrtle and roses“)
John Sigerson, tenor, Martin Kaptein, piano
Alexander Siloti – Prelude in B minor after J.S. Bach
Sergei Rachmaninoff – Prelude in G major, Op. 32,5
Martin Kaptein, piano
Franz Schubert – Die Götter Griechenlands (“The Gods of Greece“)
Peter I. Tchaikovsky – Adieux Forets (“Farewell, Mountains”), Aria of Johanna
Giuseppe Verdi – Ave Maria from “Othello”
Leena Malkki, soprano, Werner Hartmann, piano
Oh Freedom, Negro Spiritual
Die Gedanken sind frei (Thoughts Are Free), German folksong
Choir of the Schiller Institute, conducted by Johanna Clerc
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Panel 3: The Scientific Challenges in the New Paradigm
The third panel of the conference, on Sunday morning, began with a presentation of Franz Schubert’s song, {Ganymed}, by Leena Malkki (Soprano) and Werner Hartmann (pianist). Moderated by Michael Gründler of the Schiller Institute, the panel addressed Lyndon LaRouche’s conception of what a scientific method of inquiry should be. The panel also presented a challenging and humorous critique of current policies that are driven by false scientific dogma, especially in the field of energy.
Jason Ross, the keynote speaker, went through evidence of the uniqueness of the human species pathway of evolution compared to all other forms of known life. Humanity has been able to increase its demographic potential exponentially, through the use and development of fire, sciences such as chemistry, and the developing mastery of electricity and nuclear power. Ross outlined a few fields where the new frontiers of science are, such as fusion energy; a solution to the Plank-Einstein contradiction; understanding how galaxies move and the universe expands, etc. He then quoted from Lyndon LaRouche on how “information theory,” precursor to modern AI, has replaced scientific teaching in schools and destroyed education, and on the subject of “metaphor,” which LaRouche adopted from the field of poetry as a “crucial feature of those thought-processes bearing upon the geometrical fundamental of physical science.” Ross then announced a series of classes, starting next week, to learn how to think scientifically, going through the thought-process of Plato, Kepler, Fermat, Leibniz, Gauss and Riemann.
He was followed by Prof. Franco Battaglia, former professor of physical chemistry at the University of Modena, who was connected from Italy. Prof. Battaglia showed how “No energy transition is occurring, or is going to occur.” First, Battaglia showed that solar energy is the energy of the past, when, before fossil energy sources were discovered, humanity depended on the sun and most were slaves. He said that the dream of 100% non-fossil fuels, pursued by the EU, is a chimera. Battaglia showed a chart of daily energy demand in an Italian city, which is representative of all cities in the world. Energy demand peaks at 7 PM, when solar panels produce zero electricity. This peak demand must be satisfied with fossil and nuclear sources, and to some extent with hydroelectric. He then showed that the costs of solar energy per kWh produced, is much higher than nuclear power. Finally, he compared solar and fossil energies with the bicycle and the car. People like to use the bike, which consumes no gasoline, but it works only for short distances, with good weather and good physical condition. The car, in contrast, can always be used. Battaglia’s proposal was that governments should scrap all subsidies to solar plants.
Prof. Carl-Otto Weiss, speaking also in the name of his colleague Horst-Joachim Luedecke, demolished the fiction of climate emergency. He demonstrated that 1. Climate change depends on the activity of the sun, and 2. it is impossible to decrease CO₂ amounts in the atmosphere. He also warned against the “time-bomb” represented by CO₂ storage schemes.
Prof. Weiss contended that current climate emergency claims are supported by no scientific measurement. Out of 3000 papers based on measurement, zero of them have found any evidence of significant influence of CO₂ on climate. The atmosphere is a recipient that tends to constantly balance inflows and outflows. If CO₂ is taken away, it will be recovered from the oceans. As to CO₂ storage projects, called “carbon capture and storage,” the high pressure needed to store CO₂ is of 200-300 bar, such that no stone could resist. In case of a pipeline leak, CO₂ would come to the surface and build a 7 meter high layer which could kill every form of life. CO₂ storage is such a weird idea, that Prof. Weiss raised the suspicion that perhaps someone has pushed it as the best way to achieve population reduction.
From nuclear fission to nuclear fusion: Dr. Robert Lechner-Schobel, from Austria, ran a slide-show as a quick introduction to fusion power, the energy of the future that fulfills LaRouche’s concept of energy flux-density. He said there are two kinds of fusion energy: the “hot one’ and the ”cold one.” Whereas there are 45 projects worldwide on the former, the latter, also called Low Energy Nuclear Reactions, exists already, but must be further explored.
Lyndon LaRouche’s scientific discovery in economics was presented by Dennis Small of the Ibero-America desk of EIR. Dennis listed several of LaRouche’s major economic forecasts, starting from the one on August 15, 1971, to Lyn’s famous “Typical Collapse Function” curve, or “Triple Curve,” which prophetically forecast the collapse of the financial system in 2008. He then went on to compare Nicholas of Cusa’s demonstration of the “subjectivity” of science, and LaRouche’s correlation of applied creativity in scientific discoveries with the increase of relative potential population-density. LaRouche’s “Triple Curve” function is still useful today to explain why the system has taken a path of self-destruction recently, with the
decision to expand a bubble of privatized money into unprecedented dimensions. The system must be urgently put into bankruptcy reorganization, as LaRouche demanded.
The last speaker in the panel was a young farmer from Kenya, Jusper Machogu, who has founded an organization called Fossil Fuels For Africa. Jusper explained why Africa needs to use its fossil resources to develop agriculture, and won’t allow anyone to prevent that. African farmers need fertilizers, as they use them much less than their colleagues in Europe or in China. This is the key reason for the lower yield of African crops. Then, an increase in water use, mechanization, and industry is required in order to process their own food products. Finally, there is a need to produce cement, steel, etc. for other industrial activities required to support a self-sufficient agriculture. He praised the Schiller Institute for its fight in defense of African interests.
In the remaining short time for the discussion, the question on the safety of nuclear power was raised from the audience, to which both Weiss and Lechner-Schobel answered. Whereas the latter emphasized fusion as the solution to radioactive waste, Weiss pointed to advanced methods for significantly reducing the waste, mentioning as an example Bill Gates’ natrium reactor project.
Professor Battaglia was asked by the moderator to comment on the fact that, whereas Europe tries to reduce CO₂ emissions, in the rest of the world they grow. Battaglia exposed the insanity of the EU target for zero emissions, which will never be achieved.
Finally, Ross had a few words on the damage done to science by climate ideologues and activists, who claim they speak “in the name of science.” To remedy that, we should not be defensive and react by referring to “traditional” science, as tradition can be good or bad, but rather resume “classical” science, about which he will have more to say in the upcoming international seminar series that begins next week.
Panel 4: The Beauty of the Diversity of Cultures…
If humanity is to establish continuity, then it is crucial that its future be put up for serious consideration and deliberation. This has been the central theme to Lyndon and Helga LaRouche’s life work. This is why Helga Zepp-LaRouche, who moderated this panel, started off the fourth panel, by stressing the importance of the return to Classical European Culture, and the role of the youth in rediscovering the classical culture and developing the necessary milieu, a seed crystal of a dedicated youth cadre, to execute such a feat, which is admittedly very difficult in the present situation in the West. Helga posed this as a challenge and a necessity to escape the current crisis.
To that, the floor was passed off to Harley Schlanger, who noted that we are dealing with a British oligarchy that harbors a disdain toward humanity, promoting geopolitics and dividing humanity into warring nations and parties. The oligarchy also pushes pessimism onto populations to make them believe in the alleged futility to take on the oligarchy, despite the emergence of a global rebellion against the oligarchical establishment.
Humans are, Schlanger stressed, created with a unique quality of creativity, by being the image of that creator. However, because of the gross cultural decadence, many of us lost that knowledge of innate creativity and the universality of humanity.
Now it is the time to completely put aside and discard any laws or axioms that were arbitrarily formed from some “authority”. Instead, the State has to respect and follow provable universal laws that can be applied to humanity as a whole. Unless it follows that criteria, and serves the general welfare of the people, the state is illegitimate.
Therefore, we need a liberation struggle – a Third American Revolution – to liberate the American people from their status as herded cattle, who are slowly walking into butchery by the oligarchy. Harley posed the challenge for us, the harbingers of a new Renaissance, to revive humanity and move us away from mass slaughter.
He then showed a video of Lyndon LaRouche, on how he created the Youth Movements of the 1970s and the 2000s, and a caution on how cultures are destroyed by Dark Ages, and the necessity of creating a new Youth Movement.
In the era of the New Silk Road, which the Schiller Institute supports Western integration into, Helena Chang from SINOpress brought up a critical point of the Old Silk Road: The most important aspect of the Old Silk Road was not the fact that it facilitated trade of goods between civilizations, but its importance for the transfer of ideas and technologies. If the Old Silk Road proved to be a vector of ideas and technology from East to West, what could a New Silk Road with paved roads for motorized vehicles, rail lines, sea ports, new airports be like in that regard, at the current level of technology we enjoy today?
We have to break from the current lattice of endless wars and geopolitics to move to a new and less familiar system, where harmony between the Civilizations can easily be fostered. She brought up the problem of persisting Western bias towards the non-western parts of the World. But the natural inclination between human civilizations is to interact, rather than to clash. The insistence towards “The Clash of Civilizations” is artificial, and predicated on a top-down intellectual canonization of geopolitics.
Then, Maurizio Abbate, President of the National Institute for Cultural Activities (ENAC), Italy, brought to light, in passionate terms, the problem with the ubiquity of war on our planet, as well as the systemic economic and financial crisis that, to this day, has remained unresolved. Governments have cut funding to hospitals, schools and programs that are supposed to help people, instead have decided to commit more resources to war. The institutions established for the purpose of mediation, such as the United Nations, are now dead, and we must move beyond them and adopt alternatives to a dead, or necrotic system.
Jens Jorgen Nielsen, of the Russian-Danish Dialog organization talked about the importance of dialogue with Russia, with lines of dialogue between heads of state of the two nations. He also gave an overview of the religions of Russia, focusing on Orthodox Christianity and a view that is more critical of the Renaissance.
… and the Role of Young People in Shaping the Earth’s Next 50 Years
The final part of this panel brought a number of representatives of the youth to the podium, to add their take on what is needed to create a future for all of humanity.
Pianist Martin Kaptein gave a presentation on how the piano in particular plays a key role in uplifting the mind. He gave an interesting presentation on the melody and the harmony from the piano, and that a competently composed piano piece is like a well-designed architecture, and not merely a collection of notes. The piano is key in helping a free people find their balance and organize their thoughts.
Anastasia Battle, editor of the Leonore cultural magazine and co-initiator of the International Peace Coalition, gave a presentation on how to educate a moral citizenry. Starting out by a quote from Lyndon LaRouche’s article “The Death-Agony of Olympus”, she explained why an understanding of Classical tragedy is key to the transformation of the population, from a mere rough existence to being shaped into citizens that can contribute to republican society. Beethoven’s opera, Fidelio, was used as an example. At the end of the opera, Florestan, despite his hardships, found his strength and continued to persist.
Carolina Dominguez reported on her organizing with the LaRouche Youth Movement on University Campuses in Mexico, and their interventions and the proposals they have made at BRICS events. She ended her segment with the statement: “If we are part of something really big, DO THE WORK, become a magnet.”
Kynan Thistlethwaite posed the question: “Why do people get suckered into believing the lies that lead nations into catastrophes, such as wars based on lies?” As an answer, he pointed to the importance for the citizenry to improve their capacity of imagination, as opposed to acting upon sense perception. He used the example of the “Muse of Fire” prologue from the Life of King Henry the Fifth”, as well as excerp
the problem of Venetian Society in that play and how Portia demonstrated the principle negating sense perception through the lead casket, was able to bring to light the quality of mercy in the play to Shylock in the court scene.
Ashley Tran discussed the problems facing Germany: the lackluster, or even absence of recognition, toward Germany’s classical cultural heritage, particularly of Friedrich Schiller. She asked: “Where did Schiller’s Germany go?” She described how Schiller was forbidden, by the Duke of Württemberg, to write any more theater plays, and decided to rather leave Württemberg than his calling as an author. She then discussed Schiller’s famous “Ode to Joy”, which was was inspired by the inception of the American Republic after the Revolution and would later be used to invoke the same American revolutionary spirit in the European people.
Cherine Sultan from France then had an enticing segment titled “Schiller, a non-academic teacher”, where Cherine tears into the academia and reported how the obligation in French schools, to read Balzac, Moliere, and Madame de Lafayette, stymied free inquiry into books or authors that may be more interesting to a young mind. But with a little curiosity and patience, one can find non-academic teachers. As an example for that, she chose Friedrich Schiller, who at 30 gave his inaugural lecture as a professor of history. Schiller had a very unique style. He did not allow himself to be shackled by “facts” and the opinions of academia of his style. She then called on the youth who are to build the next 50 years, “to nourish themselves with the great authors, to pursue great historical and philosophical research. Like Schiller, as long as you draw on the impatient gaze of future generations, no academician or other expert will be able to tarnish your enthusiasm with their ‘benevolent’ corrections of your ‘errors’ and ‘ approximations’.
Daniel Burke gave the final speech, on where he identified Vox Populi, or “The Voice of the People”, or more accurately, manipulation of public opinion through mass psychology to control the population to achieve the oligarchs’ aims and desires. Daniel then posed the question: “Will we transform and uplift the world, or abandon our powers of discovery, thereby becoming a shrunken people, so easily devoured by the seemingly giant and mighty green oligarchs? Or as human cattle being led to genocidal slaughter through the designs the oligarchs have for us?
This will be an effort for all of humanity. Helga ended the conference with this statement. Germany alone will not solve the crisis, and I do not believe the U.S. alone will either. But they are centers of the crisis, and it will take an effort for all of humanity to avert it, and turn the crisis into opportunity.
(Contributions to this report came from Alexander Hartmann, Rainer Apel, Christine Bierre, Christine Schier, Ulf Sandmark, Claudio Celani and Harrison Elfrink.)