EDITORIAL

The Screw Turns on Obama; Will It Be in Time?

April 18 (EIRNS)—As he prepares to travel for an April 20 meeting with Saudi Arabia’s King Salman, followed by lunch two days later with the British Empire’s Queen Elizabeth in Buckingham Palace, Barack Obama is getting slammed from multiple directions. But will he be removed from office in time to prevent the launching of thermonuclear World War III?

The uproar over Obama’s coverup of the Saudi role in financing and facilitating the 9/11 terror attacks, is escalating by the hour. Congressmen Walter Jones (R-NC), Stephen Lynch (D-MA), and Thomas Massie (R-KY) on Friday April 15 sent an open letter to Obama, urging him “in the strongest possible terms, that the 28 redacted pages of the Congressional Joint Inquiry Into Intelligence Activities Before and After the Terrorist Attacks of September 2001 be released to the American public before you depart to visit the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia next week.” Today, the three congressmen followed up with a joint press release to widely report on their open letter, and to emphasize that Obama must act before he travels to Saudi Arabia.

The public uproar has reached the point where even Democratic Presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders—both acutely aware of sentiment in the state of New York, which will hold its Democratic primary on April 19—were forced to clarify that they did, in fact, support the JASTA bill, (Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act) which forces the Saudis to answer in a U.S. court of law for their 9/11 crimes. Sanders even allowed that Obama should release the censored 28 pages “as soon as possible.” The New York Daily News welcomed their about-face with the screaming, front-page headline: “Hill & Bern Turn on Bam.”

Lyndon LaRouche today underscored, in his weekly webcast discussion with the LaRouche PAC Policy Committee, that “This is something which has the potential of forcing a turn of the screw, and that’s exactly what we’re looking for.” He stressed that “the existence of the Saudi role is determined by the policy of the U.S.,” especially under the Bush and Obama presidencies, including the dirty operations run by the FBI. And removing Obama from the office of the Presidency is the only effective way to stop the ongoing terror and treachery.

That is also the required step to stop the countdown to nuclear war, stemming from escalating U.S. and NATO provocations that strategically endanger Russia and China. These two countries are countering the threats, as they said they would—with asymmetric responses in different theaters around the planet. On April 11, Russia buzzed the USS Donald Cook in the Baltic Sea close to their coastline; on April 14, Russian fighter jets intercepted an American spy plane also close to Russian territory; and on April 15, Russia test-launched a nuclear-capable Iskander missile, which hit its intended target 200 km away, after having defeated simulated “enemy” anti-missile defense systems.

But the principal obstacle to defeating these policies, LaRouche emphasized today, is that Americans have become slaves to public opinion—with the help of the FBI. They are “completely subservient to these kinds of degeneration, and that’s the characteristic. That’s what makes it function. It’s that people are conditioned to grovel” in front of those who are destroying their livelihood and taking the world to war. Americans have tolerated a reversal of FDR’s economic policies, and that has destroyed the U.S. and world economy. A return to those policies, with a global Hamiltonian development system to replace the bankrupt trans-Atlantic financial system, is the task immediately before us.

Winning this battle, LaRouche stated, “is a very risky endeavor…. You have to fight against popular opinion. If you can’t fight against popular opinion, you don’t have the courage to do the job that has to be done. That’s the real issue here…. I know that anything you are going to do that is going to mean anything, is something you have to fight your way through. Without that, you will not succeed.”

STRATEGIC WAR DANGER

Syria Peace Process Unraveling, Just What Obama’s Plan B Needs

April 18 (EIRNS)—There are more and more reports in the Western media claiming that the Russia-U.S. brokered truce in Syria is in the process of unraveling, and blame is most often laid at the feet of the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad and its Russian backers for allegedly violating the ceasefire and for refusing to accept the demand that Assad leave before any political transition is agreed on. European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini was in Tehran over the weekend, calling on Iran to pressure Assad to accept a “a political process that is successful.” Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said that Tehran has no “red line” that would block Mr. Assad’s eventual departure. However, “everybody should get this message…. They need to be serious. They need to try and end the conflict in Syria rather than to try and score geopolitical points…. But it seems to us that Saudi Arabia has yet to understand the need and the imperative of peace and tranquility in this region. When they are ready, we will be ready, too,” he said.

The Saudi-backed opposition at the Geneva talks seems to be on the verge of declaring the truce over and the talks at an end. In an internet message to fighters on the ground, Asaad al-Zoubi, chief negotiator for the Saudi-sponsored High Negotiations Committee, said there was a limit to how long he would negotiate if government advances continued and there was no progress on the opposition demand that Assad must go. “We will not stay for long negotiating…. In the event a missile targets them (rebels), they have to retaliate with ten missiles,” said Zoubi. He added that rebels “must gain control of as many areas as possible, they must take advantage of the ceasefire as the regime has done.”

The collapse of negotiations is exactly the condition mooted as necessary for Obama’s “Plan B”—arming the opposition with MANPADS, which could be used to shoot down Russian planes. Al Monitor, in its “Week in Review” column posted yesterday, warns that Plan B needs to be shelved, or better yet, shredded right away, for reasons including the fact that the so-called moderate groups that the CIA would be supplying with more lethal weapons, often run with al-Qaeda-affiliated Jabhat al-Nusra.

China: We Are Prepared For Obama’s War; We Can Draw a ‘Red Line’ To Make It Clear to Washington

April 18 (EIRNS)—The Chinese Communist Party paper Global Times today published an op-ed titled: “Set Red Line for U.S. To Avoid Military Clash in S. China Sea.” The author, Wang Wenmen, points to U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter’s antics visiting aircraft carriers in the South China Sea, the U.S. military buildup, and constant deployment of military ships and planes “under the guise of maintaining the freedom of navigation.”  Wang calls for China to “set a red line for the U.S. and make clear to Washington, that if it continues to infringe on China’s core interests by challenging China’s territorial claims and not respecting its sovereign rights, it should be aware of a dangerous showdown with China.”

The article calls for China to adopt “more active measures” to counter the provocations, and warns that, “if the U.S. acts on its will to actually go to war with China, the Chinese military will not hesitate to take countermeasures.”

It concludes: “Though China is reluctant to see it, a military clash could be dangerously triggered by accident, given the Pentagon’s frequent and escalating military provocation. But it will not happen unless the U.S. crosses the red line.”

Antonov: Russia and China Share a Common Position on Peace and Security In Pacific

April 18 (EIRNS)—Russian Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov told Xinhua and CCTV in an interview in Moscow today, that U.S. plans to expand missile defenses in the Pacific are destabilizing and a threat to both Russia and China. “The point is that if this small element becomes a part of a missile defense system across the world, then, of course, it will strike down and undermine the system of global security. In fact, it strikes down or even nullifies China’s nuclear deterrent force and causes damage to strategic stability, including of the Russian Federation.” He added that Russia also takes a negative view of the fact that the United States uses its military ties with a number of states to establish a missile system on those states’ territory.

Antonov said that, not only are there no differences between Russia and China, “but there is a common position to strengthen regional peace and international security.” China and Russia are not cooperating against anyone in the military sphere, he stressed. “Our cooperation is aimed at strengthening the security of our countries, including with regard to the international obligations of China and the Russian Federation,” Antonov said.

Russia Continues Asymmetric Response to Obama War Drive, Test Fires Iskander Missile

April 18 (EIRNS)—Both Russia and China continue to make it clear that they will not sit idly by while they are strategically threatened by Obama and NATO war provocations, and that they will instead respond asymmetrically if the threats do not cease. Over the course of last week, in addition to their highly visible interception of the USS Donald Cook and a U.S. spy plane in the Baltic region, Russia also test-fired a nuclear-capable Iskander tactical missile system on April 15.

According to TASS, the Iskander was fired from the Kapustin Yar practice range inside Russia, flew a ballistic trajectory to 40-50 km altitude, and struck its target at 200 km distance. According to a press statement from the Central Military District, “the missile, that incorporates reduced signature technology, was not detected by a simulated enemy’s electronic warfare means, and successfully hit the target.” In other words, Russia is devising systems to neutralize Obama’s provocative anti-ballistic system (including the sea-based Aegis system used by the USS Donald Cook), as it has repeatedly warned it would.

U.S. POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC

Reps. Jones, Lynch, and Massie Urge Obama To Release 28 Pages Before His Trip to Saudi Arabia

April 18 (EIRNS)—On April 15, Representatives Walter Jones (R-NC), Stephen Lynch (D-MA) and Thomas Massie (R-KY) wrote to President Barack Obama, saying that, “We … urge, in the strongest possible terms, that the 28 redacted pages of the Congressional Joint Inquiry Into Intelligence Activities Before and After the Terrorist Attacks of September 2001 be released to the American public before you depart to visit the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia next week….”

Today, a press release was issued by the Congressmen, titled, “Jones, Lynch, and Massie Urge President Obama to Release 9/11 Papers,” reiterating that Obama should release the 28 pages before going to Saudi Arabia on April 20. There are now 44 co-sponsors on House Resolution 14, initiated by these three Congressmen, calling for declassification of the 28 pages.

Excerpts from today’s press release:

“I have read these pages and can say that while their release will not harm national security, the contents are critical to our foreign policy moving forward. I think it’s important that President Obama release the 28 pages—like he promised the 9/11 families he would do on multiple occasions—before his trip to Saudi Arabia so that the American people can know the truth and his trip is as fruitful as possible,” said Congressman Jones.

“We owe it to the families of the innocent victims and to the American people to provide a full accounting of the circumstances surrounding the September 11th terrorist attacks. Declassifying the 28 pages is an important step towards answering some of the questions that remain and it is a matter of justice and good governance to do so in 2016,” said Congressman Lynch.

“President Obama should immediately declassify these pages. Before we involve ourselves in Syria, elected officials and their constituents need to know more about the events leading up to September 11. Understanding what enabled this tragedy to occur is fundamental to drafting a strategy for the Middle East,” said Representative Massie. “I also challenge my colleagues in Congress to read the pages on behalf of their constituents and immediately cosponsor H.Res.14.”

Last year, Congressmen Jones, Lynch, and Massie introduced H.Res.14, a resolution to call on President Obama to declassify the 28 pages of the Joint Inquiry that were initially classified by President George W. Bush and have remained classified under President Barack Obama. The resolution states that declassification is necessary to provide the American public with the full truth surrounding the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001, particularly relating to the involvement of foreign governments.

Sanders and Clinton Feel the Burn, Finally Back JASTA Bill

April 18 (EIRNS)—After hemming and hawing their way to non-declarative statements on the 9/11 issue all day long on Sunday, April 17—specifically the JASTA, “Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act,” co-sponsored by New York Democratic Sen. Charles Schumer—the two Democratic candidates had sudden crises de conscience.

While Clinton almost immediately corrected herself and Tweeted her endorsement of the Schumer-Cornyn JASTA bill, by nightfall Sanders finally came around as well.

“I support legislation by Sen. Chuck Schumer that would allow Americans, including the families of victims of the 9/11 attacks, to use U.S. courts to determine if foreign entities are culpable for terrorist attacks in the United States and seek restitution for the damages and lives lost,” Sanders said in a statement.

He added: “I also believe it is time to declassify the 28-page section of the 9/11 Commission Report on the potential sources of foreign support received by the hijackers,” the statement, posted on his website, continues. “The families of those lost on that terrible day have the right to review any evidence that connects the hijackers to foreign supporters, including potentially those in Saudi Arabia as former Chairman Bob Graham of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence has suggested may be the case. If no such connection exists, then our country deserves the information necessary to put that speculation behind us.”

Sanders continued: “I understand that the Obama administration is conducting a review to declassify that section of the commission report, and I would urge them to declassify this information as soon as possible.” Weak as it is, it was enough for the New York Daily News to headline its coverage “Clinton, Sanders Turn on Obama by Supporting Bill To Allow Families of 9/11 Victims To Sue Saudi Arabia,” saying that the two were in “outright rebellion” against the administration.

COLLAPSING WESTERN FINANCIAL SYSTEM

Guardian’s Larry Elliott Warns Helicopter Money Is ‘On the Way’

April 18 (EIRNS)—In a commentary entitled “The Bad Smell Hovering Over the Global Economy,” the Guardian’s Larry Elliott writes today that helicopter money is on its way, maybe sooner than you think. Don’t be fooled, he warns, by reports that economic stimulus is working and the economy has stabilized.

“Put your ear to the ground though, and it is possible to hear the blades whirring. Far away, preparations are being made for helicopter drops of money onto the global economy. With due honor to one of Humphrey Bogart’s many great lines from Casablanca: ‘Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow but soon.’

“Helicopter money is closer than you think.”

Elliott argues that the situation in China has not really stabilized, and that the so-called recovery in the U.S. is an illusion, given the fact that it is based on low interest rates which are only pumping credit into the stock market and easy loans for car sales. Despite an expanding job market, real incomes are not keeping up with prices, especially of health care.

As for Europe, “over and above the fact that the euro was a disastrously flawed concept, is that the banking system is not fit for purpose. As the IMF noted last week, a third of Eurozone banks have no prospect of being profitable without urgent and meaningful reform. That requires two things: to reduce the number of banks and to do something about the €900 billion (£715 billion) of bad loans sitting on their books at the end of 2014.” He predicts this will not happen anytime soon.

Elliott even points to the fact that “Central banks, of course, swear blind that they are fully in control and that there is nothing to worry about. Perhaps not, but something doesn’t smell right. The fact that economists at Deutsche Bank published a helpful cut-out-and-keep guide to helicopter money last week is a straw in the wind.”

He suggests that following the collapse of quantitative easing, the helicopters may take to the air in 2017.

Impeachment Moves Bankers’ Coup Forward in Brazil

April 18 (EIRNS)—Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff called a press conference today after the Chamber of Deputies voted yesterday to impeach her, to reiterate that she has “the will, force and courage” to confront an impeachment so irregular it constitutes a “coup d’état.” Rousseff pointed out that she had been impeached for accounting measures which are not a crime and have been done by every President before her, in a proceeding presided over by “those who carried out illegal acts and have accounts abroad.”

The impeachment vote was a real Jacobin mob scene, with shouting, cheering, and singing of soccer songs by whooped-up backers of impeachment who made speeches about voting on behalf of their mothers, brothers, nephews, children and grandchildren, to end “corruption.” Rousseff was not accused of corruption, but with violating budget austerity regulations. That made no difference, however, after two years of systematic assault by a rerun dubbed “Car Wash” in Brazil of the Queen’s “Mani Pulite” (Clean Hands) operation which was used in the early 1990s to destroy Italy’s political system, strip the country of its sovereignty, and throw it under the boot of the City of London and Wall Street.

Brazilian politicians, businessmen and scientific leaders have been subjected to pretrial jailing on the basis of “confessions” of bribery obtained as plea bargains from alleged witnesses. Those “confessions” are then selectively leaked by the “Car Wash” judges and published in the major financier-owned dailies as proven fact, while British and U.S. Thatcherites (including the Koch brothers and the Atlas Foundation) finance a network of activists leading mass marches, largely of the white upper class, against “corruption.” Roberto Caldas, president of the Inter-American Human Rights Court, associated with the Organization of American States (OAS), correctly denounced this operation to replace courts of law with trial by public opinion. “In a courtroom, everyone has a right to defense with equal time, with equality of arms. In the public arena, without arms, it is like throwing these citizens to the lions,” Caldas told Carta Capital on April 14.

Many of the leaders of the drive to impeach Rousseff are themselves already under investigation for corruption, and are next in line to be indicted. With London demanding that any new government impose unending austerity, (in the words of the City of London’s weekly Economist: “painful spending cuts and tax rises … reforms to unaffordably generous pensions and the rigid labor market”), expect this nation of 200 million people to descend rapidly into utter chaos, if the British operation is not defeated at the source.

Despite her willingness to fight against the ongoing coup, Rousseff has so far failed to identify the actual source authors and strategic intent behind this operation, continuing her stated policy of treating the coup attempt as entirely a domestic fight.

Not so the Russian government. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova issued a statement today pointing to foreign meddling in this process: “Russia and Brazil have a strategic partnership and successful experience of long-term cooperation in various multilateral formats: the UN, G20, BRICS. We express hope that any problems that may arise in this politically difficult time for our partner will be solved within the constitutional legal framework, without outside interference,” Sputnik reported from the statement.

Argentina’s Fernández de Kirchner: Charge the Macri Mafia with ‘Illicit Association’ for Financial Speculation

April 18 (EIRNS)—In a series of Tweets today, former Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner lambasted President Mauricio Macri and his political and financial mafia, demanding they be charged with the crime of “illicit association,” in what she called “an endless scandal.”

Her Tweets follow revelations by TV commentator Roberto Navarro of the C5N network, that the Macri family and its company, current cabinet members, intimate Macri friends and confidants and the pro-Macri dailies La Nación and Clarín, had purchased large quantities of dollar-futures contracts between October and November of 2015, and then made huge profits following the almost 50% peso devaluation decreed immediately after Macri took office Dec. 10.

Recall that the Macri-linked Judge Claudio Bonadio, who, it turns out, authorized these payments on the futures contracts, has accused Fernández, her former Finance Minister Axel Kicillof and former Central Bank (BCRA) Governor Alejandro Vanoli of “illicit association” in the sale of these same contracts. He alleges that because the dollar value in the sale was set well below the dollar’s market value at the time, the country suffered billions in losses. In fact, it was the devaluation that caused the losses, while the Macri mafia made a killing by shorting the Argentine national currency, the peso, which they then proceeded to destroy once in office!

The denunciation against us claims we acted in an “organized, systematic and deliberate” manner to provide “undue benefits to unscrupulous third parties,” Fernández explained. Well, let’s look at who’s unscrupulous. Listing the Macri-linked individuals and companies Navarro had exposed, she affirmed that, “looking for the trail of the K[irchner] money,” they found “the trail of the M[acri] money in the Panama Papers and the offshores of Macri, his family members, his business partners and employees. Who benefitted from the devaluation? Obviously those who decided to devalue. Who lost? The Argentine people, as always.”

So, Fernández concluded, “in investigating the dollar futures, they found that the ‘unscrupulous’ purchasers and beneficiaries of the devaluation also belong to [Macri’s] PRO party. After four months, the mechanism of corruption of those who, as ‘champions of morality’ came to bring us ‘transparency,’ has been exposed… This is true illicit association which hides its crimes with cynicism and hypocrisy.”

Egyptian President el-Sisi: Beware if Egypt Collapses

April 18 (EIRNS)—Upon the arrival in Cairo yesterday of French President François Hollande, journalists tried to turn his joint press conference at the airport with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi into a human rights circus against Egypt, with some using the murders in Egypt of the Italian graduate student Giulio Regeni and a similar case involving a French citizen, Eric Lang, found dead in 2013.

“We are exposed to evil forces which try with all their might to shake Egypt’s stability, and try to give a false impression of what is going on in our country,” el-Sisi said. “I want to clarify something important to the European community and to Egyptians as well: Our job is to protect a nation of 90 million inhabitants. You cannot imagine what would happen to the entire world if this country collapses.”

On human rights as such, el-Sisi said: “European norms cannot be applied in troubled countries such as Egypt. The area in which we live is very turbulent.”