EDITORIAL
French Election Further Trashes British/Obama War Policy
Nov. 28 (EIRNS)—The overwhelming primary election victory of François Fillon to be the presidential candidate for The Republicans (Les Républicains) of France in Sunday’s run-off primary is further proof that Barack Obama’s drive for war on Russia is intolerable to the human race. Like Hillary Clinton, Fillon’s primary opponent Alain Juppé campaigned against Russia, while Fillon campaigned to work with Russia to defeat the terrorists in Syria, to end the anti-Russian sanctions and expand economic cooperation, winning nearly two-thirds of the right/center vote.
Hillary Clinton, who ran her campaign as a continuation of Obama’s war cry against Russia, is now frantically trying to blame her defeat on Putin! The lunacy of the claim that Putin used “fake news” feeds and computer hacking to steal the U.S. election, now in headlines across the U.S., says nothing about Putin, but everything about the state of mental breakdown by the war party in the United States—the neocons of both the Republican and Democratic parties, who joined forces behind Hillary and were defeated by the electorate, especially the rural and urban workforce.
In fact, Putin did contribute to the defeat of the Obama/Hillary war party, but not secretly or covertly. His consistent demand that the U.S. stop sponsoring terrorists under the guise of arming the “moderate opposition” in Syria to overthrow the legitimate government, calling for cooperation in the war on terror, helped expose Obama and Hillary for what they are.
In the same manner, Xi Jinping’s repeated calls for the U.S. to join in the New Silk Road process of global nation building was rejected by both Obama and Hillary in favor of military confrontation with China, thus exposing their imperial outlook to a population which increasingly admires the incredible development process unleashed by China both within their country and internationally.
Helga Zepp-LaRouche, who has campaigned in the past for the Chancellorship in Germany, said today that despite Fillon’s Thatcherite economic policies, his election further demonstrates the growing disgust in Europe with the anti-Russia hysteria and the danger of war. Trump’s open declaration that he will work with Putin to defeat terrorism led the loser Obama this month to attempt to anoint Germany’s Angela Merkel as his successor, to be the “leader of the free world” in a campaign against Russia. But Merkel is now as isolated as was Obama—like the fake-Gods of Olympus, shouting their demands to the world even as Mount Olympus is crumbling under their feet.
On the same day as the French vote, the Swiss soundly defeated a referendum launched by the anti-nuclear green movement to shut down the nation’s nuclear power facilities. Again, the message to the world is that the “New Dark Age” mentality of deindustrialization and permanent warfare is no longer tolerable to the human race. It is especially a message to the anti-nuclear Merkel that her time has come.
The Western world is experiencing a revolutionary transformation. The LaRouche movement has for years forced the populations of the U.S. and Europe, often against their will, to look at the leadership of the new paradigm coming from Russia and China, and to compare them to the policies dictated by London and Wall Street which have destroyed the trans-Atlantic nations economically and culturally. That truth can no longer be suppressed. Lyndon LaRouche today told his associates: “We are in a leading position right now. We are on top. We know what we’re doing, so let’s have a victory.”
STRATEGIC WAR DANGER
Jihadi Resistance Collapses in Syria’s North Aleppo
Nov. 28 (EIRNS)—The jihadi-controlled east Aleppo pocket in Syria is now 40% smaller than it was on Nov. 26. The jihadis apparently evacuated the northern section of the pocket, earlier today, in order to avoid being trapped in it after a 48-hour assault by the Syrian army and allied militias threatened to cut it in half. The Syrian army assault on the pocket, backed by the Palestinian Liwaa Al-Quds militia and the Lebanese Hezbollah, began 13 days ago, but the rapid series of advances that led to today’s result can be traced back to a series of Syrian army offensives on the northern section of the pocket from the north and the east, which led to district after district falling dominoes starting on Nov. 26.
One result of the unexpectedly fast collapse of jihadi resistance is that large numbers of civilians are now leaving east Aleppo. The Russian reconciliation center estimated, today, that some 80,000 people live in the liberated districts and that another 5,000 have been able to escape from the southern districts that are still controlled by the jihadis. The center said, earlier, that civilians were being cared for in aid camps where they receive medical treatment, food and sanitation. The center said it deployed an additional 150 field kitchens to distribute hot meals among civilians fleeing the embattled city. Both Al Masdar News (AMN) and RT are quoting individuals among these civilians accusing the jihadis of lying, of trying to prevent them from leaving, of denying them food and water and of using them for human shields.
In addition to the civilians, the Russian center reported that more than 100 militants laid down their arms and left eastern Aleppo through the special corridors set up for that purpose.
Another benefit of the liberation of the northern districts of east Aleppo is that residents of the entire city will now have reliable running water. Until today, the Suleiman Al-Halabi Water Pumping Station was under the control of the jihadis, who, according to Al Masdar, would frequently shut off the flow of water to western Aleppo in order to punish the people there for not supporting them. This will now no longer be a problem.
Turkey’s Erdogan and Russia’s Putin In Intense Talks after Attack on Turkish Troops in Syria
Nov. 28 (EIRNS)—Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin have apparently been holding rather intense talks in the last few days over the fatal attack on Turkish troops in Syria on Nov. 24 and military operations in Syria and the humanitarian situation in Aleppo.
Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus stated that Putin had confirmed to Erdogan that the airstrike on Turkish soldiers was not carried out by Russian aircraft. “Russia, through Mr. Putin, confirmed that the aircraft involved in this attack do not belong to them,” Kurtulmus said.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu gave an interview to TASS ahead of the visit of Russia Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to Turkey on Dec. 1, saying it was time for Russia and Turkey to discuss new prospects of cooperation. “We should not speak about how to return our relations to the pre-crisis level. We should discuss how to develop them further and bring them to new heights,” Cavusoglu said, insisting that the wording “before crisis” and “after crisis” should be dropped because it is no longer appropriate for the “strategic vision of both states.”
“Our focus is on $100 billion trade, the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant, the Turkish Stream gas pipeline and other major projects,” he said. “I’m sure that in the coming years we will have many other possibilities to fulfill these joint projects that due to their scale will leave in the shadow the above mentioned ones.”
He said that Turkey and Russia have together defined the “rhythm of movement in Eurasian geography for many centuries.” “We have always seen our relations from this strategic viewpoint. Our leaders have such strategic views for the long run what allowed us to overcome that difficult time in our relations within a short time,” and said that Turkey’s top priority now is to “bring the maximum possible benefit to the people of two countries and the region.”
COLLAPSING WESTERN FINANCIAL SYSTEM
Swiss Greens Fail To Force Early Shutdown of Nuclear Power
Nov. 28 (EIRNS)—The national referendum held in Switzerland yesterday to force an accelerated exit from nuclear power failed, as 54.2% voted against it. Again, pollsters again fell flat on their faces, putting out the picture that the ecologists were ahead shortly before the vote. Had the referendum which had claimed that power plants were not safe beyond an operational age of 45 years, succeeded, three of the five Swiss nuclear power plants (Beznau I and II; Muehleberg) would have had to be taken off the grid in 2017 already. Together with the two other power plants in Switzerland, nuclear technology provides for one-third of the national energy supplies.
One of the key networks campaigning against the Greens, the “Carnot-Cournot Network for Policy Consulting in Technology and Industry,” had unmasked the absolute infeasibility of the Green pipe dreams, and done so effectively, as the outcome of the referendum shows. Specifically, the Network had pointed out that replacing nuclear power would not only be require tens of billions of Swiss francs but also take decades, leaving the country without secured energy supplies in the near future for which even with the most drastic energy-saving measures, the energy needs would increase according to expert forecasts.
Also on the anti-Green front, Irene Aegerter, the former vice president of the Swiss Academy of Technical Sciences, played a leading role, through the “Women in Nuclear” organization which she founded, as a voice of reason and technological optimism, provocatively declaring: “I am a real Greenie. If you care about the climate and the environment, nuclear power is the only possible solution.” A few days before the referendum was held, she voiced optimism that the technology would not be abandoned but return as an attractive option sooner or later, because new generation nuclear power systems are being developed in several countries and will come on the market.
It is worth noting that the “no” vote against the Greens’ views was comparably higher in the German-speaking cantons of Switzerland than in the French-speaking ones—a slap in the face also of the German Greens who had expected the German-speaking Swiss to join the anti-nuclear front. A referendum surprise similar to this one might also occur in Germany, if influential forces along with the LaRouche organization would finally begin to offensively campaign for nuclear technology and take the Greens head-on. But maybe, this Swiss development will spark something in Germany, too.
U.S. POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC
Financial Times Worries of ‘Panic’ if Renzi Referendum Fails in Italy, Economist Says To Vote ‘No’
Nov. 28 (EIRNS)—Not only could “up to eight of Italy’s troubled banks risk failing if Prime Minister Matteo Renzi loses a constitutional referendum next weekend,” says this morning’s Financial Times, but, “a mass failure of Italian banks could trigger panic across the Eurozone banking system.”
In her review of the situation, Rachael Sanderson quickly skips over the “four small banks” needing a bail-out, along with the three mid-sized banks also on the block, and comes right to the big one, Monte dei Paschi di Siena. Even with JPMorgan leading the bail-out, she admits, the “complex €5 billion recapitalization and bad-debt restructuring” plan might not be enough, and that a “worst case scenario … would translate into a wider failure of confidence in Italy and imperil a market solution for its ailing banks.”
In reviewing the Financial Times article, today, Zero Hedge’s Tyler Durden includes graphics which include the scenario of Renzi’s likely resignation, should the referendum fail. He notes that, while Sanderson is worried about the “bail out,” a “bail in” would be “the equivalent of political suicide: the vast majority of bail-inable Italian debt is held domestically, read savers and pensioners. Should they be impaired, it would lead to an overnight social crisis.”
Despite (or perhaps, because of?) all this panic-talk, Durden notes that the Economist has advised a “No” vote. For Durden, however, this is good news: “The Economist, the once reputable economic and financial publication half-owned by the Rothschilds, has had a terrible track record of advising its declining readers on how to vote in critical political events: from urging a ‘Bremain’ vote this past June [i.e., the opposite of Brexit], to begging for a vote for Hillary on Nov. 8, the Economist has gotten virtually every major political event wrong”!
THE NEW GLOBAL ECONOMIC ORDER
Egypt Plans Enhancement of Its Economic Cooperation with Russia and China
Nov. 28 (EIRNS)—According to Global Construction Review today, Russia and Egypt have agreed to signing a deal which will enable Russia to sponsor a $4.6 billion port and industrial free-trade zone along the Suez Canal. The report cited Russia’s Trade Minister Denis Manturov saying on Nov. 25 that “Egypt had agreed to allocate 80 hectares in Port Said to Russia for an industrial zone that could expand to 2,000 hectares. The zone would be financed, built and occupied by Russian firms over the next 20 years. Among the tenants are expected to be car-makers, petrochemical enterprises, energy and medical companies; altogether, it is estimated that 77,000 jobs will be created,” the report said. The project has been under discussion since 2014, and a memorandum of understanding was signed in February 2016.
Also, an Egyptian business news agency, Amwal al-Ghad, reported the signing today of an agreement today during a Cairo conference organized by the Egyptian-Chinese Trade Centre, on promoting investments in Egypt as well as developing cooperation between Chinese and Egyptian firms. “The agreement will ensure forming a business council with China, including the 65 countries alongside the Silk Road,” wrote Amwal al-Ghad. Egypt has become among the first states to sign the agreement. Following the signing, Federation of Egyptian Chambers of Commerce Chairman Ahmed El-Wakeel said, “this agreement would open gates for Egypt to cooperate with states along Silk Road and would be an effective factor in developing Suez Canal annex project,” Amwal al-Ghad reported.
China Offers the First Hundred Silk Road Scholarships for Students Along the Routes
Nov. 28 (EIRNS)—Director of the International Cooperation and Exchange Department at Xian Jiaotong University, Li Liang, during a forum on Nov. 25 in Hong Kong, said China is now ready “to widen its links with Eurasian countries by offering 100 Silk Road scholarships to attract students in countries on the route of the One Belt, One Road initiative,” Asia Times reported today. “Each of the 100 scholarships will reach at least 50,000 yuan,” said Li, and that “the scholarships will primarily be offered to masters or doctoral students in various fields of study.”
The official daily Global Times, citing an August report from Xinhua reports that “While 10,000 foreign students will be sponsored each year over the next five years, 2,500 Chinese students will also be sponsored to study in the Belt and Road initiative countries for the next three years.” The Belt and Road initiative has helped offer job opportunities for students, especially those who major in languages, finance, and international trade.
Global Times points out that statistical data released by China’s Ministry of Education in April that showed “countries along routes, such as Thailand, India, Russia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan and Indonesia, have grown to be large sources of international students in China.” India, Pakistan and Kazakhstan are among those which have been growing the most, with a 10% growth each year.
Afghanistan Now Joins a Transport Link with Europe
Nov. 28 (EIRNS)—Today, the historic Lapis Lazuli corridor got a boost when Turkmenistan’s President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani inaugurated the 85 km railroad from Atamyrat in Turkmenistan to the Ymamnazar border crossing and 3 km onwards to northwest Afghanistan’s border facilities at Aqina, Railway Gazette reported. The corridor’s name is derived from the 2,000-year-old and more historic export route through which Afghanistan’s lapis lazuli and other semiprecious stones were being exported. This route was linked to Caucasus, Russia, the Balkans, Europe and North Africa. As of now, this will be Afghanistan’s only rail link to Central Asia and beyond.
According to an Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce report, “the corridor connects Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey via road and rail that is most appropriate transit trade route in Central Asia, the Caucasus, the Balkans and Central Europe and also connects effectively South Asia to European countries. The importance of this route to Afghanistan is, an alternative and shortest, cheapest and safest way to the aforementioned areas,” wrote Railway Gazette The initial discussions for the railway project began in 2008, and a framework agreement was signed when then-Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai visited Ashgabat, Turkmenistan in May 2011.
“The first freight train on the new line comprised 46 wagons carrying flour, grain, cement, urea and sulfur. There is a fuel terminal near the border, and Turkmenistan anticipates that the line will carry exports to Afghanistan which currently go by lorry including oil and gas, cement, grain and transit traffic including humanitarian freight. Afghan exports include fruit,” reported. Railway Gazette.
More Rail Linkages between China and Europe Established
Nov. 28 (EIRNS)—Xinhua reported today of the departure of a train loaded with 200 tons of flaxseed cake, from Erenhot in Inner Mongolia, the largest port along the China-Mongolia border, for Rotterdam, the Netherlands. “The trip will take 12 days, compared to the traditional sea route, which takes over 40 days, according to a Hohhot Railway Bureau official,” Xinhua reported. On Nov. 20, a freight train service linking Inner Mongolia with Kazakhstan began operations, reported Xinhua. This is part of the Asia-Europe New Silk Road project of China.
In addition, at Ashgabat, Turkmenistan today, Uzbekistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Rustom Azimov addressed the Global Sustainable Transport Conference, drawing attention to the “construction of the Angren-Pap railway line with 19 km tunnel through the Kamchik Pass and the Ferghana Valley, which will open new possibilities for China-Central Asia cooperation.” According to Uzbekistan Railways, the new 123 km electrified railway runs from Angren in Tashkent region to Pap in Namangan region over the 2.2 km Kamchik Pass along the northern border of Tajikistan. “The project reportedly included construction of a 19 km tunnel, bridges with a total length of 2,100 meters and rehabilitation of three bridges with a total length of 151 meters,” Asia-Plus media group of Tajikistan reported last February.
Last May, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi, visiting Uzbekistan, had said the joint construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt (the overland component of “One Belt, One Road”) should become the core of China-Uzbek cooperation. Wang had said tangible results have been made during the early stage of bilateral cooperation on infrastructure construction and industrial parks.
SCIENCE AND INFRASTRUCTURE
China’s Accomplishments in Science over 2016
Nov. 28 (EIRNS)—Recent issues of the monthly China Science and Technology Newsletter, published by China’s Ministry of Space and Technology (MOST) provides a summary of technology developments and scientific advancements in China, during this year. These include developments in agriculture, rural development, science literacy, space, international “mega projects,” such as International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) and the Square Kilometer Array, and the start up of new commercial high-tech companies, through “incubators,” which they call “makerspaces.”
China has broadened its cooperation with new partners over the past year, and has put an emphasis upon creating a series of science and technology cooperation “bases,” as centralizing hubs in various parts of the country, in order to provide the platforms for international cooperation. By the end of last year, 549 such bases existed.
A great emphasis has been placed upon science and technology development in agriculture, which includes international cooperation, “within the ‘Belt and Road’ framework,” the ministry states. MOST has also provided funds for 20 grants in China-U.S. agricultural science and technology projects, and has set up four joint research centers with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Areas of focus for China in agriculture are to increase productivity, besides through mechanization, through research into high-yield, multiple-resistant new varieties of crops that are suited for mechanical production, new seed development, and related research fields. Various reports indicate the increases in crop yield that have been accomplished. One stated goal is, by 2020, “put an end to the binary structure that separates the cities from the countryside.” MOST has also established eight national demonstration zones of modern agriculture, similar to the “demonstration farms” set up by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) in the 1930s, to introduce farmers to “modern methods.”
Over the recent past, China has become a partner in international science “mega-projects,” including the Square Kilometer Array, which will be made up of thousands of radio telescopes, located in South Africa and in Australia. China is also a full partner in the ITER fusion power project, and has developed the new technologies required for its contributions to the experimental tokamak.
An enormous push has been made to improve science literacy, including through an explosion in the number of museums, exhibits, classes, lectures, and a variety of public events. The ministry reports that there are now 1,058 science galleries and museums in China, with a 78% increase in the number of visits since 2010. At present, 50 more educational science facilities for the public are being built.
The overall strategy under which umbrella the science and technology goals are determined, explains MOST, is the outline of the National Strategy of Innovation-Driven Development, promulgated by the Central Committee of the Communist Party and the State Council, earlier this year, and promoted from the highest levels of government, emphatically by President Xi Jinping.
Addressing the ninth national congress of the China Association for Science and Technology on May 30, President Xi laid out a program of upgrading the nation’s science and technology “fundamentals,” to “keep on breaking fresh ground.”
