EDITORIAL

Why All the Hysteria? Obama’s Just Trying To Stay Out of Jail!

Dec. 15 (EIRNS)—EIR Founding Editor Lyndon LaRouche remarked today that the escalating anti-Russia hysteria emanating from U.S. establishment media and layers in and around the Obama administration, is all “foolish nonsense, a fraud.” This was in response to the report from an associate who pointed to absurd stories from NBC News on “high-level of confidence of direct Putin involvement” in hacking the U.S. election, the New York Times’ ludicrous coverage “The Perfect Weapon: How Russian Cyberpower Invaded the U.S.” and its editorial “Aleppo’s Destroyers: Assad, Putin, Iran,” and others. This is on top of calls for either the Electoral College to reject President-elect Trump, or demand a new election.

When pressed by the associate as to whether these attacks are designed to “either remove Trump, or contain him,” LaRouche was adamant. “No, it will never work. This is all a fantasy, it’s rubbish. It’s coming from the politically-deceased Obama. He’s gone, he should be charged for his crimes.  This is an attempt to keep him out of prison.”

As for the assertion by Trump ally Roger Stone, who equated these attacks with a “soft coup,” that reminded him of the Watergate scandal, LaRouche responded, “No, this is totally different, there is something else going on,” referring again to the emergence of the New Paradigm globally. He emphasized that the trans-Atlantic system is gone; it can’t be saved. After being briefed on Federal Reserve Chairman Janet Yellen’s comments after yesterday’s Fed meeting, LaRouche asserted, “It is meaningless; it is all a fantasy.  There is nothing they can do.”

“The character of this is that [Vladimir] Putin is an independent figure, who knows what he’s doing. It can’t be stopped,” LaRouche continued. “The system is finished, and what you are hearing is guilty people, with a rope around their necks, hoping the rope doesn’t draw down.” Obama’s crimes, he said, have to be reviewed. He’s killing Americans with Obamacare and his economic policies; his Tuesday killing meetings should put him in prison; he’s repeatedly committed crimes. Just tell people that—there is no substance to what is being said by the intelligence community, the media, etc., “It’s all crap.”

LaRouche concluded: “We have to stick to what we’re doing. All of this is hysteria, but it amounts to nothing; it will have no effect.”

The fundamental point is very simple: Who will provide the leadership to the American people for Lyndon LaRouche’s Four Laws, to bring the United States into the World Land-Bridge? Aside from the LaRouche political movement internationally, there is no one.  No one!

STRATEGIC WAR DANGER

New International Appeal for Détente

Dec. 15 (EIRNS)—An appeal titled “Stop the Spiral of Violence—For a New Policy of Peace and Détente Now!” has been issued in Germany but also signed by international figures. It is part of a new initiative founded in Berlin on Dec. 10, whose website is called Détente Now.

The appeal calls for returning to a policy of détente, saying, “During the years since the signing of the Paris Charter, many mistakes have contributed to eroding the laboriously built trust and hampering the peaceful resolution of crises and conflicts. Without cooperation with Russia there will be risks of confrontation, a new arms race, escalation of the Ukraine conflict, and more terror and wars in the Middle East intensifying the flow of refugees. European security—regardless of the assessment of each other’s social order—will not be possible without cooperation between Russia and its neighbors.

“This is the central lesson from the policy of détente followed in the 1960s and 1970s, especially the contributions of U.S. President John F. Kennedy and the West German government under Chancellor Willy Brandt, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1971, on the grounds that ‘Brandt stretched out his hand for reconciliation between old enemies.’ At that time, no one could know that less than 20 years later this policy of détente would result in creating the conditions for the peaceful fall of the Berlin Wall and Central Europe’s Iron Curtain….

“Today, a broad public and multi-partisan discussion on the demand for a ‘new policy of détente NOW’ is more necessary than ever. The confrontation in Europe has to cease and—with benefits to the whole world—an All-European zone of ‘common security’ through the cooperation of all states from Vancouver to Vladivostok must be created.”

The long list of signers and endorsers (whose personal information is for identification purposes) includes Dr. Wolfgang Biermann (Political Scientist, former Foreign Policy Advisor to Egon Bahr); Dr. Daniel Ellsberg (Author, Senior Fellow, Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, former State and Defense Department official, revealed “Pentagon Papers” about the Vietnam War); Prof. Dr. Horst Teltschik (former Director of the Munich Security Conference, former Director and Deputy Head of Staff, Chancellor’s Office); Gilbert Doctorow (member and European Coordinator of the American Committee for East-West Accord); and Rolf Ekeus of Sweden (executive chairman of the UN Special Commission on Disarming Iraq from 1991-97).

Jihadis Finally Leave Aleppo under Agreement Brokered by Russia, Turkey and Iran

Dec. 15 (EIRNS)—After two days of sabotage and misinformation, the jihadis remaining in Aleppo, along with civilians allied to them, finally left for Idlib province today, in convoys of 20 green buses plus other vehicles. The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement issued late today, that some 4,000 people had left east Aleppo, accompanied by Russian service members and Red Cross staff. The Russian Foreign Ministry posted live video of the first convoy wending its way through southwest Aleppo into Idlib province. The evacuation was announced by Russian Chief of Staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov, at a briefing for defense attachés in Moscow this morning.

“Following the order of the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, President Vladimir Putin, the evacuation of 5,000 militants and members of their families from the eastern districts of Aleppo has begun today,” Gerasimov said. By nightfall, according to most news reports—citing the Red Cross and other sources—some 3,000 people had been evacuated in two rounds of bus convoys.

The agreement among Russia, Turkey, and Iran also requires the evacuation of civilians needing medical care from the government-held towns of Fua’a and Kafraya, in Idlib province, which have been under siege by the jihadis for at least two years. Up to 9,000 civilians are to be evacuated from the two towns under the agreement.

Nuclear Threat Initiative Calls for Preventing Nuclear War with Russia

Dec. 15 (EIRNS)—The Nuclear Threat Initiative, led by former U.K. Defense Secretary Des Browne, Munich Security Forum Chairman Wolfgang Ischinger, former Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov, and former U.S. Sen. Sam Nunn, issued a report yesterday, in which it called on Western and Russian leaders to reduce the risk of a dangerous military confrontation by adopting the measures outlined in the report.

The report “Rising Nuclear Dangers: Steps To Reduce Risks in the Euro-Atlantic Region,” stresses, among other measures, the restoration of U.S.-Russian military contacts, cut off by President Obama after the Ukraine crisis exploded in 2014. The report also recommends two other measures, among the nine in total, that President Obama has refused to take: requiring all military aircraft to fly with transponders turned on, and addressing concerns about the deployment of nuclear-capable ballistic missile systems and missile defense systems in Europe.

The report highlights the need to resume Western-Russian communication, particularly at the military-to-military level, on strategic stability and nuclear risk reduction.

“Absent engagement, nuclear risks will only continue to increase, endangering all of us. The time to act on our common security interests is now,” conclude Browne, Ischinger, Ivanov, and Nunn, in their Foreword to the report.

NEW WORLD ECONOMIC ORDER

Entrepreneurial Cooperation at Center of German Marshall Plan for Africa

Dec. 15 (EIRNS)—The new plan which the German Development Ministry has worked out for Africa, puts the focus on the creation of entrepreneurial partnerships in African countries to create productive jobs for the young generation there. The emphasis which previous such plans had on human rights, governance and ecology has not disappeared completely, but future German development aid will promote the creation of enterprises that use the wealth of raw materials which Africa has.

In an interview with Handelsblatt, Development Minister Gerd Müller points out that when Ghana became independent in the 1960s, it had a higher GDP than South Korea, and ranked equal with Spain in terms of the prosperity indicator.

“The question must be posed, therefore: What has actually been done in the past 50 years in a country which is rich in gold, minerals, and fertile soil?” Müller asked.

Mathias Okwemo, an economist at the University of Nairobi School of Business, welcomed the new approach, saying that “It is a very unique and different model that changes the way of doing business, from making Africans mere receivers to being partners with a view to empowering them and giving them a chance to increase their participation in international trade.” This will enable Africans to play an active role in shaping the future of their continent, he said, and “being at the forefront of transforming their continent. Targeting the youth to become self-reliant entrepreneurs is perhaps the most ingenious aspect of the plan” that Müller proposed, Okwemo said, according to Euractiv.com website.

COLLAPSING WESTERN FINANCIAL SYSTEM

European Stability Mechanism Freezes Nonexistent Debt Relief to Greece

Dec. 15 (EIRNS)—German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble is determined that Greek pensioners not celebrate Christmas this year. The decision by Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras to give a Christmas bonus from the government’s budget surplus to 1.6 million pensioners living on a maximum of €800 a month, has apparently enraged Schäuble, who already thinks €400 is too much for Greek pensioners. Tsipras also suspended the increase in the Value Added Tax (VAT) on the Greek islands, which have been bearing the burden of hosting thousands of refugees crossing the Mediterranean from Africa and Southwest Asia.

Klaus Regling, the director of the European Stability Mechanism (ESM, the bailout fund), announced that the debt-relief agreement decided upon at the last Eurogroup meeting on Dec. 5, which in fact offered little real debt relief, was suspended, accusing Tsipras of failing to get permission from creditors before giving a farthing to the elderly. Regling, a German Finance Ministry bureaucrat, is nothing but a stooge of Schäuble’s.

“Following recent proposals by the Greek government to spend additional fiscal resources for pensions and VAT, our governing bodies have put their decisions temporarily on hold,” said a spokesman for ESM, referring to a deal that would have deferred an interest rate increase on Greece’s debt. “Institutions are currently assessing the impact of Greek government decisions vis-à-vis the ESM program commitments and targets. [We] will then analyze the institutions’ assessment and subsequently decide how to proceed.”

Shortly after this, another of Schäuble’s stooges, Dutch Finance Minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem, as President of the Eurogroup of 19 euro area finance ministers, issued a statement rubberstamping the ESM’s: “The institutions have concluded that the actions of the Greek government appear to not be in line with our agreements,” the spokesman said, according to AFP; there is “no unanimity now for implementing short-term debt measures.”

But Tsipras seems defiant, and while visiting Thessaloniki on Dec. 14, he announced that his government would spend €11.5 million next year extending free meals to 30,000 underprivileged schoolchildren.

“This program has been factored into the budget of 2017,” he told local mayors, denying that the aid would derail the program of tough fiscal targets Greece has agreed to meet. “I think everyone has to respect the Greek people, who for the last seven years have made huge sacrifices in the name of Europe. We have carried the weight of the refugee crisis. In the name of Europe we have, in recent years, implemented an extremely hard policy of austerity. There has to be respect from all.”

Italy Has a New Proxy Renzi Government

Dec. 15 (EIRNS)—The new Italian government was sworn in and voted up by both Houses of Parliament on Dec. 14. Led by former Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni, the new government is almost a photocopy of the Renzi government and is expected to continue Renzi’s euro-friendly policy. A few chairs have rotated, with Angelino Alfano going from the Interior Ministry to the Foreign Ministry, his place taken in turn by Marco Minniti, who was Undersecretary of State.

It was expected that the opposition’s calls for early elections would fail, but that the new proxy government could at least show signs of understanding the significance of the referendum vote. Instead, the person responsible for the failed constitutional reform bill, Maria Elena Boschi, has been promoted to Undersecretary of State to the Prime Minister.

It is widely believed that Gentiloni will cover Renzi’s back, leaving the latter free to again win the Democratic Party nomination for the next general elections. However, it is not clear when, or if, early elections will take place. In his first speech to Parliament, Gentiloni said that his government will remain, until Parliament decides to vote it out.

Gentiloni will continue Renzi’s policy of handouts, and the EU will look the other way, but this won’t change the general situation in Italy, where absolute poverty has increased by 157% from 2007 to 2016, reaching a total of 4,600,000. The votes of the poor and jobless count, as the referendum has demonstrated.

Italian National Pension Fund Head Pushes ‘Final Solution’ For Pensioners

Dec. 15 (EIRNS)—Tito Boeri, a Bocconi economist who was picked up by former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi from oligarch Carlo De Benedetti’s family foundation to become chairman of the Italian National Pension Fund (INPS), is preparing to kill off pensioners.

Introducing a study produced by the Italian Actuarial Society, Boeri stated that those who get a higher retirement check have a lower mortality rate than the national average, and concluded this means that “equalizing” the level of pensions would have “an even stronger impact on the pension system,” and most importantly, would become a “major source of savings.” Pensioners at 65 with a higher pension have a higher life expectancy, and “this strengthens the idea that equalizing interventions could be a major source of savings,” Boeri said, according to the national press agency ANSA.

Romano Bellissima, head of the UIL labor union’s pensioners’ union called the statements “hair-raising.”

Based on the EU’s own figures indicating that the Italian pension system is financially sustainable, economist Alberto Bagnai asked, why the hell does Boeri want to save money if INPS doesn’t need money? The answer is because the Italian government needs that money to bail out banks without violating the EU budget constraints.

U.S. ECONOMIC & POLITICAL

Major U.S. Infrastructure Program Will Ease ‘Chinese Steel’ Problem

Dec. 15 (EIRNS)—In a commentary on President-elect Donald Trump’s announcement that he will launch a $1 trillion crash program to develop American infrastructure, China Daily recalls the offer made by Chinese President Xi Jinping at the September G20 Summit in Hangzhou for mutual global cooperation on the problem of steel overcapacity, saying that Trump’s intention goes in the right direction. Wrote Xu Man, a researcher at the International Trade and Economic Cooperation Institute of the Ministry of Commerce:

“China is willing to work with the United States to resolve the global steel overcapacity issue. Trump has said he would push for $1 trillion spending on infrastructure construction in the next 10 years that would include building and repairing highways, bridges, airports, schools and hospitals. Since the U.S. cannot produce enough steel to meet that sort of demand, it can buy some of the steel needed from China. This will not only ease the world’s steel overproduction pressure, but also boost the economic recovery of the U.S. and other countries.

“Besides, the China-led Belt and Road Initiative (the Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road) is expected to strengthen connectivity and infrastructure construction among countries along the routes and thus boost global steel demands.

“Hopefully, the U.S. and other steel-producing countries will abandon their prejudices toward China and try to sincerely resolve the global steel overproduction issue. Only when more countries make coordinated decisions and strengthen their policy communications, can they eliminate steel overcapacity and achieve win-win results.”

As all the Western mainstream media are focused on building U.S.-Chinese tensions over what Trump said and wrote, the China Daily op-ed made clear at least, that China has a genuine interest in cooperating with the new U.S. President.

SCIENCE & INFRASTRUCTURE

Fusion Progress Is Impressive, But Needs a New Economic Platform

Dec. 15 (EIRNS)—The annual meeting of Fusion Power Associates (FPA) in Washington, on Dec. 13-14, presents an opportunity for scientists and engineers to report on and share developments over the past year in fusion research and development. This year’s theme, “Fusion Power Development: An International Venture,” encapsulates both the fruitful collaboration among fusion researchers worldwide, and the tragic state of the U.S. fusion program, which, not having the funds to run experiments, is sending American scientists overseas.

Important results were reported from experiments carried out over the past year on the Chinese and South Korean superconducting tokamaks, EAST and KSTAR, including longer pulse lengths of fusion energy. China is pushing ahead, while awaiting formal central government approval, to design its China Fusion Energy Test Reactor, and is putting in place the advanced machining and manufacturing capacity to design, and then build and test new technologies. Korea, on the other hand, has delayed from 2026 to 2042 building its own future DEMO fusion reactor, due to a lack of funding. Similar budgetary restrictions were noted for the fusion program in Japan.

The U.S. case is a scandal. Three months ago, the MIT Alcator tokamak was shuttered, due to a “lack” of funding. What became clear during the two-day FPA meeting, was that without international collaboration, there will be very little progress in U.S. fusion research. The Chinese have opened their EAST, or Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak, for foreign collaboration, and now a team of fusion scientists at General Atomics in California forms a “third shift” on the machine. When the Chinese scientists are at home asleep, the GA scientists conduct experiments on EAST remotely from their “control room” in San Diego. In this collaboration, the Chinese scientists benefit from the many decades of theoretical and experimental U.S. fusion research, experience, and ideas—and the U.S. scientists have access to an experimental machine which is on the leading edge of fusion research.

The Chinese report that there are more than 100 foreign fusion scientists working full-time in China.