EDITORIAL
Trump in Asia—The New Paradigm Can Emerge This Week
Nov. 7 (EIRNS)—Despite the best (i.e. worst) efforts of the neocon Republicans, the Obama/Hillary Democrats, and the British and Obama intelligence networks, to sabotage President Trump’s historic visit to Asia, the diplomatic tour is thus far promising to see the United States engaging—and perhaps joining—in the new paradigm for mankind as defined by China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
Not only did the “Legal Assassin” Robert Mueller indict a former Trump campaign manager (for issues having nothing to do with Trump or Russia) just before the scheduled Asia tour, but he is now leaking that he has enough evidence to indict Gen. Michael Flynn, which could take place just as Trump is meeting with Xi Jinping, or when he meets with Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the APEC meeting in Vietnam over the weekend. It is certain that the corporate media will attempt to bury the reality of Trump’s agreements in Asia behind a barrage of British fake news about Russiagate.
But reality is overwhelming the British fairy tales. Trump is in South Korea today, where he has expressed optimism that a solution to the North Korean crisis is coming into focus, as a direct result of China, which, he said, is “trying very hard to solve the problem,” as well as acknowledging similar support from Russia. This must have caused hysteria in the Mueller camp back home.
Also, in China, the new U.S. Ambassador Terry Branstad told Xinhua that there is tremendous excitement on both sides of the Pacific about Trump’s visit, and deep feelings that “this could be very historic and significant.” He said that there is an intention to “advance economic cooperation and prosperity in both America as well as in China.”
Meanwhile, both political parties in the United States are in a state of disintegration—something Lyndon LaRouche has long welcomed, and promoted, as necessary to allow the population to break out of the straitjacket of party politics, and to address the truth directly. As long ago as 2004, LaRouche wrote, in the essay “Toward a Second Treaty of Westphalia: The Coming Eurasian World”:
“In an existential crisis, such as the present world situation, which has those or similar attributes of a threatened general breakdown of the system, the danger comes chiefly from the leadership which fails to break with the pre-established policy-shaping trends, the failure to break in the way President Franklin Roosevelt did in his 1932 election campaign, and in the turnabout in U.S. policy which he introduced beginning his first hours in the Administration…. The great leader for a time of crisis is one whose selection breaks the rules, those rotten rules which are the relevant expression of the relevant, essential corruption.” (See EIR Feature, Jan. 7, 2005.)
This is potentially the case with Donald Trump, who is certainly breaking the “rotten rules” of the two Wall Street controlled political parties, attacking the corrupt leadership of the Republican Party equally with the leftover Obama/Hillary crowd in the Democratic Party, while also willing to work with the few honest elements of each. As Helga Zepp-LaRouche said: If Trump fully joins the New Silk Road, he could go down as one of the greatest of American Presidents.
Helga LaRouche today drew attention to the irony in the crisis within the Democratic Party. Here are the people who are screaming against “dictatorship” in Russia and China, who rant that Xi Jinping is the new Stalin who denies the people their rights, who is chosen only by the elites. This ignores, of course, the fact that both Putin and Xi Jinping enjoy massive support from the overwhelming majority of their populations. And, now, the world knows (in part due to the Donna Brazile book released this week) that the oh-so-democratic Democratic Party elite had chosen their presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton of Wall Street, over a year before the Democratic Party primaries and convention, in which “the people” are supposed to elect their candidate. And, they sabotaged the campaigns of each of her opponents. So much for what Lyndon LaRouche calls the “two potty system.”
We are experiencing a pregnant moment in history, a phase change, in which the old order is disintegrating, but the new paradigm has not yet been established. It can be one of a new global era of peace and development, or it can collapse into depression and war. It can be a community of shared future, as Xi Jinping describes it, or a New Dark Age. To a great extent, it depends on every individual, each of whom, in a time of drastic change, has a power to move history, if they choose to act on the basis of their true humanity.
U.S. POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC
Presidents Moon Jae-in and Donald Trump Agree, China and Russia Are Crucial To Permanent Peace in Korea
Nov. 7 (EIRNS)—Presidents Moon Jae-in and Donald Trump held a press conference in Seoul today following their summit meeting. The tone was extremely positive and relatively optimistic about the potential for resolving the North Korean crisis.
President Moon began by stating explicitly that he and Trump “agreed to work towards resolving North Korean nuclear issue in a peaceful manner and bringing permanent peace to the Korean Peninsula.” He noted that Trump is the first U.S. President to visit South Korea in 25 years, and saying, “This special bond forged between President Trump and myself, I find it very meaningful and I am gratified to be part of it.”
He said that to “maintain a strong stance toward North Korea” while proposing dialogue, that Seoul would strengthen its defenses, and agreed that the U.S. would “expend rotational deployment of U.S. strategic assets in and around Korean Peninsula.”
In response to a question about China’s role, Moon replied that to bring peace to the Korean Peninsula, “we would like to expand our diplomatic efforts in this regard. And that should include our efforts for China as well as [the U.S.] and Russia and the EU. I believe that we should diversify efforts—diplomatic efforts—so that we can pursue a more balanced approach.” He said that “China has also faithfully implemented the UN resolution to impose sanctions on D.P.R.K. So we have heightened the pressure and sanctions on D.P.R.K., and I think this will also contribute to resolving the nuclear problem…. I believe that cooperation from the U.S. and China is essential.”
President Trump also emphasized the role of China, and of Russia, as well. He said: “I want to just say that President Xi—where we will be tomorrow, China—has been very helpful. We’ll find out how helpful soon. But he really has been very, very helpful. So China is out trying very hard to solve the problem with North Korea. We hope that Russia, likewise, will be helpful. We also hope that other countries—and we know for a fact that other countries have already started. And we’ve had great dialogue with many other countries, as you know, and they’re really helping a lot.
“So if we get China, if we get Russia—and we have some other countries, but we want to get most of them—we think that things will happen, and they could happen very quickly.”
Former NSA Analyst Binney Meets with CIA at Trump’s Request To Dispute Russian Hack
Nov. 7 (EIRNS)—The Intercept published an article Nov. 7 under the byline of James Risen and Duncan Campbell, which states that Bill Binney, the former NSA expert who has exposed the fraud of the “Russian hack” of the Democratic National Committee computers, met with CIA Director Mike Pompeo on Oct. 24th at the specific request of President Donald Trump.
Binney presented the CIA with his demonstration that there was no Russian hack of the DNC and John Podesta, the central tenet of the Russiagate hysteria now gripping the United States. Binney states that Pompeo asked him whether he would be willing to meet with the FBI and NSA, and that Binney said he would, of course, meet with these agencies. He had not heard back from Pompeo at the time of the article.
The Risen-Campbell Intercept article rails against Pompeo for meeting with Binney and claims that the CIA Director hearing actual evidence about the non-existent Russian hack at the request of President Trump means that Pompeo is not an honest broker of relations between the President and the CIA. This assertion rests on the completely false idea peddled by the news media and the coup maestros that the Justice Department and similar institutions are independent of the Presidency, which, of course, under our Constitution, they are not.
In what is probably a directly related development, the Justice Department and the FBI leaked to the Wall Street Journal Nov. 2nd that they had evidence by which to indict six Russians for the DNC/Podesta hacks, but would not be doing so until 2018. The same Wall Street Journal article informs us that the DOJ and FBI are handling this aspect of Russiagate rather than Special Counsel Robert Mueller. But, wait, you may ask, isn’t that the central thing Mueller was supposed to be investigating?
Other than the Alice in Wonderland features of all of this, one thing is certain: Both the DOJ and press hacks like Risen are simply terrified of the truth suddenly beginning to break into daylight.
The Pompeo-Binney meeting, of course, represents a major break in the coup scenario which the LaRouche organization has played a role in bringing about. Time to escalate.
Bill Binney will be appearing on Sunday, Nov. 12, at 4:00 p.m., at Symphony Place in Manhattan, 95th and Broadway, at a showing of the film about him, “A Good American.” Binney, Sean Stone, and Diane Roark will discuss the film, his role at the NSA, his criticism of the NSA regarding the failure to stop 9/11, and the Russiagate hoax, and will take questions from the audience.
U.S. Ambassador to China Terry Branstad Looks to ‘Historic, Significant’ Meeting of Trump and Xi
Nov. 7 (EIRNS)—In remarks to Xinhua, U.S. Ambassador to China Terry Branstad underscored the historic nature of the upcoming meeting between Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping.
“There are a lot of excitement and feelings that this could be very historic and significant…. I think the chemistry between the two leaders is good and that bodes well. If the two leaders can get along well and work out some of the differences, hopefully that can help the rest of us to work things out well. We want to advance economic cooperation and prosperity in America as well as in China. We want to build on the progress and success that we already had to improve the relationship between our two countries,” he said.
Global Times points out that on Wednesday, Nov. 8, the doors of the Forbidden City will be open to the First Families of China and the United States (and closed to the public), which Branstad said he thought would be a “very personal and special occasion. The Forbidden City has a long history; it’s a very historical and significant place in China. People want to learn more about the history of China, and the history found in the Forbidden City.”
Ni Feng, deputy director of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences said that Trump’s visit to the Forbidden City “will be different from normal visits, with special arrangements to be made to help Trump understand more about China.”
STRATEGIC WAR DANGER
Saudis Escalate against Iran in Lebanon
Nov. 7 (EIRNS)—The Saudis continued their escalation in Lebanon, yesterday, by claiming that the Lebanese government is in a state of war against Saudi Arabia. Saudi Minister of Gulf Affairs Thamer al-Sabhan said that Lebanon had declared war against Saudi Arabia because of what he described as aggression against the Kingdom by Hezbollah. “We will treat the government of Lebanon as a government declaring war on Saudi Arabia due to the aggression of Hezbollah,” he said in response to recent decisions taken by the Lebanese government, and a claim that Hezbollah was responsible for a missile launched from Yemen into Saudi Arabia. Saudi-owned TV network Al Arabiya reported that Saudi King Salman had informed the outgoing Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, during a meeting in Riyadh, of the details of Hezbollah’s alleged aggression against Saudi Arabia, adding that the Lebanese government should be aware of the dangers imposed by these militias.
It is not clear what actual “aggression” by Hezbollah the Saudis are referring to, though it is clear that Hezbollah has done great damage to Saudi intentions in Syria by its support of the government in Damascus in its war against jihadi groups, many of which have been Saudi-sponsored.
Saudis Intensify Their War on Yemen, Blame Iran for the Consequences
Nov. 7 (EIRNS)—In the 24 hours since the Saudi-led military coalition announced it was closing access to Yemen, supposedly to prevent the smuggling of Iranian-supplied missiles into the country, the Saudi war of genocide against the Yemeni people has intensified. When the coalition announced that it was closing off sea ports and airports, it claimed that aid workers and humanitarian supplies would continue to be able to access and exit Yemen. UN officials have reported since, however, that they have no access. UN spokesman Farhan Haq reported, yesterday, that the Saudis blocked two UN relief flights to Yemen. Another UN spokesman, Stéphane Dujarric, warned today that “any further shocks to imports of food and fuel may reverse recent success in mitigating the threat of famine.” According to ABC News, Yemeni officials reported that air strikes in the northern province of Hajjah killed 23 people, including women and children. AFP notes that the United Nations has listed Yemen as the world’s number-one humanitarian crisis, with 17 million Yemenis in need of food, 7 million of whom are at risk of famine and cholera, causing more than 2,000 deaths.
But the Saudis keep escalating and blaming it on Iran. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said Tuesday that Iran’s supply of rockets to militias in Yemen is an act of “direct military aggression” and could “constitute an act of war against the Kingdom,” the official Saudi Press Agency quotes Crown Prince Mohammed telling British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, reports Reuters. Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir claimed that the missile fired towards Riyadh on Saturday night (Nov. 4) “was an Iranian missile launched by Hezbollah from territory occupied by the Houthis in Yemen.”
In Tehran, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohamed Javad Zarif blasted the Saudi accusations in a series of Twitter postings, yesterday. “KSA is engaged in wars of aggression, regional bullying, destabilizing behavior & risky provocations. It blames Iran for the consequences,” Zarif tweeted. “KSA bombs Yemen to smithereens, killing 1000’s of innocents including babies, spreads cholera and famine, but of course blames Iran,” he said in a follow-up message.
Russia’s Lavrov Holds U.S. Responsible for Ukraine’s ‘Indulgence of Neo-Nazis’
Nov. 7 (EIRNS)—In remarks reported by TASS, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov issued a blistering attack on the United States, as well as on the EU and NATO, particularly holding the U.S. responsible for the behavior of Ukrainian authorities, and “their indulgence of neo-Nazis.”
“The United States bears a special responsibility for the Kiev authorities’ behavior,” Lavrov said, “since Washington has been in fact manually controlling them.” Moreover, he said, both the EU and NATO have been “actively courting” the current Kiev regime, warning that they should consider “the Ukrainian regime’s readiness to accept the European values…. They should demand that the Kiev authorities show respect for the rules of civilized behavior and put an end to the atrocities carried out by the neo-Nazi scum, who try to run things in the country and impose their will.”
Among other things, Lavrov was referring to the fact that World War II memorials, such as the Eternal Flame in Kiev’s Park of Eternal Glory, have been desecrated. Earlier today, TASS reported, vandals covered the Eternal Flame in Kiev with cement.
He continued, “This is a blasphemy against all the European values and the principles that the United Nations is based on, but such things, the desecration of the Great Patriotic War memorials, have become common in Ukraine.” He pointed out that “this proves the Kiev regime’s inability to bring radicals to reason, while [these] feel very comfortable in today’s Ukraine.” He explained that “it was a group of radicals and extremists who staged a coup in February 2014, violating an agreement signed by three European countries—France, Germany and Poland.”
Lavrov asserted, “It was radicals who then committed massacres in Odessa and a number of other cities, but all these crimes remain unsolved, though the Council of Europe set up a special body to investigate what happened at the Maidan and in Odessa on May 2, 2014. We have not yet seen any results of the investigation launched by the Ukrainian authorities, which has been supported by the respected European organization,” Lavrov said.
COLLAPSING WESTERN FINANCIAL SYSTEM
U.S. Labor Leaders Join in Urging for $4 Trillion Infrastructure Program
Nov. 7 (EIRNS)—In an Oct. 23 press conference during the AFL-CIO’s Convention in St. Louis, the President of North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU) Sean McGarvey joined with other labor leaders to call for a $4 trillion program to repair and build infrastructure in the United States—an amount far and above the $1 trillion President Trump has called for.
Press Associates Union News Service reports that McGarvey was joined by union presidents James Callahan of the Operating Engineers, Robert Martinez of the Machinists, and Lonnie Stephenson of the Electrical Workers, all of whom emphasized the need for more funding for the crucial infrastructure building the country needs.
What the four discussed in terms of funding is inadequate, however, begging the question of a Hamiltonian credit system and Glass-Steagall. While McGarvey usefully raised the issue of increasing the federal gasoline tax, this cannot provide the amount of funding required. The current gas tax raises only about $35 billion a year. The other funding source mentioned, public-private partnerships, is unworkable, as President Trump himself has recognized. And, the current “tax reform” under discussion in Congress makes no mention of the gas tax.
McGarvey reported that his department has been working with both the White House and three business organizations—the Business Roundtable, the National Association of Manufacturers, and the Chamber of Commerce—to craft federal legislation.
The labor leaders emphasized that despite the “recovery” from the so-called Great Recession (which is quite hard to find), the U.S. still has enormous unmet infrastructure needs, including old water pipes, underground utilities that break down, cracking and decaying roads, and a creaky electrical grid. Callahan said “we’re also concerned about the funding, but also with underground subsystems. They’re the sewers, the electrical lines and what’s below the roads. That’s why we’re trying to get a permanent (fiscal) lockbox, both for funding structures and for hiring enough people.” According to September 2017 data, there are currently 433,000 jobless construction workers, which figure is probably lower than the reality.
Wade Shepard: Trump and Xi Jinping Are Bringing about a New Paradigm in Trade Relations
Nov. 7 (EIRNS)—Wade Shepard, who has produced an extraordinary series of insightful articles on the Belt and Road in Forbes, published an article today titled “Trump Stealing a Page out of Xi’s Belt and Road Playbook Will Not Stop the TPP.” Contrary to the title, he actually demonstrates that both Trump and Xi have successfully rejected the group approach to trade deals, like the TPP, and for similar reasons.
“In his reasoning behind squashing the United States participation in the TPP,” Shepard writes, “Trump claimed that he prefers to establish an array of one-on-one bilateral trade deals rather than entering into massive multilateral arrangements, which appears startlingly similar to what Xi Jinping is setting up around the world via the Belt and Road Initiative: The BRI can ultimately be reduced to a series of interconnected bilateral trade and development deals which China is making either one-on-one or group+1 with countries and political blocs across Asia, Europe, and Africa. There is no overarching structure, no membership protocols, no moralistic browbeatings, no predefined set of standards that BRI participants need to uphold in unison, and deals that are made do not need to be watered down to the lowest common denominator of an established group. Each country or bloc negotiates on their own terms, and deals can be structured in accordance with each set of particular parameters. When things go awry, China can renegotiate with the conflicting party directly rather than having a situation that puts an entire multilateral network at risk.” In other words, complementary agreements between sovereign nation-states—very unpopular to the British imperial interests in London and Wall Street!
Shepard concludes: “As China continues to demonstrate success with their ‘toe-to-toe’ brand of diplomacy, striking trade deals and big infrastructure development projects all over the world, its application could very well become the new norm of trade relations. And President Trump may be right, the era of multinational trade agreements that defined the first stage of globalization may very well be dead…, even as the TPP keeps trying to kickstart itself off of fumes.”
THE NEW GLOBAL ECONOMIC ORDER
New Silk Road Candidate Wins Sicily Elections
Nov. 7 (EIRNS)—In an election that is seen as a guide to the national elections early next year in Italy, Center-right candidate Nello Musumeci won the Sicily regional elections last Sunday, with 39.8% of direct votes and 42% of party votes. M5S candidate Giancarlo Cancelleri came in second with 34.6% and 26.6% of party votes. Musumeci campaigned, and won, by supporting the New Silk Road.
Musumeci has an image of honest conservative, respected also by his adversaries. He was backed by a coalition of three parties (Forza Italia, FdI and Lega) plus independents. During the election campaign, he scolded Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni for excluding Sicily and Southern Italy from the New Silk Road.
“Sicily, being the bridgehead of Europe to Africa, is the natural candidate to play a primary role of strategic terminal in this happy idea by the Chinese government. The ‘New Silk Road’ can become an extraordinary opportunity, but we need adequate port infrastructure, to include in a multi-year program, to create a single ‘southern pole’ at the center of the Euro-Afro-Asiatic area,” Musumeci wrote in his blog. Musumeci also called for “completing the southern part of the Scandinavian-Mediterranean Corridor, including the [Messina] Strait Bridge, turning Sicilian strategic ports into gateways, improving the airport system and making internal road and rail transportation efficient.” Musumeci’s main opponent Cancelleri was backed only by the M5S, which is now the single largest party in Sicily.
The candidate of former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi’s Democratic Party came in third with 18.6%.
Sicily, with 5 million inhabitants, is an important test for the general elections in March 2018.
