EDITORIAL
Helga Zepp-LaRouche: Trump and His Eurasian Allies Outflank the Dying British Empire
June 14 (EIRNS)—The Editorial is taken from the weekly strategic webcast by Schiller Institute Founder and President Helga Zepp-LaRouche today, reflecting on the historic meetings of this past week—the Trump-Kim Summit and the SCO Summit—which, together with the internal collapse of the G7 at the G7 Summit, demonstrated the demise of the old paradigm and the emergence of the new. Mrs. LaRouche’s webcast in full can be viewed at
Helga Zepp-LaRouche: I’m actually quite pleased to tell you that two Norwegian parliamentarians have proposed to award the Nobel Peace Prize to President Trump. Now, I find this very appropriate, in contrast to the Nobel Peace Prize being given to Obama for absolutely nothing, just the contrary. But I think this development of North Korea and the United States finding a way to completely transform an old adversary relationship into one of cooperation and a bright future, I think this is really a fantastic development. And I know that all the mainstream media of the West are having apoplectic attacks over this, but if you look at it, I think it is absolutely promising.
First of all, the facts you all know: They agreed on the complete denuclearization of North Korea, in return for the prospect of making North Korea a prosperous and wealthy country.
Now, I find it very interesting that the White House, between Trump and the National Security Council produced a four-minute video, where the two options for North Korea were portrayed: One is the old status and war, or to have a complete modernization of the country, with modern railway—they even showed the Chinese maglev running, and people prosperous and productive. I think this was very good, because this video is exactly what will happen….
I watched his entire press conference, and I must say, I would advise all of you, our viewers, to do likewise. Because you hear so much about Trump being this and that, and the way he conducted himself in this lengthy press conference, fencing off the most typical, old-fashioned thinking, questions from mainly American journalists, he did not let himself be provoked … he just said that he was very confident that this process was on a good way.
And very important was that he also announced that the United States would stop what he called the “war games,” the U.S.-South Korea military maneuvers, and obviously, this is psychologically very important for the North Koreans, because if you have these war games on your door step all the time, this creates a permanent psychological terror.
People who have to still form their judgment about how to look at this, they should just consider that the South Korean people were absolutely enthusiastic. They were happy in the streets. [South Korean] President Moon [Jae-in] who watched the live stream coming from the conference from Singapore, applauded several times. And given the fact that the German unification which took place now almost 29 years ago, people in Germany may remember the absolute jubilance and happiness of families hugging each other, who haven’t been together for very many years; friends falling into each other’s arms, and kissing each other. And it was a joy!
That the German unification did not produce only happiness afterwards had to do with the larger geostrategic environment: You know, like Bush, and Thatcher and Mitterrand, they all were extremely hostile to the process of German unification, and therefore the east German states were practically economically dismantled, pretty much. And the environment in North Korea is obviously completely different.
So I would like to just say that I’m very optimistic that this process will succeed, for the very simple reason that this is taking place in a completely different strategic context, namely of the Belt and Road Initiative, the integration of the Belt and Road Initiative with the Eurasian Economic Union, and these kinds of economic development plans, which also Russia spoke about and China said they would contribute, and also together with the United States take over security guarantees for North Korea, these economic plans take place in the context of the intention to develop the Far East of Russia, to integrate it with all of Asia, which was discussed at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok last September, and it was also discussed in the inter-Korean dialogue in April between the two presidents of the two Koreas.
I think Trump is absolutely right: He said the past does not determine the future. Real change is possible. And I think this is a very good development, and all the nay-sayers they should just go home and think….
I think that spirit is clearly prevalent in Asia. It was also the expressed view of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi after the SCO summit in Qingdao, China. This summit was an extraordinary milestone, where Wang Yi afterwards said, the SCO represents 3.1 billion people, and it is already now a completely new system of international relations, built on mutual trust, on cooperation, on friendship, on common aims, and it is a new model, that leaves behind and transcends the old geopolitical order, Cold War, exclusive clubs, clash of civilizations—all of these are left behind, and a new era of cooperation has been established.
This was very beautiful, because the summit, the initial banquet was opened by President Xi Jinping with a reference to Confucius. He said Qingdao is in Shandong province, which is the home of the Confucius and Confucianism and he should guide the future of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
Now, I think Xi Jinping is a philosopher and just contrast that—can you imagine that any European leader would open an EU summit with the words “we should have Plato’s spirit, or Shakespeare’s spirit, or Schiller’s spirit guide the future of the European Union”? Nothing is more impossible to think than that at this moment.
So, the future lies in Asia. And the kind of cooperation and determination to create a better world for all people living on this planet is being realized in Asia right now.
And I think it was very good thing that President Trump is definitely helping the best he can to make this order succeed, despite the trade tensions and despite the remaining problems which are still there. I’m absolutely confident that the spirit and the dynamic of this new phenomenon, these new forces which Wang Yi spoke, he said, there are new forces at work which make this all possible, and I think that that is the dynamic of our time, the trend of our time. And it’s a good thing. It’s wonderful and everybody who loves humanity and who loves peace should be absolutely happy.
U.S. POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC
National Security Council Staffer Comments on Plans Underway for Trump-Putin Meeting
June 14 (EIRNS)—Commenting yesterday on whether plans are being made for a summit between the U.S. and Russian Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, Richard Hooker, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Europe and Russia in U.S. National Security Council, told TASS: “I think that both sides are exploring an opportunity to meet, yes. I don’t think any decisions have been made, or details have been worked out, but I believe both sides are exploring an opportunity to try to do that.”
On the question of whether such a summit could take place in Austria, he said: “I am sure this is an option under consideration, but no decision has been made.”
Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported that President Putin is considering organizing his meeting with Trump in Vienna, and discussed the possibility at the time with Austria’s Chancellor Sebastian Kurz.
‘Attacking Trump Is Now a Losing Strategy in Both Parties’
June 14 (EIRNS)—This is the title, complete with emphasis, of a Fox News column by former Bill Clinton pollster and now Fox News contributor Doug Schoen. His meaning is that the June 12 primary elections have shown that Republican candidates would lose major support if they attacked the President. At the same time, the voters expect Democrats to take on real-life issues rather than merely rail against President Trump.
On the Republican side, former South Carolina Governor and current Congressman Mark Sanford, who had never lost an election, was unexpectedly defeated in the June 12 Republican primary by little-known state legislator Katie Arrington, a strong supporter of the President. Arrington attributed her over-50% vote to an Election Eve endorsement from President Trump, whom Sanford has attacked in biting, personal terms.
Trump Discussed His Views of Russia and D.P.R.K. with Fox News
June 14 (EIRNS)—In an interview with Fox News that aired June 13, President Donald Trump commented on Russia’s rejoining the G8 and on his meeting with North Korean Chairman Kim Jong-un. Speaking to Fox News of the Canada G7 summit, he said, “You know, we spend probably 25% of our time talking about Russia, and I said, wouldn’t it be better if they were here,” Sputnik reported. Trump said that it would give them the opportunity to discuss with Russian President Vladimir Putin concerns ranging from Syria to Ukraine.
In response to a question by Fox anchor Bret Baier on Kim Jong-un’s human rights record, whom Baier called a “killer,” Trump replied praising Kim as a “tough guy. Hey, when you take over a country, tough country, with tough people, and you take it over from your father, I don’t care who you are, what you are, how much of an advantage you have—if you can do that at 27 years old, that’s 1 in 10,000 could do that.
“So he’s a very smart guy, he’s a great negotiator and I think we understand each other,” said the President.
When Baier whined “But he’s still done some really bad things,” Trump replied: “Yeah, but so have a lot of other people done some really bad things. I could go through a lot of nations where a lot of bad things were done.”
The report from Britain’s Guardian was, unsurprisingly, all sour grapes, starting quoting by Trump-haters on North Korea’s human rights record. (Should we remind the Guardian what Maria Zakharova had to say about the British Empire’s human rights record?)
STRATEGIC WAR DANGER
Libyan Coast Guard Welcomes Italian Decision
June 14 (EIRNS)—The head of the Libyan coast guard, Col. Abu Ajila Abdelbari, welcomed the Italian decision to block Italian ports to NGO ships. “If Italian authorities decide not to accept immigrants in their ports, this will discourage traffickers. If the Italians and the Maltese keep accepting immigrants coming on ships, this represents a safe entrance for those who decide to travel. The main gate was the Italian one…. If Italian security forces close their ports, this means for traffickers and immigrants ‘no way.’ It is a clear message for those who want to sail,” Abdelbari told the online Italian publication Notizie Geopolitiche
COLLAPSING WESTERN FINANCIAL SYSTEM
China Teams Up with UN Food Agencies, African Nations To End World Poverty and Hunger
June 14 (EIRNS)—An international event was held in Rome last week, co-sponsored by two Chinese anti-poverty agencies and three UN food and agriculture organizations, to focus on collaboration to succeed worldwide in the first two goals of “Agenda 2030,” to end poverty and to end hunger by that year, in the objective called the UN Sustainable Development 2030 Goals (SDG). A joint statement was released, on strengthening the partnership among the agencies.
This June 6-8 Rome meeting, which also involved high-level participation from four African countries—Chad, Kenya, Senegal and Ghana—launched a campaign to gather poverty-reduction case studies from around the world, for availability through an easy-access database set up by China in 2017, called the “Global Poverty Reduction Online Knowledge Sharing Database.” A new book was released, The Way Forward; Stories of Poverty Reduction in China.
The co-sponsors of the forum were: UN agencies Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and World Food Program (WFP); plus the International Poverty Reduction Center in China (IPRCC) and the China Internet Information Center (CIIC).
The Rome event followed one on May 23 in Beijing, called the 2018 China Poverty Reduction International Forum, which also included the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, and other entities in attendance. The latest figures on China’s poverty reduction, given at the May event, state, as reported by CGTN: “A total of 55.64 million Chinese rural residents were lifted out of poverty from 2013 to 2016, and at least another 10 million will shake off poverty this year, meaning the number of rural Chinese lifted out of poverty in five years will exceed 65 million—roughly the population of a major European country such as Britain, France or Italy.” The Beijing meeting launched a prize for outstanding cases of success, titled, the “Global Solicitation and Challenge Prize on Best Poverty Reduction Practices.”
These meetings and initiatives show the efforts by China to move outward with its anti-poverty success. Regarding rural agriculture and income improvement, China’s record stands apart from the fake anti-poverty programs characterizing the 2000-2015 years of the UN Millennial Development Goals—crafted by the British Foreign Office, when various kinds of measures were promoted, to serve the pre-existing City of London/Wall Street monetary and trade system which impoverished people in the first place. At core, these cynical programs usually involved connecting local farmers to “world markets,” by hitching their efforts to a “value chain,” which, in practice, mostly meant exploitation. For example, after the January 2010 Caribbean earthquake, “aid” programs connected mango farmers in Haiti, to supply cheap mango pulp to Coca Cola for trendy fruit drink sales in the U.S. and Europe. Haiti was left impoverished.
In contrast, the Chinese anti-poverty programs in rural areas involve providing transportation, electricity, water, housing improvement, and identifying how to either upgrade existing crop production, or introduce new crops more suitable for the area, and/or offer relocation. In the course of this, provision is made for better health care, education and cultural activities.
Speakers at the Rome workshop reviewed the scope of the Chinese success, and what now must be done internationally. “Over the past 40 years, China has lifted 700 million people out of poverty, accounting for over 70% of poverty reduction globally. China has set a target to eliminate the remaining rural poverty by 2020, a decade ahead of UN’s goal,” CGTN reported June 6.
Addressing the global challenge, FAO Deputy Director General for Programs Daniel Gustafson said, “Some 703 million people continue to live in extreme poverty … and the number of chronically food-insecure people was 815 million in 2016, up from 777 million in 2015.”
China’s international activities against poverty and hunger to date were reviewed by Niu Dun, Chinese Ambassador to the FAO. “Up to now, we have sent more than 1,000 experts and technicians to Africa, Asia, South Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean to help countries improve their food security.” Niu said that the framework for collaboration comes from the FAO South-South and Triangular Cooperation programs.
Representatives from each African country participating gave specifics on their nation’s activities.
THE NEW GLOBAL ECONOMIC ORDER
Russia’s President Putin Welcomes U.S.-North Korea Summit Agreement
June 14 (EIRNS)—Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomes the contacts between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, which have reduced tensions and provided a basis for a full-fledged settlement of the Korean issue, TASS reported today.
“We welcome and also highly appreciate the outcome of the meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Trump, which was held most recently, on June 12,” Putin said at a meeting today with President of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly (legislature) of North Korea Kim Yong-nam, North Korea’s nominal head of state, who was visiting Moscow for the World Cup games there.
Putin said that the meeting between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un has reduced the risk of a large military conflict on the Korean Peninsula. “Thanks to this meeting, this unfavorable scenario was postponed and new prospects of settling all problems in peaceful and diplomatic ways appeared.”
Putin also welcomed the contacts between the leaders of North Korea and South Korea.
Additionally, Putin sent a congratulatory birthday telegram to President Trump, who turned 72 today.
Trump-Kim Summit Has Triggered Broader Integration Efforts in East Asian Region
June 14 (EIRNS)—The Trump-Kim summit at Singapore on June 12 has given a strong push to all major nations in the region to help integrate North Korea and bring an end to the origin of the Cold War. Today, Japanese and North Korean officials made informal contact while attending an international conference in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, a Japanese government source said, reported Kyodo News.
The Japanese government is reportedly trying to arrange a high-level meeting with the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Yomiuri Shimbun reported. “One of the possible venues for talks between Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Kim Jong-un is the Russian city of Vladivostok, should the North Korean leader decide to attend the Eastern Economic Forum there in mid-September,” RT reported.
The likelihood of such a meeting has grown significantly since the Russian President Vladimir Putin met with North Korea’s head of the Supreme People’s Assembly, Kim Yong-nam at Moscow today AP reported. Kim Yong-nam also handed over a letter from Chairman Kim to President Putin.
According to Yomiuri Shimbun, another option on the table is for Abe to visit Pyongyang directly. “While both countries have been in contact several times in recent months to negotiate a possible meeting between the two leaders, a face-to-face encounter might be needed for Tokyo to fully support the denuclearization arrangement, reached between Donald Trump and Kim in Singapore this week.”
Militaries of Pyongyang and Seoul To Restore Communications
June 14 (EIRNS)—Following the rare high-level meeting of military officials of North Korea and South Korea today, both sides agreed fully to restore their cross-border communication lines, AP reported. “The military officials also discussed temporarily disarming an area in their jointly controlled truce village of Panmunjom, where soldiers from the North and South stand several feet from each other across the demarcation line that divides their countries, South Korea’s Defense Ministry said,” AP wrote.
The meeting at Tongilgak, a building on the North Korean side of Panmunjom, was the first of its kind between the two Koreas since December 2007. “The five-member South Korean delegation was led by Maj. Gen. Kim Do-gyun, with the five-member North Korean delegation represented by Lt. Gen. An Ik San,” Kyodo News reported.
Seoul’s Defense Ministry also said the military talks focussed on implementing the agreements made at the April 27 summit between Chairman Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in, in which they vowed to reduce military tensions and eliminate the danger of war, said AP.
“The possible trust-building steps discussed between the military officials included disarming on a ‘trial basis’ the Joint Security Area in the Panmunjom, which is the only spot in the Demilitarized Zone where the rivals’ soldiers stand almost face to face. The area was where North Korean leader Kim Jong-un stepped across the demarcation line to greet South Korean President Moon Jae-in for their historic summit in April,” wrote AP.
