EDITORIAL

Mobilize for the Election by Aiming For the Future

Oct. 31 (EIRNS)—President Donald Trump launches his pre-election blitz today in Florida, the first of 11 rallies he will hold around the country over these last six days before Nov. 6. The most important aspect of that blitz is that he is addressing in all these rallies the crucial importance of the international diplomacy which will be taking place in the days and weeks after the election: meeting Vladimir Putin on Nov. 11 in Paris, and again early next year at the White House; meeting Xi Jinping on Nov. 30, where he believes he can reach a deal on the trade crisis; and meeting Kim Jong-un on a date to be determined, expected before the New Year, to solidify the new peace which is now uniting all of Asia in the spirit of the New Silk Road.

The Nov. 11 meeting with Putin is particularly pregnant in historic significance. It will be on the sidelines of the 100th Anniversary of the Armistice ending World War I. That was a war which should never have happened, a war instigated by the British Empire to, among other things, prevent Germany from creating the overland rail connections to Southwest Asia, from Berlin to Baghdad. The British “Heartland Theory” of Halford Mackinder, one of the founders of the London School of Economics, and of geopolitics, argued that the British Empire’s control over the world through sea power required that the nations of Europe, Eastern Europe, Southwest Asia and Asia be prevented from establishing political alliances, which, they argued, would be facilitated by “land-bridge” rail connections. The British succeeded in dragging a reluctant United States into their “lovely little war.” It was this useless, deadly imperial war that gave rise to Hitler and fascism, and the necessary war to defeat them.

Today, the British Empire is again demanding a geopolitical war to keep Eurasia divided, and again trying to drag the United States into their filthy scheme. The demonization of Russia and China is aimed at stopping the New Silk Road connections which are creating connectivity among Russia, China, Central and Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe, as well as Africa and Ibero-America. London is in full panic mode, terrified that President Trump is rejecting their drive for war—indeed, Trump persists in calling for friendship among the great powers of Russia, China and the U.S. The British intelligence coup attempt against Trump, through Russiagate, is failing, and the decrepit Democratic Party, which has taken up the British cause by planning to impeach the President if they can take control of the Congress, is facing a possible defeat in the election which they not long ago believed would easily hand them that control.

The Great Powers cooperation among the U.S., Russia, China and India is not only necessary to prevent British instigation of World War III, but also, as Lyndon LaRouche has argued over the past decades, the minimum necessary political force required to put the British Empire’s City of London and Wall Street out of business once and for all. These Great Powers, by convening a New Bretton Woods Conference, could establish a new, just world economic order, based on fixed currency valuations, credit policies for international industrialization, and scientific expansion into the frontiers of human knowledge. China, Russia, and India are already solidifying that connection, lacking only the realization of Donald Trump’s intention to join in the process, restoring national sovereignty to the U.S. and to all nations. Italy’s new government is fully committed, and is therefore under brutal attack from the unelected and unaccountable EU bureaucrats in Brussels. Japan has not only shown its willingness to join, but is also taking real leadership by forging joint development policies with Russia, China and India, to the horror of the Western imperial interests.

Americans must grasp the truth of this turning point in history, that the normally rather marginal votes in the midterm elections are far more important this year—far more, in fact, than just the future of the nation. To crush the British coup attempt, to prevent an impeachment attempt, we must all focus on the future, far beyond the election itself, on a new world order based on the common interests of Mankind as a whole.

Correction: The EIR Daily Alert Editorial for Wednesday, Oct. 30, stated that German Chancellor Angela Merkel was resigning as CDU party leader and would also “likely be replaced as Chancellor” at the December party congress. In fact, this is definitely not “likely,” as she has announced her intention to stay on as Chancellor to the end of her term, despite calls from some for her to leave.

U.S. POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC

Reporter Sara Carter Investigates Drug Cartel Links To Understand Migrant Caravan

Oct. 31 (EIRNS)—Speaking yesterday on the Dom Giordano radio program on 1210-WPHT, and Oct. 19 with Breitbart Texas radio, investigative reporter Sara Carter offered more insightful analysis on the migrant caravan wending its way through Mexico, probing beyond the many hysterical fake-news headlines. A careful, in-depth investigation of the situation is required, she said, including looking at the role of drug cartels responsible, not only for drugging the U.S. population, but also for victimizing and terrorizing the people of Mexico and Central America and “ravaging their communities.”

It is important to go beyond the superficial stories and “dig deep,” she said. You don’t get tens of thousands of people suddenly deciding to migrate north willy-nilly. This effort is organized, she said, although she attributed it only to “leftists,” (she did mention George Soros’s ally, former Honduran President Mel Zelaya), whose mobilization of so many people out of the country has created a political problem for the conservative governments of Honduras and Guatemala, and provoked a “rift” with the Trump Administration.

Carter acknowledged that there are many cases of hardship among the migrants, and that many women and children are abused, “and have no protection.” But, she said, to get to the bottom of this, look at the involvement of the drug cartels. The majority of drugs flooding the United States come from across the border. Border security really has nothing to do with being “anti-immigrant,” she observed, but rather with addressing the drug influx and the drug cartels responsible for it. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has warned that these cartels constitute the greatest threat to the United States, Carter reported.

“The drug cartels own the routes in Mexico to the United States…. For people to get to the United States, they have to pay the drug cartels. The drug cartels have routes into the U.S. and those are the ones they are using to get in here, and we have to understand there are women and children in these groups, and if we really care about the people moving in here, we’re going to look at these issues, full scope.” She told Breitbart radio that the first step “is paying attention to what’s actually happening, so that the United States can finally declare these foreign cartels what they really are: narco-terrorists.”

Neo-Cons Pull Out All the Stops against China To Sabotage Trump-Xi Meeting

Oct. 31 (EIRNS)—The Wall Street Journal today offered arch neo-con Michael Auslin of the Hoover Institution an op-ed under the headline “Backlash Builds Against Beijing,” and with subtitle, “China wants to displace the U.S. as leader of the world, but it faces dissent at home and abroad.” Auslin gathers up all the filth that has been launched against China, Xi Jinping, and the Belt and Road over the past months: the “debt trap,” which is teaching the world “the dark side of doing business with Beijing”; domestic repression; no reform; military expansion; stealing intellectual property; massive internal debt; a “cult of personality unseen since the Mao era”; the “world’s first total surveillance state”; locking up Uyghurs; and more.

But never fear—dissent (read color revolution) is on the way, claims Auslin, with “hundreds, likely thousands of protests every year against official corruption and the government’s heavy hand.” He concludes: “Sticking to the current path will lead to greater tension between China and the world and risk more unrest at home.”

The neo-cons are pulling out all the stops to prevent a successful meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Xi Jinping on Nov. 30 at the G20 in Argentina.

Trump on Nationalism and Globalism

Oct. 31 (EIRNS)—President Donald Trump, interviewed by Laura Ingraham on Fox News Monday night, Oct. 29, was asked what he thought about the term “nationalism” being equated with anti-Semitism and hate.

Trump responded: “No. To me I don’t have to clarify. It means I love the country. It means I’m fighting for the country. I look at two things, globalists and nationalists. I’m somebody that wants to take care of our country because for many, many years … our leaders have been more worried about the world than they have about the United States. And then leave us in a mess, whether it’s the wars, whether it’s the economy, whether it’s debt, whether it’s all of the things that they’ve done….

“Now, I’m proud of this country and I call that nationalism…. I’m not a globalist but I want to take care of the globe, but first I have to take care of our country. I want to help people around the world but we have to take care of our country or we won’t have a country, including we have to take care of our country at the border.”

U.S. Charges ‘Chinese Spies’ with Stealing Commercially Available Aircraft Engine Technology

Oct. 31 (EIRNS)—The U.S. Justice Department reported yesterday that it has charged two alleged Chinese spies, as part of a ten-person team, in a conspiracy to steal jet engine technology from private companies. The Justice Department said that the Chinese intelligence officers worked with hackers and “co-opted company insiders” to acquire commercial aviation technology, in a campaign from January 2010 to May 2015. U.S. Attorney Adam Braverman of the Southern District of California was quoted by the DOJ release as saying, “The concerted effort to steal rather than simply purchase, commercially available products should offend every company that invests talent, energy, and shareholder money into the development of products.”  In short, the actual alleged crime is equivalent to shoplifting.

A Bloomberg wire targets Made in China 2025 industrial program, writing that it “specifically identifies aerospace as a key sector that can help match or exceed high-end manufacturing output of countries such as Germany, Japan, and the U.S.,” implying that Made in China 2025 will be achieved by stealing.

Chinese Foreign Ministry Lu Kang dismissed the allegations, answering a question about the charges in one sentence in his press briefing today: “The relevant charges are sheer fiction and totally fabricated.”

STRATEGIC WAR DANGER

Russian Defense Ministry Warns of False Flag Chemical Attacks Planned for Syria

Oct. 31 (EIRNS)—Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov, spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry, warned today that new false-flag chemical weapons attacks are being planned to take place in some regions of Syria, particularly in the Aleppo region, TASS reported. He stated that similar provocations are being planned for other regions, for the purpose of justifying renewed Western air strikes on Syria.

General Konashenkov also reported that the ministry had been informed yesterday that members of the (British-spawned) White Helmets organization had arrived in Azaz, Marea and Chobanbei locales, “carrying professional video equipment,” and that additionally, “tanks with poisonous substances, allegedly chlorine gas, have been brought in.” This situation, “is being closely monitored,” he warned, stating that specialized Russian crews and vehicles, equipped with the necessary technology, have been deployed to Russian outposts in immediate proximity to the Idlib demilitarized zone. They will be “monitoring the radiation, chemical and biological situation regularly.”

The Defense Ministry spokesman further reported that the Russian Center for Reconciliation of the Opposing Sides has obtained information “that on Oct. 27, terrorists from the Turkestan Islamic Party transported 20 ten-liter chlorine containers from Maarat al-Nu’man to carry out provocations. They were unloaded in the inhabited communities of Kfar Nebel and al-Huash,” he said.

Konashenkov also pointedly emphasized that, given the “inability” of the United States and Syrian Democratic Forces to effectively fight terrorists in the Trans-Euphrates region, ISIS units are retaking previously liberated areas. ISIS also continues to “receive cutting-edge weapons and military equipment. We are closely monitoring these arms supply channels and have established a special commission for that purpose,” General Konashenkov said.

Mattis and Pompeo Statements Call on Saudis To End Yemen War Now

Oct. 31 (EIRNS)—Yesterday, U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo both issued statements calling for the war in Yemen to be brought to a speedy end. In a statement posted by the State Department, Pompeo urged all parties in the conflict “to support UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths in finding a peaceful solution to the conflict in Yemen based on the agreed references.” He said missile and drone strikes by the Houthi rebels against Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates should stop, and the Saudi-led coalition must cease air strikes in all populated areas of Yemen. “A cessation of hostilities and vigorous resumption of a political track will help ease the humanitarian crisis as well,” he said. “It is time to end this conflict, replace conflict with compromise, and allow the Yemeni people to heal through peace and reconstruction.”

Mattis, during remarks at the U.S. Institute of Peace in Washington, D.C., specifically laid down a 30-day deadline for ending the war. He said the U.S. had been watching the conflict “for long enough” and said he believes Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, are ready for talks. “We have got to move toward a peace effort here, and we can’t say we are going to do it sometime in the future,” Mattis went on. “We need to be doing this in the next 30 days.” He said the U.S. is calling for all warring parties to meet with Griffiths in Sweden in November and “come to a solution.”

Trump Will Listen To Advice Before Making Final Decision on INF Treaty, Confirmed Mattis

Oct. 31 (EIRNS)—During remarks at the U.S. Institute of Peace yesterday, Secretary of Defense James Mattis indicated that the decision on U.S. withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty is not yet final. According to TASS, Mattis said that President Trump will listen to the advice of his administration’s members before making the final decision on whether or not to pull out of the treaty. “I don’t want to go into too much details, but there are options—both symmetrical and asymmetrical—that are available, but I am not committed to anything right now. That’s a grave decision, that the President will take council from all of us and it will be up to President Trump, and his views on nuclear weapons (and I think it is pretty well known—he hates them). And we will be working this issue with him,” he said.

UN Secretary General Appoints New Envoy for Syria

Oct. 31 (EIRNS)—UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has appointed Norwegian diplomat Geir Pedersen to replace UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura when he steps down at the end of November. Diplomats speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity said Pedersen, now Norway’s ambassador to China, had the informal approval of the UN Security Council permanent five members—Russia, China, the United States, France and Britain. Guterres’ own statement indicates that the Syrian government has also accepted Pedersen.  “Mr. Pedersen will support the Syrian parties by facilitating an inclusive and credible political solution that meets the democratic aspirations of the Syrian people,” Guterres said.

According to Reuters, citing Pedersen’s UN biography, Pedersen helped to facilitate the Oslo agreement between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization in 1993, and his history otherwise suggests that he is an able diplomat, but he faces a very difficult challenge in the next step of the process, that of convening a constitutional commission to write a new constitution for Syria. De Mistura told the UN Security Council, last week, that Syria wants the United Nations to simply facilitate efforts to rewrite the constitution and not choose a third of the committee that will do it, presenting a “serious challenge.”

THE NEW GLOBAL ECONOMIC ORDER

Instead of Threats, U.S. Should Work with China for Caribbean-Central American Connectivity

Oct. 31 (EIRNS)—Recent threats by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo against Central American and Caribbean nations which have established diplomatic ties, or are cooperating economically with China, haven’t gone over too well. Today, the Presidents of El Salvador, Panama and the Dominican Republic, nations singled out by Pompeo, are in Beijing on state visits and will also attend the China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai on Nov. 5-10. They are all anxious to increase their cooperation with China, in the context of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

In comments reported in Antigua’s Daily Observer Oct. 23, Gaston Browne, Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, said that Pompeo should be ashamed of himself for criticizing a country that has for years helped Caribbean nations to develop. Last June, Browne’s government signed a Memorandum of Understanding with China, officially joining the BRI. The U.S., he continued, would do better to learn from China, which has gone “beyond the call of duty” to assist Caribbean countries with meaningful grants and concessional loans, for which Antigua & Barbuda owes it “a debt of gratitude.” How, he asked, could such an act of generosity “be detrimental to our national interests?” as Pompeo claimed. Perhaps, he said, the U.S. “may wish to consider spending less on artillery. Spend less on useless wars and interventions … in the affairs of other states and to utilize the savings to help underprivileged countries here in the Caribbean and elsewhere.”

An Oct. 29 Global Times article, “China, Caribbean Countries More Closely Connected in a New Era of Ties,” makes clear that Pompeo’s threats have fallen on deaf years. Of interest is the report on remarks by Eduardo Klinger, a journalist and China expert from the Dominican Academy of Sciences. At a mid-October conference at the Foreign Ministry, organized with China’s Association of Public Diplomacy (ACDP)—Panama and Mexico held similar conferences with ACDP—Klinger said he envisaged the growth of future connectivity among several Caribbean islands—the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Jamaica, and the Bahamas—but added that Caribbean connectivity “certainly needs U.S. support.” Not only will there be many railroads, bridges, tunnels and ports to build, he underscored, but more importantly, “it will depend on cooperation between China and the U.S.,” which otherwise sees the region as its backyard.

China’s International Import Expo a Showcase for Global Economic and Trade Cooperation

Oct. 31 (EIRNS)—The China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai on Nov. 5-10, which is shaping up to be an enormous, economically and strategically important event, to not only showcase China’s economic achievements and potential, but also consolidate cooperation with many countries, in the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Of the 130 countries and regions attending, over 50 of them are involved in the BRI.

This is the first of what will be henceforth an annual event. The numbers are impressive: More than 3,000 companies will be represented, including 200 considered to be leaders in their respective industries, Xinhua reported today. The United States is not sending an official delegation, but 180 American companies are sending delegates. All other members of the G20 will be represented, as well as 30 of the world’s 44 least-developed nations.  There will be 5,000 exhibits, and a total of 160,000 domestic and foreign buyers are expected.

As previously reported, Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the Expo’s inaugural session, and will welcome 18 visiting heads of state and government, all of whom will later attend a banquet dinner along with other foreign dignitaries. Several of the heads of state are also on state visits to China, or engaged in important bilateral talks while there.

Global Times wrote yesterday that CIIE will be important for China’s own development as well, “as facilitating opening-up and expanding imports will contribute to the high-quality growth of the nation’s economy.” Among other things, the Expo is expected to upgrade domestic industrial infrastructure, by introducing advanced technologies and equipment. The CIIE hopes to make clear, Global Times points out, that China’s opening-up is a process that requires “discussion and negotiation by domestic and foreign parties, concerning what we need and what they can provide.”

Italy and India Launch Fast Track for Bilateral Investments

Oct. 31 (EIRNS)— An Italian government and business delegation led by Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte and Deputy Minister for Economic Development Michele Geraci has been on a two-day visit to India over Oct. 29-30 where they participated in the Italy-India Tech Summit together with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Modi and Conte also had a bilateral meeting, while Geraci met the Indian Minister of Trade, the Director General for Industrial Policy, the CEO of Invest in India, and a group of young Italian startup business people.

The two governments decided to set up a fast-track mechanism to promote two-way investments and constitute a CEO forum to intensify bilateral economic cooperation. “India invited Italy to explore investment opportunities in the entire food processing value chain particularly in food processing units, equipment manufacture, skill development, research and development and quality assurance,” said a joint statement released by Modi and Conte following their bilateral meeting in New Delhi on Oct. 30.

Recognizing the vast business opportunities in the food processing sector in India, the two sides urged for greater collaboration. The leaders welcomed setting up an India-Italy Joint Working Group on food processing that will be convened at a mutually convenient date, the statement said.

Underlining the importance of economic cooperation for strengthening the bilateral ties, the two sides agreed to convene the next session of the India-Italy Joint Commission on Economic Cooperation (JCEC) in India in 2019.

At the Italy-India Tech Summit, the Indian Science and Technology Minister Harsh Vardhan recalled that scientists from the two countries have benefitted from joint initiatives such as beamlines and synchrotron and said that it would be pertinent to focus on new areas of collaboration, looking at market needs and societal challenges also, the Hindu Businessline reported Oct. 29.