TUESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2019

Volume 6, Number 214

EIR Daily Alert Service

P.O. Box 17390, Washington, DC 20041-0390

• The Next Blow Against Terror: Help Mexico Seal Its Border to Drugs and Arms Trafficking
• Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces Agrees To Abide by Russia-Turkey Ceasfire Agreement
• Putin To Visit Philippines, as Manila and Beijing Discuss Developing South China Sea Oil
• Lega-led Coalition Wins Italy’s Traditionally ‘Red’ Umbria Region
• Thuringian State Christian Democracy Seeks Talks With Die Linke, Breaks National CDU Taboo
• Argentines Celebrate Macri’s Election Defeat, With Fernandez Win Felt All Over the Region
• New Trump Commission Takes Aim at Dope, Inc.
• NASA Schedules Lander To Go to Moon’s South Pole To Seek Water
• International Reactions to U.S. Killing of ISIS Leader al-Baghdadi

EDITORIAL

The Next Blow against Terror: Help Mexico Seal Its Border to Drugs and Arms Trafficking

Oct. 28 (EIRNS)—President Donald Trump’s success in decapitating ISIS in Southwest Asia, followed from his bold decision to withdraw American troops from Syria and use international cooperation against drug-running, human-trafficking terrorists. He has here fought terrorism while helping stabilize Syria, rather than breaking up national governments and creating terrorism, as previous Presidents did.

Now for a clear and obviously necessary next step: Cooperate with Mexico to defeat the drug- and gun-running and human-trafficking terrorists threatening to take over that country. The opening is already created.

The LaRouche Citizens Movement of Mexico, MOCILA, issued an open letter to Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) on Oct. 25, 2019. The letter followed the drug cartels’ virtual military takeover of the city of Culiacan on Oct. 17. Entitled, “Four Measures To Defeat Dope, Inc.’s Takeover of Mexico,” the open letter from MOCILA reads:

“It is often the case in history that forces representing evil policies are blinded by their own hubris, and think they can impose their will on entire nations by brute force and terror tactics. But their very arrogance exposes their own Achilles’ heel, and can lead to their destruction at the hands of their intended victims, if the latter counterattack vigorously on the exposed weak flank.

“Last week’s show of force by Dope, Inc., the international drug cartel run out of the City of London and Wall Street banks, around the Ovidio Guzmán case, presents just such an opportunity.

“In the same spirit in which we issued an ‘Open Letter to AMLO’ back in September 2018 before you took office, the LaRouche movement today—based on the established authority of the late Lyndon LaRouche in these matters—urges you to adopt four concrete measures which will take Dope, Inc.’s tactical victory in the Ovidio Guzmán case, and turn it into their strategic defeat.

“1) Immediately fire your Government Minister Olga Sánchez Cordero, who is a leading proponent of Dope, Inc.’s policy of drug legalization, and a Trojan horse inside your government.

“2) Aggressively pursue the policy you have already initiated, of cooperation with the Trump Administration to freeze or hermetically seal the U.S.-Mexico border to both arms flows south and drug flows north, by using advanced technologies including laser detection, MRI, X-rays and more. This is a key component of LaRouche’s long-standing anti-drug plan [see Dennis Small, “The LaRouche Plan To ‘Hermetically Seal’ the Border against Drug-Traffic,” EIR, March 29, 2019].

“3) Expand such international cooperation by negotiating an agreement with China to cooperate on 100% stopping the flow of fentanyl into Mexico, and especially the state of Sinaloa, from where it is increasingly being cut to lower concentrations for transshipment to the United States. This will establish effective triangular cooperation among Mexico, China, and the United States, since China and the United States have already reached a significant bilateral agreement to stop the fentanyl scourge.

“4) Propose further triangular cooperation among Mexico, China, and United States, to bring major infrastructure and other development projects to Mexico and Central America, in the context of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) which now includes 157 nations worldwide. Only by providing such opportunities for productive employment for the region’s youth, can they be freed from enslavement to the drug trade and its terrorist gangs, and from the desperate need to migrate to the United States to ensure simple survival for themselves and their families.

“Such a global paradigm shift toward the BRI would also entail the bankruptcy re-organization of the entire trans- Atlantic financial system, which is the driving force of the international drug trade, and in any event is heading towards a blowout of its $1.5 quadrillion speculative bubble, which will make the 2008 crisis look like a picnic in comparison.

“cc: President Donald Trump; The White House; Washington, D.C.”

STRATEGIC WAR DANGER

Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces Agrees To Abide by Russia-Turkey Ceasefire Agreement

Oct. 28 (EIRNS)—The formerly U.S.-backed, Kurdish-dominated, Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced yesterday that it has accepted, in full, the ceasefire agreement brokered by Russia and Turkey for the northern Syrian area bordering Turkey.

“After a few days of dialogue and discussion between our general commander and the Russian government and army, and in accordance with the Sochi Agreement, and in order to protect the security of the region, and halt the dangers of an invasion and a new conflict in the region, our forces, under the guarantor of Russia, are withdrawing from the region as deep as 32 km from the border,” SDF spokesman Mustafa Bali told the Iraq-based Kurdish news service Rudaw. “And on the basis of the same guarantee from Russia, a political dialogue with the central government in Damascus will start to find a political solution. Our forces will take necessary measures and stand on these foundations.”

A separate statement by the SDF indicated that its forces would be replaced by border guards deployed by the government in Damascus.

“As the Syrian Democratic Forces, while assuring the public of our full commitment to defending the people and the region, we call on the Russian Federation to fulfill its commitments and ensure a constructive dialogue between the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria and the central government of Damascus,” the statement concluded.

The SDF statement was welcomed in Damascus.

“The Syrian Arab Republic welcomes the withdrawal of armed groups in northern Syria to a depth of 30 km through direct coordination with the Syrian Arab Army,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement to the official news agency, SANA. “The Syrian Arab Republic affirms that this withdrawal ends the basic pretext of the brutal Turkish aggression on its territories, and at the same time it affirms that Syria is for all in a way that guarantees the security and safety of the diverse national fabric with regard to the rights and duties.”

The ministry affirmed that Syria will work on embracing its citizens and providing the aid for them in a way that would guarantee their integration into Syrian society again, and would open the door for all to return to Syrian national unity as a land and people, SANA reported.

THE NEW GLOBAL ECONOMIC ORDER

Putin To Visit Philippines, as Manila and Beijing Discuss Developing South China Sea Oil

Oct. 28 (EIRNS)—Russian President Vladimir Putin has accepted an invitation from Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte to pay a state visit to Manila, at a date to be determined. The Philippines is also holding talks this week with China regarding plans to launch joint exploration and development of oil and gas resources in the contested regions of the South China Sea. As expected, the neocons are furious about both.

Russia’s Ambassador to Manila Igor Khovaev told reporters Oct. 26 that Putin had accepted Duterte’s invitation “with gratitude.” He said that Russia “would do our best to arrange this meeting as soon as possible.”

Hermogenes Esperon, Duterte’s national security adviser, told the press that China has proposed a 60-40 split in favor of the Philippines on the oil and gas project. Duterte had also invited Rosneft, Russia’s oil and gas company, to visit the Philippines during his visit to Russia last month.

On cue, Greg Poling, the director of the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at the neocon Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, sent out a threat to Duterte sounding very much like the U.S. cut-off of F-35 sales and production capacity in Turkey when Ankara purchased Russian S-400 air defense systems.

“Russia is eager to boost its influence in the region, and doubtless doing so with a long-standing U.S. ally is seen as a bonus by Moscow,” Poling told Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post published today. “The U.S. will also be concerned if any acquisitions or cooperation with Russia might threaten information security or intelligence cooperation between the U.S. and the Philippines,” he further said. “And finally, any major platforms acquired from Russia would likely require the U.S. to impose sanctions on the Philippines unless a waiver is granted, and the U.S. government has been very stingy about awarding those waivers because they undermine the effectiveness of the sanctions regime,” Poling threatened.

A Russian-Philippine Naval pact is also under discussion: “Philippine naval vessels made their first-ever visit to Russia in October, while three Russian ships docked in the Philippines for a goodwill visit in January,” SCMP reports.

Lega-led Coalition Wins Italy’s Traditionally ‘Red’ Umbria Region

Oct. 28 (EIRNS)—The regional elections in Umbria saw a spectacular victory of the Lega-led center-right coalition yesterday, by 58-37%. Although among the smallest of Italy’s regions, Umbria’s vote was loaded with national political significance, as a test for the new government coalition made up of the Five Stars (M5S) and Democratic Party (PD), which ran as a coalition for the first time in the Umbria regional elections. National leaders of both coalitions appeared in the final election rallies.

With just under 90% of the vote counted, the center-right coalition (Lega, Forza Italia, and Fratelli d’Italia) had 20-point advantages over the center-left (M5S, PD, and smaller groups). The smashing defeat over the center-left is aggravated by the fact that Umbria, together with Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna, has been a bulwark of the left, eventually of the center-left. Particularly serious was the defeat of the Five Stars, which dropped below 10%.

The Lega won 36%, going beyond the most optimistic forecasts. In some places, such as Assisi, the Lega got 40%.

Assisi is the birthplace of St. Francis, and obviously highly symbolic. It is considered the “heart” of Italy also because Giotto planted the seeds of Renaissance painting here. More recently, Argentine Archbishop Jorge Maria Bergoglio chose the name of Francis as Pope, and turned it into a Malthusian, green-fascist icon. Under his leadership, the Vatican had singled out Lega head Matteo Salvini as the devil. It is ironic that the voters of Assisi punished the Pope’s Malthusian agenda by voting in such large numbers for the Lega.

The center-right is now claiming early national elections more strongly than before. But most probably, the issue will be decided after the next battle, which will take place on Jan. 26, 2020, in Emilia-Romagna.

Thuringian State Christian Democracy Seeks Talks with Die Linke, Breaks National CDU Taboo

Oct. 28 (EIRNS)—Mike Mohring, the Thuringia state leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), this morning, the day after the Landtag state election there, announced on German MDR TV network that he would hold talks with the Linke (Left) party about forming a government coalition. Telling MDR, “I view stable conditions for the state to be more important than mere party-political interests,” Mohring upended the taboo imposed by the CDU national executive categorically ruling out talks with the Linke. During the election campaign, Mohring himself had adhered to this taboo. But now, since the Linke came out as the winner and the CDU lost one-third of its previous vote, the situation has changed dramatically.

Mohring said that the national CDU’s view of talks with the Linke was simply irrelevant, saying, “I don’t need Berlin to find out what is important for Thuringia.” Mohring said that the present policies on the federal level had “not been useful” during the past election campaign, but have instead created massive losses in voter confidence for the CDU. Nobody in Berlin has a clue what should go on in Thuringia, Mohring said, and therefore Thuringians have to make their own decisions.

A coalition of CDU and Linke is the only option for Thuringia to have a stable government with a majority of 52%. Any other options would stay visibly below that.

COLLAPSING WESTERN FINANCIAL SYSTEM

Argentines Celebrate Macri’s Election Defeat, with Fernández Win Felt All over the Region

Oct. 28 (EIRNS)—Even before official returns were in by 9:00 p.m., Argentine time, Oct. 27 (00:00 UTC, Oct. 28), hundreds of thousands of citizens had taken to the streets around the country, especially in the capital of Buenos Aires, to celebrate the defeat of neoliberal President Mauricio Macri, who has spent the last four years plunging this once-prosperous nation into unprecedented economic and social crisis, under the tutelage of the International Monetary Fund.

The Front for All (Frente por Todos) ticket of Alberto Fernández and running mate and former President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, won 48.1% of the vote, and Macri’s Together for Change (Juntos por el Cambio) ticket garnered 40.4%. Since Alberto Fernández won more than 45% of the vote, no runoff is required.

That this wasn’t simply an Argentine issue, was reflected in the fact that Chilean flags were seen being held among the crowd filling many streets around the Front for All headquarters. EIR Ibero-American intelligence has received messages today not only from joyful Argentines, but also from Bolivians and Ecuadoreans.

By contrast, a worried Bloomberg reported today that Alberto Fernández will travel to Mexico next week to meet with President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, and that Fernández has congratulated Bolivian President Evo Morales on his recent electoral victory—being disputed, of course, by London and Washington’s regime-change fanatics. Last week, according to veteran Clarín correspondent Marcelo Bonelli, the U.S. State Department sent a message to Fernández, warning that unless he stuck with the regime-change line against Venezuela and also kept Argentina in the Lima Group (Fernández had already announced that he would pull out), he could expect no help from the Trump Administration.

Fernández vowed to fight to restore industry, privilege labor, and production, healthcare, public education, science and technology.

But no one is under any illusions as to the enormity of the task that lies ahead in order to deal with Macri’s horrific legacy, including an unpayable foreign debt exceeding $300 billion, $100 billion of which Macri contracted over the past four years. In remarks last night, Vice President-elect Cristina Fernández de Kirchner called on all Argentines, regardless of political persuasion, to back Alberto Fernández, who will have “ahead of him the immense task, the immense responsibility … [requiring] an unimaginable effort” to confront the “painful reality” of the destruction wrought by the previous, defeated government. She also boldly urged Macri to fulfill his constitutional responsibility, until he leaves office on Dec. 10, to “take all measures you should take to alleviate the dramatic situation of the country’s finances. This is your responsibility…. So please, Mr. President, exercise that responsibility.”

U.S. POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC

New Trump Commission Takes Aim at Dope, Inc.

Oct. 28 (EIRNS)—President Donald Trump today created, by Executive Order, a new Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice. Under this directive, the Attorney General is given wide latitude as to the size and composition of the Commission, which can draw on government and industry sources for membership and/or advice. The Commission has one year to produce a report for the Attorney General and the President, after which it will be dissolved, or continued, as considered necessary.

Leading the list of problems to be addressed by the Commission, are the effects of Dope, Inc.’s drug war against the American population.

“The continued malign activity of transnational criminal organizations, and the widespread abuse of drugs trafficked by such groups, are challenges that confront our communities and law enforcement” reads the introductory “Purpose” section. This is spelled out later in the list of “Functions” the Commission will address: “[C]hallenges to law enforcement associated with mental illness, homelessness, substance abuse, and other social factors that influence crime and strain criminal justice resources.”

Another indication that this is targetted at Dope, Inc. is Section 4, which authorizes the Commission to look into “refusals by state and local prosecutors to enforce laws or prosecute categories of crimes,” which would apply to any and all states which have legalized—in any form—marijuana usage, in defiance of Federal Law, under which it is still illegal.

There is another aspect to this story: The name chosen by Trump is an exact copy of a federal commission created by President Lyndon Johnson in 1967. There, too, we find that the final 200-page report of Johnson’s Commission devoted an entire section to “Narcotics and Drug Abuse,” at the time when their effects were only beginning to be felt on the streets and in the courts. In their recommendations, the 1967 report stressed: “The growing problem of narcotics and drug abuse in this country must be attacked by strengthening all approaches: Law enforcement, rehabilitation and treatment of drug users, and public education on the dangers involved.”

SCIENCE AND INFRASTRUCTURE

NASA Schedules Lander To Go to Moon’s South Pole To Seek Water

Oct. 28 (EIRNS)—Again accelerating its plans for the manned return to the Moon, NASA has announced its intention to send a Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) mission to the lunar South Pole in 2022 to seek and dig for ice on or below the surface there. Its long, 100-day mission depends on the VIPER landing in a spot which is in sunlight for most of the full lunar day.

NASA Administrator James Bridenstine announced the water mission at the International Astronautical Congress, hosted in Washington, D.C. last week. “We actually have a mission right now that I’m very pleased to announce; it’s called VIPER,” Bridenstine said. “VIPER is going to rove on the South Pole of the Moon and … assess where the water ice is. We’re going to characterize the water ice, and ultimately drill and find out just how the water ice is embedded in the regolith on the Moon.”

Thus, this mission will also continue the work begun by India’s Chandrayaan-2 mission in September, which put an orbiter around the Moon and sent a lander and rover down to the South Pole to find water whose presence Chandrayaan-1 confirmed in 2007. The Chandrayaan-2 lander and rover were not able to function there. The orbiter, which has a life expectancy of seven years, is continuing, and “shall enrich our understanding of the moon’s evolution and mapping of the minerals and water molecules in the Polar Regions, using its eight scientific instruments,” reported the Indian Space Research Organization, earlier this month.

VIPER, intended to launch in late 2022, would fly to the Moon on a commercial space company’s lander through the agency’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program. Its purpose, as reported by SpaceNews Oct. 27, will be to find exactly where in the Moon’s surface or subsurface the ice is located, measure its concentrations, and provide information on how difficult it will be to extract it. There are potentially hundreds of millions of tons of water there, but it must be extractable.

NASA has already ordered commercial landers, but not large enough to carry the VIPER. In September it received new proposals to land vehicles of several hundred kilograms, and will soon make a selection. Two years from bid selection to landing at the South Pole will be a very rapid timetable.

OTHER

International Reactions to U.S. Killing of ISIS Leader al-Baghdadi

Oct. 28 (EIRNS)—Reaction to the U.S. military operation to kill ISIS head Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is congratulatory from U.S. allies. The Russian reaction has been to distance Russia from any connection or support for violation of Syria’s sovereignty, and to express distrust of U.S. intentions with respect to designs on Syria’s oil fields, needed to rebuild that nation.

Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov: “The Defense Ministry does not have reliable information about the actions of the U.S. army in the Idlib de-escalation zone … concerning the umpteenth ‘death’ of Baghdadi.” Konashenkov cited “contradictory details” which raise “legitimate questions and doubts about the success of this American operation.”

Later, President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov was more positive: “If this information about al-Baghdadi’s death is indeed confirmed, in general we could speak about the U.S. President’s serious contribution to the fight against international terrorism.”

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan: “The killing of Daesh’s ringleader marks a turning point in our joint fight against terrorism. [Turkey] will continue to support anti-terror efforts—as it has done in the past. I am confident that a decisive struggle against terrorism, in line with the spirit of alliance, will bring peace to all humanity.”

French President Emmanuel Macron: “The death of al-Baghdadi is a hard blow against Daesh [ISIS], but it is just a stage. The fight will continue with our partners in the international coalition to ensure that the terror organization is definitively defeated. It is our priority.”

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson: “The death of Al-Baghdadi is an important moment in our fight against terror, but the battle against the evil of Daesh is not yet over. We will work with our coalition partners to bring an end to the murderous, barbaric activities of Daesh once and for all.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: “This reflects the united resolve of the free countries led by the U.S. to fight the forces of terror, the terror organizations and the terrorist states. This is an important milestone, but it’s part of a longer battle which we must win.”

Mazloum Abdi, who commands the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), allied to American forces, warned of revenge attacks: “Sleeper cells will seek revenge for Baghdadi’s death.”

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