TUESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2019

Volume 6, Number 209

EIR Daily Alert Service

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

• In a Deep Crisis, a New Paradigm Is Just That Close
• Obama-Created Terrorist Army Attacking Obama-Created Proxy Army
• Turkey’s Ceasefire With Syrian Kurds Ends Tuesday
• Russia Offers Africa Nuclear Power at Russia-Africa Economic Forum
• Russia’s Growing Involvement in African Nuclear Development
• Before Carney, University College London Redlined Fossil Fuels for Shutdown
• Lindsey Graham Changes His Mind About Trump’s Syria Policy, But Remains Insane Geopolitician
• Lavrov Reveals Russia Shrugged Off Obama’s Attempts To Wreck Relations
• Astronaut Buzz Aldrin, Again on Artemis Lunar Project, Wants to Bring in China

EDITORIAL

In a Deep Crisis, a New Paradigm Is Just That Close

Oct. 21 (EIRNS)—The current worldwide crisis is more than the danger, bad as it is, of “regime-change wars” spreading to world war; it goes beyond the attempt by the war party to oust U.S. President Donald Trump because he wants peace and strategic cooperation with Russia in particular—in the Mideast in particular.

That question is certainly crucial. We all instinctively want a harmonious world in which nations seek peace and betterment with one another, at least to solve the most important crises such as this one. And when we witness war parties seized with British geopolitical compulsions to set off warfighting—or youth brought up to violent fighting and anarchist rampages as “fun and gaming”—it is a painful image of the human species.

But we want much more: Raising the living standards of nations above poverty and into scientific progress, and raising the productive abilities of those youth to surpass their parents’ and grandparents’ limitations.

Underneath this crisis, in any case, lies a financial and economic crisis. It is mushrooming from ten years of money-printing and massive speculation, producing inconceivable levels of debt and inequality—centered in gigantic megabanks of London,Wall Street and Frankfurt but touching every nation in the world. Helga Zepp-LaRouche, head of the Schiller Institute, told us today that what is driving the strategic crisis—including the furious assault to get rid of a U.S. President who does not want war confrontations with other nuclear powers—is that the financial establishment knows its system is running on giant rocks now. It will not allow a President Trump who, in the coming deep financial and economic crisis, “might do anything,” might even do what candidate Trump called for, “popping the gigantic bubble on Wall Street.”

He might even do the policies of Lyndon LaRouche, LaRouche’s famous “Four Laws” which start with the Glass-Steagall Act to pop that gigantic bubble, and then “Hamiltonian” national banking to finance new high-technology infrastructure; space exploration of the entire Solar System; forcing breakthroughs to fusion power.

The possibility terrifies Wall Street as well as the perpetual war party; and while defending Trump, it makes no sense to wait and see if he will ignite those new economic engines. We have to act for ourselves on LaRouche’s exoneration and to force his “four laws” even into the distracted and manipulated Congress.

LaRouche proposed the “Four Power” cooperation of the United States with China, India and Russia on these policies, to make them faster to implement and to spread through capital goods exports to developing countries. He and Helga LaRouche 30 years ago laid out the starting core, corridors of new rail transport, power and communications across all of Eurasia, the Mideast and Africa. This is now China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

China this year—in the face of growing global economic crisis and even mass anti-austerity protests in many countries at once—is again accelerating its relentless investments in new infrastructure, reaping higher productivity and preventing recession.

But there is much more than infrastructure to LaRouche’s policy. It is “Apollo” missions to return and settle the Moon and go to Mars and further; crash programs for fusion power and laser and plasma technologies; lighting up Africa with nuclear power, as Russia’s President says it intends to do; bringing armed forces home from the regions of “endless war.”

A new and better paradigm could be right within reach, where Lyndon LaRouche put it, during his long and very creative life.

STRATEGIC WAR DANGER

Obama-Created Terrorist Army Attacking Obama-Created Proxy Army

Oct. 21 (EIRNS)—The one element that the Trump Administration and the Putin government of Russia don’t yet have a handle on, is the so-called Syrian National Army, the proxy army of Syrian jihadists backed by the Turkish government. This element has been implicated in numerous war crimes, including the murder of a Kurdish politician and two others who were traveling with her, since the Turkish army began its incursion into northern Syria on Oct. 9.

These are the same jihadists who were labeled “moderate rebels” by the Obama team that created this “army,” writes Max Blumenthal in Grayzone. These crimes were committed by what began life as the Free Syrian Army, created by the Obama Administration beginning in 2012 as a weapon against the Assad government in Damascus, an operation which was likely supported by Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi and in which then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had more than a hand. After President Donald Trump canceled the CIA and Pentagonprograms to arm the FSA, its various jihadi factions were given over to the Muslim Brotherhood government of Turkey and united into the Syrian National Army.

Then, as early as 2015, the Obama Administration began arming Kurdish militias for the campaign against ISIS and created the construct now known as the Syrian Democratic Forces.

Democrats are now blaming President Trump for crimes being committed by one Obama-created proxy army against another Obama-created proxy army.

Blumenthal cites a SETA (Turkish think tank) paper which reports that 21 of the 28 groups that now make up the Syrian National Army “were previously supported by the United States, three of them via the Pentagon’s program to combat DAESH [ISIS]. Eighteen of these factions were supplied by the CIA via the MOM Operations Room in Turkey, a joint intelligence operation room of the ‘Friends of Syria’ to support the armed opposition. Fourteen factions of the 28 were also recipients of the U.S.-supplied TOW anti-tank guided missiles.”

“In other words,” he writes, “virtually the entire apparatus of anti-Assad insurgents armed and equipped under the Obama Administration has been repurposed by the Turkish military to serve as the spearhead of its brutal invasion of northern Syria. The leader of this force is Salim Idriss, now the ‘Defense Minister’ of Syria’s Turkish-backed ‘interim government.’ He’s the same figure who hosted John McCain when the late senator made his infamous 2013 incursion into Syria.”

Turkey’s Ceasefire with Syrian Kurds Ends Tuesday

Oct. 21 (EIRNS)—The 120-hour ceasefire between Turkish troops and the Syrian Kurdish YPG will end at 22:00 local time (20:00 UTC) on Tuesday, Oct. 22. At almost the same time on Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold a crucial meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Sochi.

The idea that Turkey could end up in talks with Damascus, mediated by Russia, is gaining ground in Turkey. Writing in Hurriyet Daily News, commentator Serkan Demirtas, citing the fact that a Russian delegation, led by Special Presidential Envoy on Syria Alexander Lavrentyev, was in Ankara last week, and the next day was in Syria to meet Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, said that Russia and Iran will try to convince Turkey to open contact with Damascus at the November meeting of the Astana Process guarantors—Russia, Iran, and Turkey—for a Syrian settlement. Demirtas referred to Alexander Lavrentyev commenting, after his meeting with Assad: “The general opinion was expressed that the path to reliable and long-term stabilization of the territories to the east of the Euphrates River lies through the restoration of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country, the return of all Syrian lands to the control of the Syrian Arabic Republic government.”

Lavrentyev had earlier met with the Syrian Kurdish YPG representatives to facilitate its agreement with the Assad government. This resulted in a positive understanding. Demirtas then cited a phone conversation of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Oct. 17, after which they called for “starting a dialogue between Damascus and Ankara, as well as between the Syrian authorities and the local Kurds. The parties emphasized that both Russia and Iran are prepared to assist in such meetings.”

All of this is aimed, he wrote, to push Turkey to start a dialogue with Syria which they have been aiming for ever since they started theAstana Process in early 2017. Now this can potentially begin using the 1998 Adana Protocol between Turkey and Syria, which stipulates that Syria would cease support to the PKK Kurdish separatists in Turkey. In fact, Turkey has confirmed that unofficial talks between Syrian and Kurdish security and intelligence officials take place in the field when necessary.

THE NEW GLOBAL ECONOMIC ORDER

Russia Offers Africa Nuclear Power at Russia-Africa Economic Forum

Oct. 21 (EIRNS)—The Russia-Africa Economic Forum in Sochi will host a special panel discussion “Contribution of Nuclear Technologies in the Development of Africa” with the participation of Director General of Rosatom Alexey Likhachev on Oct. 23

The panel discussion will become one of the key topics of the forum’s business program. Likhachev will discuss the possibilities of nuclear technologies and their role in the development of the continent with other session participants, including the Deputy Director General and Head of the IAEA Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications Najat Mokhtar; Head of the Zambia Atomic Energy Agency Roland Msiska; Minister of Infrastructure of the Republic of Rwanda Claver Gatete; Minister of Innovation and Technology of the Federal Democratic Republic Ethiopia Getahun Mekuriya Kuma, and other representatives of relevant ministries and corporations.

“Rosatom has been active in Africa for a long time. The creation and development of the nuclear industry on the African continent will not only solve the problem of the energy crisis, but also change the standard of living, providing full access to public health services, increasing the level of education and food security. We see a great interest on the part of African countries in creating new ties for further technological development. Moreover, we are ready to discuss all possible options for cooperation on the continent. I am sure that Russian-African nuclear projects will have a great future,” said Likhachev on Oct. 15, in a preview of the Sochi event.

The forum in Sochi was also prepared by a conference in Nairobi last week featuring officials of Rosatom and over 150 energy and nuclear professionals from across the globe. Representatives from key African countries that are planning or already implementing their respective programs for developing peaceful nuclear technologies included Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda and Zambia.

Speaking in Nairobi, Dmitry Shornikov, CEO of Rosatom Central and Southern Africa, emphasized the advantages of joining the atomic club through creating nuclear industries in newcomer countries and gave an overview of projects with the maximum positive effect on the industrial development, enhancing the quality of life and developing knowledge economy.

He said: “We are the only ones in the world who are fully vertically integrated in absolutely every segment of the nuclear value chain. We utilize this competitive advantage to create additional value by providing full support for the national nuclear energy program of the customer country at all its stages and provide access to the entire line of products and services throughout the entire life of a nuclear power plant from a single supplier.”

Russia’s Growing Involvement in African Nuclear Development

Oct. 21 (EIRNS)—One of the questions of the Oct. 23-24 Russia-Africa Economic Forum is the need for Africa to develop civilian nuclear power. Russia is at the front end of the strategy to equip Africa with nuclear power, reports Sébastien Périmony, French Schiller Institute expert on Africa, in his French blog “See Africa with the Eyes of the Future.”

Vanand Meliksetian, an adviser to the Netherlands on energy and a contributor to OilPrice.com, underlined Russia’s growing interest in that direction in a May 15 article: “Russia’s energy industry, in comparison, is booming. Its state-run nuclear energy company Rosatom has an order book of 34 reactors in 12 countries worth $300 billion. Recently, Moscow has set its eyes on Africa where most states have either already struck a deal with the Kremlin or are considering one….

“The Russian deal is particularly appealing to countries lacking nuclear know-how due to Moscow’s comprehensive offer regarding financing, construction, and operation of the facilities. Currently, Rosatom is experimenting with a contract known as ‘build-own-operate’ under which ownership of the plant remains in Russian hands while energy is sold to the host country. This new type of contract is appealing to several African states who lack the means to finance construction. In some instances, the mineral resources of host countries could function as a deposit for any liability comparable to Moscow’s ‘arms-for-platinum’ deal with Zimbabwe worth $3 billion.”

The stark reality is that Africa is in dire need of energy: 48 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa produce as much energy as the single country of Spain produces in Europe. That means that every other African has no access to electricity. According to the Global Energy Architecture Performance Index Report 2017, only five African countries have 100% electrification, all of them in North Africa: Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, and Morocco. South Africa follows immediately after, with a rate of 85.40%. Then come Ghana, 64.06%; Senegal, 56.50%; Ivory Coast, 55.80; and Nigeria, 55.60%. Some francophone countries: World Bank Reports gives access to electricity as 16% for Niger, 9% for Chad, 14% for the Central African Republic, and 20% for Burkina Fasso.

COLLAPSING WESTERN FINANCIAL SYSTEM

Before Carney, University College London Redlined Fossil Fuels for Shutdown

Oct. 21 (EIRNS)—A university in London appears to have started the push to redline vital fossil-fuel energy and electricity reserves, and stop their use, at least five years ago. That preceded Bank of England Governor and eco-fascist Mark Carney’s speech at the Paris Accords conference in December 2015, where Carney and Michael Bloomberg launched a central bankers’ combination to stop and “strand” fossil fuel investments on alleged “climate risk.”

University College London is nearly 200 years old, the country’s third university after Cambridge and Oxford, the size of a large American state university; now its “highlighted masters programs” are “Risk and Disaster Science,” and “Risk and Disaster Science—Data Science Pathway.”

The Guardian reported in January 2015 on what it said was “new work” published in January 2015 by University College London researchers. The daily broaches among other things, the fantastic hype—now used by Carney—of 5° Celsius global temperature-rise due to man-made CO2, was first claimed in an “economic policy” report.

“Vast amounts of oil in the Middle East, coal in the U.S., Australia and China and many other fossil fuel reserves will have to be left in the ground to prevent dangerous climate change, according to the first analysis to identify which existing reserves cannot be burned,” the paper said.

“The new work reveals the profound geopolitical and economic implications of tackling global warming for both countries and major companies that are reliant on fossil fuel wealth. It shows trillions of dollars of known and extractable coal, oil and gas, including most Canadian tar sands, all Arctic oil and gas and much potential shale gas, cannot be exploited if the global temperature rise is to be kept under the 2°C safety limit agreed by the world’s nations. Currently, the world is heading for a catastrophic 5°C of warming.

“ ‘We’ve now got tangible figures of the quantities and locations of fossil fuels that should remain unused in trying to keep within the 2°C temperature limit,’ said Christophe McGlade, at University College London (UCL), and who led the new research published in the journal Nature. The work, using detailed data and well-established economic models….”

The UCL chart shown, of “coal, gas and oil reserves that must not be burnt,” includes 85% of Africa’s coal, 33% of its natural gas and 21% of its oil. Combined, these power almost all of Africa’s woefully inadequate electric power supplies. Some 94% of U.S. coal is redlined.

U.S. POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC

Lindsey Graham Changes His Mind about Trump’s Syria Policy, but Remains Insane Geopolitician

Oct. 21 (EIRNS)—Geopoliticians are nuts in general, but Lindsey Graham, in particular, is off his rocker. Just a few days ago, Graham was fully opposed to the U.S. withdrawal from Syria ordered by President Donald Trump on Oct. 6. Yesterday, during an interview with Fox News’s Maria Bartiromo, Graham exclaimed that, as a result of a phone call with Trump the night before, he was entirely supportive of Trump’s policy in Syria—but for insane geopolitical reasons.

“Not only are we going to deny the oil fields falling into Iranian hands; I believe we are on the verge of a joint venture between us and the Syrian democratic forces that helped destroy ISIS and keep them destroyed, to modernize the oil fields and make sure they get the revenue, not the Iranians, not Assad, and it can help pay for our small commitment in the future,” Graham said. “And, protecting Israel is the number-one objective. We can do all of that with a very small force. I’m increasingly optimistic. This can turn out very well.”

Brimming with his own feverish plans, Graham summed up: “Historic security for Turkey, historic security for the Kurds, a plan to keep ISIS down and out forever, and the chance to keep the oil fields in the hands of our allies, not enemies, would be a hell of an outcome, and I think that’s now possible.”

It’s what President Trump has to contend with from his closest remaining “allies.”

Lavrov Reveals Russia Shrugged Off Obama’s Attempts To Wreck Relations

Oct. 21 (EIRNS)—Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told a Rossiya-1 TV interviewer yesterday that sometimes, it’s better to refrain from swift reaction to negative steps, such as the diplomatic wreck of Russia-U.S. relations which President Barack Obama left behind for Trump.  “Some countries take provocative steps in the global arena seeking to set others against this or that state,” TASS quoted Lavrov as saying.

He said that in some cases it’s better not to react: “Maybe such steps are geared to provoke you to react, to use it later in order to set a whole lot of other state against you as they easily buy into such tricks. But when they seriously hit your national interests, thing that are of principal importance for you, naturally, you must respond.”

The foreign minister made clear that he meant the actions of Trump’s predecessor, Barack Obama, who “slamming the door when his administration was in agony, out of mere spite, seeking to avenge the Democrats’ defeat at the presidential elections, seized [Russia’s] property, expelled [Russian] diplomats. … We did not react right away back then because we understood that it was a step aimed mainly against Donald Trump so that his presidency started with such a state in relations with Russia. As you remember, we took a pause then,” Lavrov explained. But he went on to stress that subsequently the U.S. Congress simply did not let President Trump develop normal relations with Russia, despite his declarations.

SCIENCE AND INFRASTRUCTURE

Astronaut Buzz Aldrin, Again on Artemis Lunar Project, Wants To Bring in China

Oct. 21 (EIRNS)—Speaking yesterday at the International Academy of Astronautics’ Academy Day, in conjunction with the annual International Astronautical Congress (Oct. 21-25), Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin called for a NASA partnership with China, and other spacefaring nations, in NASA’s Project Artemis to return to the Moon and go to Mars.

Aldrin also specified “space allies” Russia, Japan, India, the European Space Agency, and later other nations, as part of a “Space Exploration Alliance” with the United States.

The globally well-known astronaut, one of the first two on the Moon in 1969, is an advocate of the commercial space companies, such as SpaceX and Blue Origin, being centrally involved in the Moon-Mars mission. But, he said, their focus on business success means that simply working with NASA will not provide the vision for space missions.

“If there is this Space Exploration Alliance … working on something somewhere, now there are increased markets, there are increased reasons for SpaceX and Blue Origin to share and to work with the rest of the world.” The alliance, he said, “should make room for India, Australia, the United Arab Emirates,” and other entities that have the capability to advance space exploration. “Obviously, SpaceX has that capability, and so does Blue Origin, but it’s rather narrowly directed, based upon the desires of return.”

Aldrin, like many, criticizes the Gateway lunar space station feature of NASA’s Artemis plan, and thinks that transfer spacecraft should go from Earth orbit to lunar landing.

NASA finished main assembly of the first giant SLS (space launch system) rocket in September at Michoud Assembly Facility of the Marshall Space Center, and it has proposed a contract to United Space Alliance (Boeing-Lockheed) for 10 more “core stages” for 10 more SLS rockets. It will include the costs of this contract in its five-year budget proposal to Congress in February 2020.

Reach us at eirdailyalert@larouchepub.com or call 1-571-293-0935