Schiller Institute panel critiques US strategy amid global financial crisis

At the “International Peace Coalition” meeting organized by the Schiller Institute think tank, the new US National Security Strategy (NSS), NATO’s global role, and the geopolitical repercussions of the deepening financial crisis were discussed.

The panel, hosted by the institute’s founder Helga Zepp-LaRouche, included former British diplomat Alastair Crooke, former US diplomat and CIA official Graham Fuller, and former President of Guyana Donald Ramotar.

Opening the meeting, Helga Zepp-LaRouche stated that although the new US strategy document contains problematic elements, it has triggered a long-overdue crisis.

Zepp-LaRouche pointed out that the transatlantic system is experiencing a financial collapse and asserted that the current crises cannot be overcome with piecemeal solutions.

Emphasizing that NATO is no longer a defensive alliance, Zepp-LaRouche said, “NATO is no longer an Atlantic defense alliance; it sees itself as a military arm to defend the unipolar world order.”

The US empire faces a structural debt crisis

One of the panel’s guests, former British diplomat and founder of the Conflicts Forum Alastair Crooke, said that the new US security strategy signals a new phase in global conflict.

Stating that this new era is not about symbolic military power like aircraft carriers or missiles, but about which global system will prevail, Crooke expressed that the US has accepted it can no longer bear its imperial burden.

Crooke noted that Washington’s sanctions have failed and that China and Russia have adapted to the situation.

Drawing attention to the US debt crisis and the contradictions in its financial structure, Crooke remarked, “The strategic essence of the NSS is a warning of the empire’s collapse… This strategy attempts to bypass the fundamental economic structural contradictions that make it impossible for the US to sustain its empire.”

The former diplomat stated that Donald Trump’s “peace through trade” approach involves using tariffs to force a flow of investment from allies and adversaries into the US.

Washington wants to eliminate China’s influence in Latin America

Interpreting the developments in Venezuela and Latin America as a conflict between two different symbolic architectures, Crooke argued that the US wants to monopolize its own trade rights in the region.

Crooke recalled that although Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro offered full participation to US companies, Trump rejected it.

Crooke explained the reason for this rejection with the following words:

“Why did Trump say no to this? The answer lies in China’s offer to Venezuela of a zero-tariff trade agreement and a billion-dollar investment in its oil fields… What you see in Venezuela is the understanding, as the NSS very clearly states, ‘we want sole trading rights in our area of interest, not anyone else’s.'”

Former President of Guyana Donald Ramotar also criticized the US attitude towards Latin America and the Caribbean. Ramotar stated that the US acts like a colonial power in the region and disregards international law.

Expressing that Caribbean countries remain silent for fear of US sanctions and interventions, Ramotar said, “The US is trying to push China out of the region to block its influence, especially the Belt and Road Initiative, which addresses our infrastructure deficit.”

Europe is looking for a pretext to provoke Russia

Evaluating Europe’s stance on the Ukraine war and its relations with Russia, Alastair Crooke suggested that a “revolution” is taking place in European capitals and that the continent is in a process of fragmentation similar to Russia in 1917.

Crooke noted that while European leaders know they lack the money, weapons, or manpower to sustain a war with Russia, the rhetoric of war is nevertheless escalating.

Crooke warned that Europe might stage an event to draw the US into the conflict, saying:

“Europe cannot fight a war with Russia, but it can provoke a war with Russia… The goal is to create an event, just as Churchill hoped Pearl Harbor would bring America into the war against Germany. The Europeans want an event that will bring Trump into a war against Russia.”

Europe is blind to the rise of Eurasia

Former US diplomat and CIA official Graham Fuller argued that Europe has lost its identity and historical consciousness.

Stating that Europe is completely blind to the rise of Eurasia and formations like BRICS, Fuller expressed that the continent’s future lies in establishing a relationship with Russia, but current policies prevent this.

Fuller described Europe’s geopolitical position with these words:

“I have long felt that Europe has become a pathetic little tail wagging on the end of the vast Eurasian continent… I am not sure that Europe knows what its place could be, will be, or wants to be in this new order.”

A call for a new security architecture

Dennis Small, who moderated the panel, emphasized that the global debt crisis is the “elephant in the room” and that the current system is bankrupt.

Small stated that the Venezuela issue is not just about oil or drugs, but about stopping the Belt and Road Initiative.

Speaking at the close of the meeting, Helga Zepp-LaRouche reminded the audience that the world is facing the danger of nuclear war.

Stating that the solution lies in the West choosing cooperation over conflict, Zepp-LaRouche said, “We have reached a universal point in human history; we must leave behind not only half a millennium of colonialism but also the geopolitical mindset that led to two world wars in the 20th century.”

Referring to Xi Jinping’s Global Security Initiative and Vladimir Putin’s proposals for a Eurasian security architecture, Zepp-LaRouche added that a new order must be built that includes the security and development interests of all nations.