Guardians and Peacekeepers

Sept. 3—Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin me Sept. 2, the third day of President Putin’s exceptional four-day visit to China. They first met in the Great Hall of the People with their larger delegations, which involved most of President Putin’s cabinet, which accompanied him on this trip. Twenty different agreements were signed, including an important, legally binding memorandum on the construction of the Power of Siberia-2 pipeline. There have been negotiations on this matter for several years, but some concerns on the Chinese side with regard to costs now seem to have been overcome.

The two leaders underlined the importance of the relationship, pledging to strengthen high-level exchanges, mutual support, and coordination for greater development of bilateral relations in the future. Xi greeted Putin as a “lao pengyou,” an old friend. Xi said: “Chinese-Russian relations have stood the test of the international situation, and serve as a model of interstate relations of eternal good-neighborliness, friendship, comprehensive strategic interaction, mutually beneficial cooperation and mutual benefit.”

Putin praised Xi for hosting this year’s Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit, the biggest in history. “Russia is willing to maintain strategic coordination with China, strengthen high-level contacts and expand practical cooperation in various fields to promote the further development of high-level bilateral relations,” said Putin. He also called Xi’s Global Governance Initiative “timely and necessary,” and believes it “will play an important part in addressing the global governance deficit.” Putin said that under the leadership of the two heads of state, Russia-China relations have reached an historic high.

After the meeting in the larger format, the two Presidents, with a smaller retinue, retired to the government residence at Zhongnanhai. Putin was accompanied by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, Presidential assistant Yury Ushakov, and Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Administration Maxim Oreshkin. With President Xi Jinping were Foreign Minister Wang Yi and director of the CCP Central Office Cai Qi, and effectively Xi’s Chief of Staff. Here they continued discussion on international and regional issues of mutual interest. The bilateral cooperation agreements cover the areas of energy, space, artificial intelligence, agriculture inspection and quarantine, health, scientific research, education , and media sectors. These included various projects such as the establishment of Russian-Chinese pilot and demonstration zones for agricultural cooperation in the Russian Far East; strategic cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy; and the integration of the Russian scientific instrument, the Lunar Dust Monitor, into China’s Chang’e-7 spacecraft mission. They also included establishing a Russian-Chinese Institute for Fundamental Research and the joint financing of scientific research projects. 

Sept. 3—Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who gave an interview Sept.1, to the popular Russian TV program “Moscow.Kremlin.Putin” after the conclusion of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summits (SCO and SCO Plus), was asked for his view of how everything had turned out. He was speaking to a Russian audience, but it is the citizens of Western nations being told by their governments and media that “the disruptors” of the world were plotting against them, who most need to hear his summary of what actually took place: a discussion of what Western nations need to do!

“A substantive discussion took place, which clearly demonstrated through the lens of various initiatives that the movement is directed toward the formation of a multipolar world. Western countries are attempting to obstruct this process. In order to preserve their dominance, they resort not to dialogue or fair competition, but to direct blackmail, pressure, and sanctions. We are witnessing the abuse of the dollar’s role in global affairs and the United States waging tariff wars against virtually everyone else.

“The general consensus was that such actions have nothing to do with defending the West’s legitimate rights in the global economy and politics but serve merely as instruments of suppressing competitors. It is obvious to all that these competitors have not only grown stronger, but in many areas are already surpassing the historical collective West.

“The main outcome of the SCO and SCO Plus summits is the shared determination to uphold our rights, without yielding to provocations, in full compliance with international law, the UN Charter, and the principles of the international monetary, financial, and trade systems—the very principles once promoted by the West itself.” 

by Marathon Girl

Sept. 3—Concluding his remarks to the SCO-Plus meeting in Tianjin on September 1, Chinese President Xi Jinping said:

“An ancient Chinese philosopher said of the importance of principles, ‘Uphold the Great Principle, and the world will follow.’ In two days, China will commemorate solemnly the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. Many colleagues will join us in Beijing. We are ready, together with all parties, to uphold courageously the great principle and the common good of the world, promote a correct historical perspective on World War II, resolutely safeguard the fruits of our victory in the War, and deliver more benefits to the entire humanity through the reform of the global governance system and the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.”

In Chinese philosophy “the great principle” has a specific meaning, having to do with the heavenly origin of things and the principles of creation, or natural law. This concept is in harmony with the last of the Ten Principles put forth by Schiller Institute founder Helga Zepp-LaRouche regarding the perfectibility of man, “that man is fundamentally good and capable to infinitely perfect the creativity of his mind and the beauty of his soul, and being the most advanced geological force in the universe, which proves that the lawfulness of the mind and that of the physical universe are in correspondence and cohesion, and that all evil is the result of a lack of development, and therefore can be overcome.”

With that dedication, it’s no wonder that Presidents Putin, Xi, and Indian Prime Minister Modi were all smiles as they greeted one another at the history-shaping Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit of 2025. And why not be happy? The efforts of these nations to cooperate in great projects of economic development, scientific discovery, and culture have lawfully created a situation in which these nations, combined, yield greater economic, and even military, strength than the combined powers of the bankrupt West. For the knee-jerk conformists, who stop listening after the phrase “global governance,” presuming that Presidents Putin and Xi mean Bertrand Russell’s “World Government,” please listen closely to what these leaders are saying, and watch what they are doing. They are speaking of a new order of human relations, not based on an arbitrary “rules-based order” imposed through starvation and war, but a system based on mutual respect for each nation’s security and economic interests, and an appreciation of the richness of the diversity of humanity as a whole.

In his November 29, 2004 feature “The Coming Eurasian World,”, Lyndon LaRouche described the phenomenon of the morally bankrupt West as follows: “Let such caricatures of poor King Canute as President George W. Bush, Jr., howl their denials, while they can still be heard. Let him shriek in futile rage against those thunderous winds of chaos which were already hurling themselves against the increasingly bankrupt national financial systems of the world. That chaos, now excited to the greater turbulence caused by the desperate antics of such poor, enraged fools as he, now descends with its own, added, uncontrollable fury upon our hapless, present world monetary-financial system.”

But today, it is not all of the “national financial systems of the world” that are bankrupt, but merely those of the delusional Western nations whose leaders cling to failed axioms, and non-principles, like “might makes right,” which has been exposed to the eyes of the world as a deadly fraud, with genocidal consequences.

President Xi addressed this as well, by insisting that the scourge of fascism not be forgotten, and that the history of World War II not be rewritten by the very same financial and political interests that gave us Adolf Hitler and militarist/fascist Japanese Empire.

The NATO press propaganda machine of Western Europe and the United States has been caught completely off guard, having believed in their own magical powers to control the narrative, and therefore history, and are left, really, with nothing to say.

If the people of the West would have the humility to look inside themselves and find their better angels rooted in the Greek Classics, the Italian Renaissance, and the principles of the American War of Independence against the British Empire, they would discover that the new strategic and economic architecture coming into being is not directed against them, or against anyone; and if they would uphold the principle that they claim to hold so dear, that “All Men are created equal” (Men as in mankind, the species, male and female), and stop the slaughter of innocents in Palestine and everywhere else on the planet, they would find themselves welcome to participate in unleashing a new era for the development of mankind. Otherwise, the immortal Friedrich Schiller has warned, “Denn das Gemeine geht klanglos zum Orkus hinab.”

Sept. 3—Thousands of Israeli high school students staged protests and strikes on the first day of school Sept. 1, demanding the government be forced to accept a ceasefire and end the war against Gaza and a hostage release deal. Organizers of the strike estimate that “hundreds and even thousands of students” from about 70 schools did not show up to their classrooms, locked the gates to their schools, blocked highway intersections and held rallies in Tel Aviv and other cities as part of the protest, Haaretz reported.

Rotem Richeter, one of the student leaders addressing a protest in front of the Ministry of Education, speaking in English, called on the international community to help end the war.

Students were “supposed to start 12th grade today. Instead, I’m here. I am here because the contract that binds a state and its citizens has been breached,” he said. "I am here because no one is spared—not the hostages, who have been subjected to torture for almost two years now; not the bereaved families, who have suffered unfathomable tragedy; not the survivors of October 7, the orphaned children, the soldiers, or even my friends and me—we are all but pawns in the government’s cynical and destructive game.

“And this is just the Israeli side: Palestinian children, my age and younger, are being killed by the thousands, and the numbers continue to rise. I call on you, the international community, to take action and join us in our efforts to put an end to the war, stop the bloodshed, and bring the hostages back home.”

Another, Naomi Or Afek warned at the same rally that the two-year long war has become “routine. And routine is the most terrible thing, because routine means indifference. And indifference will be our end. I am not willing to live in such a routine, and I am not willing for my children to grow up into it and for many more like me.” 

Sept. 3—The Washington Post exposed this week a plan, ostensibly backed by Wall Street and sections of the U.S. government, to redevelop Gaza for the benefit of private investors, which they claim would create a virtual American colony and the "Trump Riviera" playground for the Golden Billion. 

The lengthy, detailed story is primarily based on "a 38-page prospectus seen by the Washington Post [which] envisions at least a temporary relocation of all of Gaza’s more than 2 million population, either through what it calls ‘voluntary’ departures to another country or into restricted, secured zones inside the enclave during reconstruction.” 

According to the prospectus, “Those who own land would be offered a digital token by the trust in exchange for rights to redevelop their property, to be used to finance a new life elsewhere or eventually redeemed for an apartment in one of six to eight new ‘AI-powered, smart cities’ to be built in Gaza. Each Palestinian who chooses to leave would be given a $5,000 cash payment and subsidies to cover four years of rent elsewhere, as well as a year of food.” Other sources have put that figure as high as $9,000.

Voluminous details follow but it is not until near the end what the strategic intentions behind the plan are, aside from the profit motive. “The plan talks of Gaza’s location ‘at the crossroads’ of what will become a ‘pro-American’ region, giving the United States access to energy resources and critical minerals, and serving as a logistics hub for the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) that was first announced during the Biden administration but derailed by the Israel-Gaza war.” 

Behind the plan, called the “Gaza Reconstitution, Economic Acceleration and Transformation Trust” (or GREAT Trust), are reported to be the same group of synarchist financial interests that created the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation operation, which now regulates the starvation in Gaza, as a for-profit food distribution network linked to Washington and the Israeli military. Trump’s February vow to own and redevelop Gaza offered both a green light and a road map for the group of Israeli businessmen, led by entrepreneurs Michael Eisenberg, an Israeli American, and Liran Tancman, a former Israeli military intelligence officer.

No one would speak to the Post about the plan on the record and it is not clear if it was discussed at the Aug. 26 White House meeting attended by, among others, Tony Blair and Jared Kushner, who are known to support similar schemes. Perhaps most appealing, it purports to require no U.S. government funding, while creating significant profit to investors, the Post says. “Calculations included in the plan envision a nearly fourfold return on a $100 billion investment after 10 years, with ongoing ‘self-generating’ revenue streams,” the prospectus reportedly says.

And what of the 2 million Palestinians whose lives are being destroyed in Gaza? While the plan offers the “option” from some of them to stay, it is more profitable for them to leave: “The plan estimates that every individual departure from Gaza would save the Trust $23,000, compared with the cost of temporary housing and what it calls ”life support" services in the secure zones for those who stay."

Sources report that the investment group behind this looting scheme has been in contact with the Netanyahu government, as well as with leaders of the fascist Israeli settlers movement, who have plans to create Israeli settlements inside Gaza, Those would be located in the north, away from the resort communities created in the south, along the Mediterranean coast. Supposedly, the group would sell land to the settlers for development, who would use funds that would be backed by bonds from the Israeli government.

A source contacted who has also seen the prospectus, and who has spoken to people involved, say they envision the area to be secured by American guarantees, and it could be an autonomous region, not part of Israel, but part of a new Palestinian state, where taxes paid would go both to investors and the Palestinian state. The source said the deranged people behind this scheme say that the revenue generated might actually make a Palestinian state economically viable.

Sept. 3—The French government wants the country’s hospitals to be prepared for a potential scenario to care for thousands of wounded soldiers, including troops from other NATO countries, according to a letter sent this summer from the French Health Ministry, reported in the French press over the past few days.

The French satirical weekly Le Canard Enchaîné, often used to publish factual leaks from the Armed Forces, broke the news on Aug. 27. The magazine reported that it saw a letter sent by the French Health Ministry to regional health authorities on July 18, which stated that hospitals must be prepared by March 2026 in the event of a “major deployment” of the military. “Signer of the Treaty of Washington, France is called to take any measure, including the use of force, to respond to any attack directed at one or several member states of NATO,” says the letter.

Labor Minister Catherine Vautrin confirmed the information but emphasized that there is “no need to sound alarmist,” adding that “it is perfectly normal for the country to anticipate crises.” Regardless, the letter is part of a propaganda campaign to support a NATO build up for a war with Russia, following NATO expected defeat in its proxy war against the Russian in Ukraine. The casualties are speculated to occur as a result of a Russian attack on western Europe, which is itself a total fantasy.

Acting under the mandate of the French National Defense and Security General Secretariat, the Health Ministry claims that France could be the hinterland of a large-scale conflict. Therefore, the country must be ready to accommodate wounded French and foreign soldiers. Hospitals need to be able to care for 100-500,000 men within a period of 10 to 180 days. Civilian medical personnel should be prepared for incorporation of Military Health Infrastructures. Those treated today in Military Hospitals for cancer are called “to heal faster or to die in a civilian hospital,” sarcastically notes Le Canard. Part of the plan, emergency medical centers to be created near ports or airports so that foreign soldiers can be sent on to their countries of origin. The letter also mentions training to make civil healthcare providers aware of “the limitations in wartime” (i.e., triage in wartime conditions).

In an interview with the news channel BFMTV, Vautrin confirmed the information. “It is perfectly normal for the country to anticipate crises and their consequences,” she added. “This is part of anticipation, just like strategic stockpiling. I was not yet in office when Covid-19 broke out, but let’s not forget that at the time we were at a loss for words to describe how unprepared the country was.” 

Sept. 3—The list of Houthi ministers killed in the Aug. 29 strikes by Israel includes, besides Prime Minister Ahmed Ghalib Al-Rahawi, the ministers of information and foreign affairs along with various others, particularly economics-related functions. In total, nine ministers were killed.

The blood-lusting Butcher of Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu called the strike a “fatal blow” to the group, which has launched missile attacks on Israel in support of the Gazan's under Israeli genocidal attack. “We are doing what no one has done before us, and this is just the beginning of the blows to the senior officials in Sanaa—we will reach everyone,” Netanyahu claimed.

The Aug. 28 strike did not appear to have killed officials who oversee attacks on Israel—in particular the group’s chief of staff, reportedly the main target of the bombing, and the defense minister. Kan, Israel’s public broadcaster, reported on Aug. 31 that Israel held its weekly cabinet meeting at a secure location following the attack.

The group has vowed revenge. “We promise to God, to the dear Yemeni people and the families of the martyrs and wounded that we will take revenge,” the head of the group’s supreme political council Mehdi Al Mashat said in a video message posted on Telegram.

Sept. 3—The long anticipated bilateral meeting of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping took place Aug. 31, along the sidelines of day one of the Aug. 31-Sept. 1 Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, in Tianjin, China. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs release a readout on the meeting which stated: “Both leaders welcomed the positive momentum and steady progress in bilateral relations since their last meeting in Kazan, [Russia] in October 2024. They reaffirmed that the two countries were development partners and not rivals, and that their differences should not turn into disputes. A stable relationship and cooperation between India and China and their 2.8 billion peoples on the basis of mutual respect, mutual interest and mutual sensitivity are necessary for the growth and development of the two countries, as well as for a multipolar world and a multi-polar Asia befitting the trends of the 21st century...

“Prime Minister underlined the importance of peace and tranquility on the border areas for continued development of bilateral relations. The two leaders noted with satisfaction the successful disengagement last year and the maintenance of peace and tranquility along the border areas since then. They expressed commitment to a fair, reasonable, and mutually acceptable resolution of the boundary question proceeding from the political perspective of their overall bilateral relations and the long-term interests of the two peoples. …”

In June 2020, there was an incident along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), high up in the Himalaya Mountains, which designates the border between India and China, with some 20 deaths among Indian and China soldiers. India and China have had Special Representatives working for some to resolve the dispute, which in the past has flared into a major conflict between the two nuclear powers. 

One sign of progress is the renewal of Kailash Manasarovar Yatra, which is a pilgrimage for Hindus, Buddhists and Jains to Mount Kailash and the sacred Lake Manasarovar in the Autonomous region of Tibet which China had suspended access since 2020.

The Indian foreign ministry statement declared: “The two leaders noted the need to strengthen people-to-people ties through direct flights and visa facilitation, building on the resumption of Kailash Manasarovar Yatra and tourist visa. On economic and trade relations, they recognized the role of their two economies to stabilize world trade. They underlined the need to proceed from a political and strategic direction to expand bilateral trade and investment ties and reduce [India’s] trade deficit [with China].”

Sept. 3—Russian President Vladimir Putin told the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Heads of State Council Meeting Sept. 1 that the SCO “a powerful driver for global development processes.” He covered many points, including the basis for resolving the Ukraine crisis, which he said was created by NATO's expansion eastward, which he termed an existential threat to Russia. On the SCO economic perspective, he proposed building a new investment platform for the SCO member nations, similar to what he is proposing for the BRICS, and stated that the SCO should replace the failed, destructive “Eurocentric and Euro-Atlantic” models in Eurasia.

Putin opened his speech by invoking the May 9 celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War “and the defeat of Nazi Germany” that were held in Moscow, and praised the Sept. 3 “large-scale events [that] will take place in Beijing to commemorate the victory over Japanese militarism and the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.”

He also singled out for praise the Tianjin Declaration, which the SCO is issuing at the conclusion of this conference, and the SCO Development Strategy through 2035, a ten-year perspective for the SCO’s future growth.

Putin stated that “the pace of cooperation within the SCO is truly impressive,” and cited that the industrial output of the SCO in 2024 grew by 4.6%, which dwarfs anything achieved in the so-called “industrial nations.”

Putin, who is this year’s SCO “honored guest,” unveiled sweeping proposals for the SCO in investment and credit, which have the support of the SCO leadership. He asserted, “We advocate the issuance of joint bonds by the SCO member states, the establishment of our own payment, settlement and depository infrastructure, and the creation of a bank for joint investment projects. These measures will increase the efficiency of our economic exchanges and protect them from external market fluctuations.” The idea of an SCO bank for joint investments is included in the organization’s final “Tianjin Declaration.” At the BRICS summit in October 2024 in Kazan, Russia, host President Vladimir Putin urged the creation of a BRICS investment platform, which has yet to be developed.

Putin said the SCO is ushering in a new system of cooperation and development, to replace the harmful “Eurocentric” model that now dominates. “There is no doubt that the SCO makes a tangible contribution to strengthening an atmosphere of cooperation and mutual trust across the entire Eurasian continent,” Putin emphasized. In doing so, "it helps lay the political and socioeconomic foundations for a new system of stability, security and peaceful development in Eurasia—a system that would replace outdated Eurocentric and Euro-Atlantic models, take into account the interests of the widest possible range of countries, and be genuinely balanced, thus preventing attempts by some states to ensure their own security at the expense of others." 

Sept. 3—Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed Sept. 1 the Global Governance Initiative (GGI) at the “Shanghai Cooperation Organization Plus” meeting in Tianjin. The Global Governance Initiative is the fourth major initiative President Xi has proposed, starting with the Global Development Initiative in 2021, the Global Security Initiative in 2022, and the Global Civilization Initiative in 2023.

“I look forward to working with all countries for a more just and equitable global governance system and advancing toward a community with a shared future for humanity,” Xi said in his address to the SCO meeting. He highlighted the five principles for the Global Governance Initiative:

“First, we should adhere to sovereign equality.

“Second, we should abide by international rule of law.

“Third, we should practice multilateralism.

“Fourth, we should advocate the people-centered approach.

“Fifth, we should focus on taking real actions.” 

Sept. 3—At the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Tianjin, China, host President Xi Jinping chaired the Heads of State Council, and delivered the keynote address Sept. 1. 

Xi reported that since its founding 24 years ago, the SCO had established a series of firsts: “We were the first to set up a military confidence-building mechanism in our border areas, turning our extensive borders into a bond of friendship, mutual trust and cooperation...We were the first to launch Belt and Road cooperation...We were the first to put forth the vision of global governance featuring extensive consultation and joint contribution for shared benefit as an effort to practice true multilateralism.”

A quarter of a century later, “The SCO has grown into the world’s largest regional organization, with the participation of 26 countries, cooperation covering more than 50 areas, and a combined economic output of nearly US$30 trillion. Its international influence and appeal are increasing day by day.” Moving forward, Xi argued that the SCO should strengthen its advantages: “We should make the pie of cooperation bigger, and fully utilize the endowment of every country, so that we can fulfill our responsibility for peace, stability, development and prosperity in the region.”

Xi added: “Second, we should pursue mutual benefit and win-win results. We need to better align our development strategies and promote the high-quality implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative, so that in planning and building relevant projects together and benefiting from them together we can strengthen the momentum of regional development and improve the well-being of the people. We should leverage the strengths of our mega-sized markets and economic complementarity between member states, and improve trade and investment facilitation.”

This means developing all of Eurasia—for starters: “The vast land of Asia and Europe, a cradle of ancient civilizations where the earliest exchanges between the East and the West took place, has been a driving force behind human progress.” Xi stressed that “Going forward, China … will provide RMB2 billion yuan in grant to SCO member states within this year, and will issue an additional RMB10 billion yuan in loan to the member banks of the SCO Interbank Consortium over the next three years.” 

Xi observed in conclusion, “As a Chinese saying goes, ‘Where will prevails, no boundary holds.’|"

Sept. 3—The Houthi Ansar Allah movement confirmed Aug. 30 that Houthi Prime Minister Ahmed al-Rahawi was killed by an Israeli air strike on Thursday night, Aug. 28. In a statement, the Houthi-run Yemeni presidency said that al-Rahawi, along with other ministers, were targeted during a routine government workshop assessing their performance, reported the Middle East Eye. Some ministers were killed or wounded, though their identities were not disclosed.

Despite the attack, the presidency insisted that the government would continue to function without disruption. “We remain steadfast in supporting Gaza,” the statement added.

The Israeli strike came following a Houthi missile attack on Israel a few days earlier, which for the first time included cluster warheads.

The head of Yemen’s Supreme Political Council Mahdi al-Mashat confirmed that the government of Change and Construction will continue its work in a caretaker capacity, stressing that the blood of al-Rahawi and his fellow ministers will serve as a catalyst for resilience, rebuilding, and continuing the path, reported Al Mayadeen.

Sept. 3—Ukraine’s former diplomat Andrey Telizhenko [told RT(https://www.rt.com/russia/623715-assassinated-mp-ordered-donbass-shellings/) Aug. 30 that he witnessed the direct order in 2014 by then-Ukrainian cabinet member Andriy Parubiy to indiscriminately kill citizens of the Donbass. He reported: “During the cabinet ministers meetings, [at] which I was present, Parubiy directly ordered the mass shellings of the people of Donbass. He said: ‘We do not care who those people are. Russians, they’re Moscali [a Ukrainian slur for Russians], we should kill them’…. That’s a direct citation from Parubiy during the cabinet of ministers meeting, in which he pushed to provoke the civil war in eastern Ukraine, which has now led to a big massive conflict.”

Parubiy was assassinated Aug 30 in the street of Lviv. NATO's Ukrainian dictator Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported Sept. 1 that authorities have detained the man believed to be the assassin but offered no further information.

Parubiy was one of the most distinctive cases of an overt neo-Nazi rising to the top of Kyiv’s post-2014-coup government, becoming Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada (2016-19). Earlier, he had been the key figure responsible for providing transport, weapons and logistics for the team of snipers dispatched to the Maidan, who Feb. 20, 2014, were ordered to fire upon both the Berkat police and the demonstrators. The explicit objective of that attack was to destroy the previous day’s peace agreement between the Yanukovych government and the demonstrators. That sniper operation, centered around Mamuka Mamulashvili, a military adviser of Georgia’s former President Mikheil Saakashvili, with members he recruited from Georgia’s defense and military personnel, was then institutionalized as the infamous “Georgian Legion.”

Telizhenko claimed that Parubiy “was coordinating the radicals on Maidan, when to shoot, who to shoot and how to shoot, even whom to shoot [among] their own,” and “provoking insurgents within the coup itself.” Further: “His team was responsible for blocking an anti-sniper unit [from] coming to Maidan [to suppress the snipers].”

Previously, one of the sniper team, Zurab Inashvili, had reported that members of the team were tasked to track the regular routes of President Viktor Yanukovych, and thathis assassination was in the works. Yanukovych fled the capital Feb. 22, 2014, and his elected government of Ukraine was replaced by pro-NATO coupsters. It was then that Parubiy became the head of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) and advocated for the indiscriminate killings in the Donbass.

Telizhenko further reported that, later in 2014, he himself had been sent to Odessa by the First Deputy Prime Minister to investigate the torching of the Trade Unions Building, where dozens of the opponents of the coup in Kiev were burned to death; he said that Parubiy, who was personally was involved in that assault, blocked Telizhenko’s investigation, and, then later, in covering up for the murders. “He was responsible for closing down the case and destroying the evidence [of] his involvement in the coordination of that terrorist attack.”

Of note, Telizhenko reported that Parubiy and his advisors were “working directly with the Jamestown Foundation, a former CIA central think tank in Washington, D.C.” Specifically, he claimed that his advisors were provided fellowships and training and were sent back to Parubiy, working with him when he was Speaker of the Rada. Aside from the dirty role of the Jamestown Foundation’s documented role reported on in EIR, Telizhenko’s report may stem from his time posted to Ukraine’s embassy in Washington. 

Sept. 2—Becoming delusional in his blind rage against Russia, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has claimed that Moscow is now “destabilizing” Germany through cyber-attacks and disinformation and even suggested that Russia could attack the EU so as to reclaim former Soviet territories, RT reported on Aug. 30. In an interview with French broadcaster LCI Aug. 29, Merz said he agrees with French President Emmanuel Macron’s recent description of Russian President Vladimir Putin as “an ogre who always wants to eat more.”

“That’s how I see Putin. He destabilizes large parts of our country. He is interfering everywhere, particularly on social media,” Merz said, claiming that German intelligence regularly reports Russian cyber-attacks and efforts to sway public opinion, but without providing any evidence. “So we are already in a conflict with Russia,” he proclaimed, adding that Moscow’s campaign targets the entire EU with the aim of “destabilizing our democracies.”

Commenting on Merz’s remarks, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said they are “a case for psychiatrists.” “Germany has been supplying the neo-Nazi Kyiv regime with weapons, including heavy military equipment, for three years, and now they are worried about social networks,” she remarked to TASS Aug. 30. She added that “millions of people are suffering” because of Western interference in Ukrainian affairs, which triggered the Maidan coup and led to Kyiv’s failure to implement the Minsk accords—both precursors to the current hostilities.

Sept. 1—In an Aug. 30 article, Axios reports that the Trump White House is growing wary of its European allies who want to continue the war in Ukraine. The article states: “Senior White House officials believe some European leaders are publicly supporting President Trump’s effort to end the war in Ukraine, while quietly trying to undo behind-the-scenes progress since the Alaska summit.” The Europeans, claims Axios, “are pushing Ukraine to hold out for unrealistic territorial concessions by Russia.”

“The Europeans don’t get to prolong this war and backdoor unreasonable expectations, while also expecting America to bear the cost,” a top White House official told Axios. “If Europe wants to escalate this war, that will be up to them. But they will be hopelessly snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.” The official also told Axios that “some of the Europeans continue to operate in a fairy-tale land that ignores the fact it takes two to tango.”

Russian envoy and lead negotiator Kirill Dmitriev commented on the news: “JUST IN: Even Washington now sees it—EU leaders are prolonging the conflict in Ukraine with impossible demands. EU should stop sabotaging a real peace process. EU should drop Biden’s failed logic. EU should choose diplomacy, not false narratives.”

His sentiment was echoed by Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó, who wrote on X on Aug. 30: “At today’s EU foreign ministers’ meeting in Copenhagen it became clear that Brussels and most member states are preparing for a long war, not peace. They want to send tens of billions of euros to Ukraine for soldiers’ salaries, drones, weapons, and the operation of the Ukrainian state. There was huge pressure for the fast-tracked EU accession of Ukraine, new sanctions on Russian energy, and €6B more from the European Peace Facility to arm Ukraine.”

Meanwhile, the NATO leadership continues to urge their puppet Zelenskyy to refuse accept the demand that Ukraine agree to not join NATO, despite the fact that Putin had told Trump that this is a dealbreaker. 

Sept. 1—On the sidelines of the Aug. 31-Sept. 1 Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Tianjin, China, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded to a media question about the peace process regarding Ukraine. “The European party of war continues with its main trend,” he said, which is in stark contrast to Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump. Trump’s “efforts to bring the process into a peaceful track are hard to overstate. We are grateful for these efforts. The Europeans, however, are interfering with them…. They are doing everything to enable, and even encourage, the Kyiv regime to continue down a path of intransigence. This is a serious mistake.”

Peskov added that Russia is ready to resolve the conflict through diplomatic means, “but so far we see no reciprocity from Kyiv.”

Asked about European efforts to undermine the peace process, Peskov replied that, yes, that is their intention, but “I wouldn’t say it’s a new goal. They’ve historically made it their aim to contain the Russian Federation in every possible way…. This is a long-standing tendency, and we are well aware of it.” 

Sept. 1—On Sunday evening, Aug. 31, at the welcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organization Gala banquet for visiting heads of state, Chinese President Xi Jinping made a toast to his counterparts: “The SCO has grown into a significant force in promoting a new type of international relations and building a community with a shared future for humanity. At present, the century-defining transformation is accelerating across the world, with a marked increase in factors of instability, uncertainty, and unpredictability. The SCO thus bears an even greater responsibility for maintaining regional peace and stability and promoting development and prosperity of all countries. At this Summit, we are tasked with an important mission: to build consensus among all parties, ignite momentum for cooperation, and draw up a blueprint for development.” 

by Mr. X

Sept. 1—Should U.S. President Donald Trump journey to Beijing, on the occasion of China’s September 3, eightieth anniversary commemoration of the worldwide Victory Against Fascism? Many, including Schiller Institute Founder Helga Zepp-LaRouche, have called for him to do so. It is fitting and proper to do so, in that the September 3 ceremony, as stated by the Chinese Foreign Ministry, “also symbolizes the unity and determination of the two countries to defend the outcome of the victory in World War II.”

American President Franklin Roosevelt’s idea of the world that must emerge from the ashes of the Second World War became, through the force of his intervention, the dominant policy-outlook in the world in 1945. FDR proposed in late 1941 a template for post-war world security, a council for which Russia and China were permanent members. They were to be two (in addition to Great Britain and the United States) of what FDR would call the “Four Policemen,” a phrase he coined in 1942, for a first approximation of what would ultimately become the United Nations Security Council.

FDR would not have allowed the United States to be the sole dissenting voice in the recent UN Security Council vote, pertaining to Gaza. The United States refused to endorse the statement, “The Use of Starvation as a Weapon of War Is Clearly Prohibited Under International Humanitarian Law. Famine in Gaza Must Be Stopped Immediately.” The forced starvation violates two of FDR’s Four Freedoms: Freedom From Want, and Freedom From Fear, and he would have never allowed the United States to do that.

In the next days, a combination of meetings, starting with the August 31-September 1 Shanghai Cooperation Organization, followed by Beijing September 3, and then by the Vladivostok Eastern Economic Forum September 3-6, represent an extraordinary opportunity for a dialogue of civilizations. Seventy nations will attend the Vladivostok meeting alone. These are nations that are already assembled, prepared, and positioned to discuss, in general outline form, a new security and development architecture, including with the Presidency of the United States. Many projects are already underway among these nations. A post-August 15 overture from the White House, of the “Good Neighbor” form that FDR projected so well on the world stage, would be an anomalous, unexpected, welcome shift, especially away from the tariff wars.

As with the meeting that Trump held with President Vladimir Putin Aug. 15, there are things of great moment, and that will determine the fate of the human race that can only be handled through face-to-face deliberations of what might be called a “dialectical nature.” “Dialectical” refers here to what Plato expressed as the method of the Socratic pursuit of truth, portrayed in each of his famous dialogues, and not what German philosopher G.W.F. Hegel spoke about, as “the dialectical method,” a term bandied about today by Frankfurt School escapees like Palantir’s Alex Karp, or the neo-Marxists. It is a process of dialogue that forces a change of axioms through a “coincidence of opposites.” In this way, we are able to arrive at a higher idea, giving us the capacity, as individuals, or a society, not only “to see ourselves as others see us,” but to see the seed-crystal of the future in the present and to thereby act, including with our “opposites,” in such a way as to make that future a reality.

As an example, take the morally horrific situation regarding Gaza, with its now-undeniable forced starvation of scores of thousands of children. There is, nonetheless, something transformative happening, unexpected by the criminal perpetrators, presently erupting in Israel itself. There, since Sunday, Aug. 24, there have been two large street demonstrations. The one that occurred Sunday reportedly had 500,000 people. The one on Tuesday, Aug. 26, had about 300,000. (More than 500,000 gathered last night and today to call for an end to the war and not the occupation of Gaza and the slaughter of the hostages and Palestinians alike.)

The population of Israel is approximately 10 million people. Compared to the United States’ 340 million people, an American demonstration, to be the same proportionate size as that which just occurred in Israel last Sunday, would require 17.5 million people. An appeal was made, not to Netanyahu, but to President Donald Trump, to put an end to the killing.

The population in both Gaza and in Israel are in upheaval. People, there and elsewhere, because they are human, sense that a higher conception of humanity is required, or Israel will cease to exist—not because it is bombed out of existence, but also because it becomes morally unfit to sustain itself. Our Ten Principles for a New International Security and Development Architecture contains that higher conception of humanity that must be the starting point for the end of war. Nations of the world are conveying in Beijing to reaffirm the resolve to uphold what FDR and their predecessors achieved 80 years ago, in founding the United Nations. Will the President of the United States miss the opportunity of the next seven days, or seize it?

Sept. 1—Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Hong Lei was asked to comment during his August 28 briefing on the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, about the fact that so many of the leaders he had just announced who will be attending the summit are from the Global South. Hong answered by pointing out that the “Global South” nations have become the primary force making history today; proving, he could have added, what an incompetent fool Henry Kissinger was with his dictum that “history is not made in the South.”

China’s victory over Japanese aggressionin World War II had inspired and given courage to “colonized and semi-colonized countries around the world that had suffered from aggression and oppression,” aiding their triumph in achieving national liberation, Hong replied, Global Times reported.

Now, “eighty years later, the era when a handful of countries dominated the destinies of others, monopolized international affairs and held exclusive advantages in development has become a thing of the past. The collective rise of the Global South is fundamentally reshaping the global landscape.” Together, they are contributing the largest share of economic growth globally.

“No longer the ‘silent majority’ or a ‘vast backward bloc,’ the Global South now represents an awakened new force and new source of hope in changes unseen in a century, Hong noted.”

A news item by China’s Xinhua news agency from the same day, "Carrying forward Shanghai Spirit with renewed vitality contrasting the principles upon which the SCO has been built since its founding in 2001 to those of the Western geopoliticians, as the basis for the SCO’s strength today.

The SCO, initiated by China, adheres to what they call “the Shanghai Spirit—a set of principles centered on mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diversity of civilizations and pursuit of common development.” When President Xi Jinping chaired SCO summit in 2018, he pointed out that “the Shanghai Spirit, transcending outdated concepts such as the clash of civilizations, Cold War mentality, and zero-sum mindset, has opened a new chapter in international relations and won growing recognition from the global community,” Xinhua noted.

Opposition to those outdated concepts has only strengthened since then. Addressing the SCO Foreign Ministers this past July, Xi reiterated: “We firmly oppose hegemonic, high-handed and bullying acts, and promote a more equal and balanced multipolar world.” 

Sept. 1—The spokeswoman for Russia’s Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, as reported by RT, repeated at the Aug. 29 press briefing what should be obvious: Security guarantees must work for both Ukraine and Russia, as one-sided thinking steers Europe into enlarged warfare. She first said that any guarantees must be based on an “understanding that takes into account the security interests of Russia.” Those, of course, would include dealing with the eastward expansion of NATO to Russia’s borders. Further, she explained that a settlement must ensure Ukraine’s demilitarization, denazification, neutral and non-nuclear status, and recognition of the territorial realities.

She explained that such guarantees follow upon dealing with the root issues: “It is necessary to understand that providing security guarantees is not a condition, but a result of a peaceful settlement based on eliminating the root causes of the conflict in Ukraine, which, in turn, will guarantee the security of our country.”

But she also amplified on the current, defective situation, saying that, so far, the Western proposals only “lead to destabilization… The options proposed by the Collective West are one-sided, built with the obvious expectation of containing Russia… they increase the risk of NATO being drawn into an armed conflict with our country.” They would “secure Kyiv’s role as a strategic provocateur on Russia’s borders.”

"What was interesting about the Trump-Putin dialogue in Anchorage is that it seemed to proceed from a different view rather than the standard NATO line that Russia intends to take over all of Europe, and Ukraine is the first wedge of that attack," said a source familiar with the discussions. "Trump, whatever his other defects might be, truly believes that Russia invaded Ukraine to prevent its absorbtion into NATO and to halt its provocations against Russian-speaking population in the country. He absolutely does not see Putin as having the absurd ambition to take over the rotting countries that comprise NATO. This is propaganda, but Trump asks, why would Putin want those problems, and risk a general thermonuclear war? So, Trump sees NATO and Zelenskyy as the problem here, infected with mass Russophobia, which was mirrored in the fake "Russia-Russia-Russia" campaign against him, which was a British-NATO-Soros operation. He talks about the need for security guarantees to satisfy NATO, but he really thinks that Putin has no intention of restarting the war, once Trump helps stop it." 

Sept. 1--President Donald Trump sent his Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to New York to deliver a stern message to the top aide of Ukrainian dictator Volodymyr Zelenskyy: Get your act together and produce an agenda for the proposed meeting between Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Although there was no official read out on the meeting, sources close to the White House report that Trump blames the delay in setting up the meeting on the strutting Zelenskyy and his refusal to follow the outline of an agenda for discussions worked out between Putin and Trump at their Aug. 15 Alaska summit, and Witkoff told Presidential aide Andriy Yermack and First Deputy Foreign Minister Sergiy Kyslytsya that he and Trump were losing their patience with Ukrainians.

Putin never agreed to meet with Zelenskyy without conditions, the White House source reported. "Trump told the Ukrainian in Washington that the meeting had to have an agenda that would discuss the issues laid out in his talks with Putin," said a source. "That included security guarantees, as well as land and border issues, and the terms for a ceasefire in place, without reinforcement or resupply. The Russians have told Trump that Zelenskyy is acting as if there is no agenda." Trump has given them two weeks to work things out or he would go in a different direction to force a peace deal—and the clock is ticking. Steve made that clear, in a friendly non threatening manner, which is his way."

The Ukrainians were in town for a UN Security Council session to discuss the most recent Russian bombardment of targets in Kyiv. Trump, the sources say, realizes that only progress in the peace process will lead to a halt in such attacks. 

It is not clear whether the Ukrainians got Trump's message. Yermak continued Kyiv's policy of blaming the Russians for the delay in the meeting with Putin. He posted on his X account: “Ukraine welcomes all peace initiatives put forward by the United States. But unfortunately, each of them is being stalled by Russia. We are open to direct negotiations at the leaders’ level and ready to discuss the broadest spectrum of issues. We believe that global pressure is needed to ensure Russia is genuinely ready to move toward peace and, in particular, to hold critically important leaders’ meetings for that purpose.”

In addition, Yermak remarked to the press following the meeting, "at least it is clear that the Americans are not forcing us to concede any land to the Russians."

Sept. 1—The 117th consecutive weekly meeting of the International Peace Coalition (IPC) Aug. 29 began with opening remarks by Schiller Institute founder Helga Zepp-LaRouche, who charged that the international community is “impotent and doesn’t act” with respect to ending the genocide in Gaza. She reminded the participants that September 18 is the deadline for Israel to comply with International Court of Justice rulings, and should it fail to do so, the UN General Assembly can employ “Uniting for Peace,” UN resolution 377. A two-thirds majority in the General Assembly can decide to send Blue Helmets or a similar military force to break the siege. “We are not just threatening to lose the Palestinian people; we are losing the ability to look into the mirror every morning,” she stressed.

Germany, France and the U.K. have activated the “snapback,” presented as a series of unacceptable ultimatums on Iran's nuclear program, including calls for increased inspections of its nuclear facilities that were bombed by the U.S and Israel in the so-called 12 Day War. The sanctions regime imposed upon Iran has caused more than 500,000 deaths from hunger and lack of medical care.

Zepp-LaRouche commented upon the new German theory for how the Nord Stream pipeline sabotage was carried out. She said that the tale of a “small sailboat with practically hobby-divers” who supposedly carried out the crime, is viewed with skepticism internationally. This act of terrorism caused a rift between Europe and Russia and marked the beginning of the German economic collapse. Russia points out that if there is not a proper investigation, no infrastructure anywhere in the world is secure. Zepp-LaRouche deplored the present political climate in her homeland of Germany, where military leaders are holding highly secretive meetings in preparation for war.

Fortunately, the Sept. 3 meeting in Beijing will help consolidate the global majority. On the same day, more than 6,000 firms will attend the Vladivostok Forum, where Arctic development is on the agenda. We will push to include the Bering Strait tunnel as a key element for our perspective of global peace through development. Zepp-LaRouche joked that perhaps Trump deserves the Nobel Peace Prize because his bullying has brought China and India closer together.

Dr. Georgy D. Toloraya, Executive Director, Russian National Committee on BRICS Research; Director, Asian Strategy Center, Institute of Economics; and Chief Researcher, Institute of China and Contemporary Asia, Russian Academy of Sciences, said that the Beijing meeting will be a milestone, because the Shanghai Cooperation Organization will offer a declaration for how the Eurasian countries can jointly address the world crisis. Also, there will be a commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the end of war in the Pacific, and the Vladivostok Forum. Toloraya said that we have stepped back a bit from the threshold of nuclear war, but the situation is still very concerning.

Voice of the Global South

Zepp-LaRouche replied that the voice of the Global South is being heard clearly in the collective West. All problems could be solved easily if we can change the mindset from confrontation to cooperation. In response, Toloraya said that this will not be easy, because egoism and exploitation is deeply ingrained in the so-called “golden billion,” and supported by military force and psychological warfare. Zepp-LaRouche came back saying that the golden billion is not a homogeneous group, and that Western leaders do not enjoy popular support; the collapsing economy will further erode what support they have. A clear offer of cooperation from the Global South, for joint ventures to develop the South, would have an impact. There is much room for intervention, which is what we should concentrate on. Toloraya said that Russians were hopeful that Trump’s election was an expression of the desire for change in the U.S., but the results so far have been disappointing.

Graham Fuller, former U.S. diplomat, CIA official, and Islamic scholar, said that “Ukraine is just the symptom of a much deeper malaise between the U.S. and Russia.” He is “very excited by the Schiller Institute’s idea of the land-bridge,” but political obstacles, particularly Russophobia in the U.S., are daunting; people will talk about hordes of communists rushing across the Bering Strait. He charged that the British created Russophobia, fearing that Russians might invade their crown jewel of India. In the U.S., we deported Russian ballerinas and musicians to keep the U.S. “pure.” Fuller proposed to make Ronald Reagan the poster boy for better relations with Russia, because he enjoys a good reputation in the U.S., and we could revitalize his image as a great patriot who was “a proponent of getting along with Russia.”

Ray McGovern, former CIA analyst and co-founder of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS), thanked Fuller, who played the role equivalent to what today is DNI, for his “tour d’horizon.” He said that there is hope because Putin and Xi are in no rush. The world is shifting toward the majority.

Why Do Leaders Risk Extinction?

Zepp-LaRouche said that there is something beautiful about humanity which gives her optimism, but she still can’t understand what is wrong with leaders who are willing to risk its extinction. “What does it help you to have riches, if everything is destroyed in the end?” she demanded to know. Lamenting again the condition of her homeland, she said, “You have to shout loud into Germany,” to awaken some of these Germans who are sleepwalking.

IPC moderator Anastasia Battle reported on her recent experiences in organizing in Germany, saying that people don’t share the Russophobia of their leaders, and it would be good if Russia’s leaders could directly address the European populace, and specifically anti-war demonstrators. McGovern, back from a week in Germany himself, pronounced, “It’s the media.” German media are worse than in the U.S. and as bad as in Britain. Russia stopped short of taking Kyiv because they believed in the Minsk accords. Russia does not wish to expand its territory. He offered another joke: Why is Tony Blair involved in the Gaza negotiations? Because Satan was unavailable this week.

Discussion

Purnima Anand is the president of the BRICS International Forum, a civil society organization based in Delhi, India. She said that India will find new trading partners in response to the tariffs announced by Trump. India trades in large volumes with both Russia and the U.S., so why the complaints from the American administration? “America cannot always be number one, Europe cannot always be colonizers.”

Toloraya emphasized that “BRICS is open to cooperation with the West,” but lamented that the West isn’t interested.

Returning again to the sad state of Germany, Zepp-LaRouche reported that nurses there are being advised that they must be prepared to treat wounded NATO soldiers before caring for civilians. She touched upon the insolvency of the U.S. and the West, saying: “I think we are going into a very stormy period…. I think that what happened in 2007-2008 will be the proverbial peanuts” compared to the collapse we are faced with now.

The question of Trump’s threats toward Venezuela, and his claim that its government is a “drug cartel,” came up. IPC co-moderator Dennis Small reminded the participants that when the British HSBC bank was caught laundering over $60 billion for the Sinaloa Cartel, it faced no consequences.

In concluding remarks, Fuller asked, “Will we block the BRICS at every turn, or will we join them for something that could be very rich?” Returning to his proposal to promote Ronald Reagan as a model for U.S.-Russian détente, Zepp-LaRouche recalled that in his proposal for the Strategic Defense Initiative, Reagan offered cooperation with Russia on making nuclear weapons obsolete, an idea taken from her late husband, Lyndon LaRouche.

Moderator Battle posted a link to the names of 97 prominent endorsers of the “Urgent Appeal to Presidents Xi, Trump and Putin To Meet on Commemoration of VJ Day, Sept. 3.” 

Sept. 1—Dmitry Polyanskiy, the Chargé d’Affaires of Russia’s UN Mission, denounced the E3 decision for a snapback of sanctions on Iran to reporters at the UN Aug. 28. He announced that Russia and China put “into blue” a draft Security Council resolution (during the final stage of the drafting process, a draft resolution is printed in blue ink) which will extend the UNSC resolution 2231 for six months and which “Urges all initial participants of the JCPOA to immediately resume negotiations on the matters related to the resolution 2231 and the JCPOA.”

“Now the world is at a crossroads,” Polyanskiy said. “It’s quite clear. One option is peace, diplomacy, goodwill, normal human contact. Another option is a kind of diplomacy at the barrel of the gun, hence extortion and blackmail, and all other things. The second option is clearly represented by the action that was triggered today by France, the U.K. and Germany.” He added that “this move by the European countries, in our view, has absolutely no legal bearing, because they were not implementing resolution 2231 in good faith.”

The E3 action “will affect the overall climate over the issues related to the Iranian nuclear program,” Polyanskiy continued. "It will complicate international cooperation in this regard. Thus, we think that the option proposed by Russia and China today is the way that everybody should follow in order to avoid complications, in order to avoid serious problems for international peace and security, in order to give some chance and breathing space for diplomacy.

“So once again, we believe that the move by the E3 cannot and should not entail any legal or procedural effect. It’s a mere escalatory step. It’s something that is absolutely showing that the Western countries do not know what diplomacy is about. They don’t care about diplomacy. They care only about blackmail, threats and coercion vis-à-vis independent countries.”

Later, Polyanskiy reminded the reporters (who seemed to have forgotten) that Iran made the decision to enrich uranium to 60% purity in response to the 2018 U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA. “The United States abandoned the JCPOA, and since then the situation started deteriorating. So, we should not confuse the real source of the problem, which is what happened in 2018,” he said. “Also, we shouldn’t forget about the context of absolutely unlawful strikes that were conducted against the Islamic Republic of Iran in June by Israel and then by the United States, including against the objects that are placed under the IAEA safeguards. This was, and still is, a serious breach of international law.”

In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun’s characterized the E3 move as unconstructive, and called for settling problems “through political and diplomatic means.”

Sept. 1—“Secretary of State Marco Rubio is denying and revoking visas from members of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Palestinian Authority (PA) ahead of the upcoming United Nations General Assembly,” the State Department announced in a media advisory Aug. 29. Unnamed State Department officials later informed Israeli media (Haaretz, Times of Israel) that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is on the list of officials to be refused entry into the United States, along with 80 other PA officials,

What justification is given for this outrage? The State Department charges that it is the PLO and PA which are “undermining the prospects for peace.” One condition for the Palestinians to be deemed acceptable “partners for peace,” is that the PLO and PA “consistently repudiate terrorism—including the October 7 massacre—and end incitement to terrorism in education."

The second is that the Palestinians must end all international actions against the genocide their people are suffering, and stop organizing for their right to statehood, because those efforts, Rubio alleges, are the reason there is no peace yet! As the State Department so crudely put it:

“The PA must also end its attempts to bypass negotiations through international lawfare campaigns, including appeals to the ICC and ICJ, and efforts to secure the unilateral recognition of a conjectural Palestinian state. Both steps materially contributed to Hamas’s refusal to release its hostages, and to the breakdown of the Gaza ceasefire talks.”

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar enthusiastically welcomed the news, Haaretz reported, writing “Thank you, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, for holding the ‘PLO’ and PA accountable for rewarding terrorism, incitement, and efforts to use legal warfare against Israel.”

Such desperate actions may backfire. A showdown over the genocide in Gaza being carried out by the Netanyahu government and the IDF, and its spread into the West Bank, both with United States support, is expected in the UN General Assembly which opens in September. Several European nations have promised to recognize the Palestinian state at that time, and there is a building campaign for the UN General Assembly to bypass the U.S. veto in the UN Security Council through a “Uniting for Peace” Resolution which would mandate emergency intervention to stop the genocide before Israel’s enforced mass starvation kills all people of Gaza.

The State Department tried to cloak its action in legality, by authorizing the PA Mission to the UN to “receive waivers per the UN Headquarters Agreement.” The Palestinian Authority called out the revocation of the visas as a “violation” of that 1947 agreement between the UN and the United States and called on UN Secretary-General António Guterres and the UN Security Council to “carry out their duties.” Haaretz reports that, “according to the 1947 agreement, U.S. authorities are not allowed to limit the arrival of member state representatives or UN officials to the UN Headquarters in New York City. It also cannot impede the arrival of ‘other persons invited to the headquarters district by the United Nations on official business.’” 

Haaretz, in and editorial Aug. 29, strongly objected to the U.S. decision to deny entry visas for Palestinian Authority and Palestine Liberation Organization officials. This “is not just another technical step,” it charged. It demonstrates the Trump administration’s “complete delegitimization of the Palestinian leadership and the setting of almost impossible conditions to renew any diplomatic pathway” to end the Israeli-Palestine conflict.

The article raised the precedent of the result of the U.S. refusing to grant a visa for PLO chief Yasser Arafat to speak in December 1988 before the United Nations General Assembly in New York City. "The General Assembly was moved to Geneva by a joint decision supported by 154 countries. Arafat himself noted that the change of location was not a win over the United States, but a win over the international consensus of one-sided aggression.

“The real question, then as it is now, is not if Abbas will speak in New York or Geneva, but if the international community is willing to accede to the American dictates, or stand up for the principle of equal representation of peoples….

“Either way, the Palestinian issue as a whole is currently at a historic crossroads, regardless of whether Abbas and his people will enter the U.S.”