Not Perpetual War, But the Harmony of Interest
A higher-order dialogue of civilizations and cultures must be initiated immediately, and a new security and development architecture must emerge. The Schiller Institute’s May 24-25 conference, "A Beautiful Vision for Humanity in Times of Great Turbulence!" can successfully catalyze that process worldwide if conceived not as a "one-off" but as part of a series of conferences. Another conference is already being scheduled for Europe.
As was the case for the 15th-century diplomat and inventor of modern science and scientific investigation, Cardinal Nicholas of Cusa, wielding "the most profound conceptions respecting man and nature" even to resolve seemingly small conflicts is the only efficient approach to preventing the human race from going over the cliff toward thermonuclear war in the short term.
Economics, Culture, and Global Depopulation
Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) pointed out on May 6, "Vietnam was a pointless war, and we lost. There were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Afghanistan was a waste. And we gained nothing from any of those wars."
But to end wars worldwide, we must reject the hedonistic, pagan culture of money. There is no such thing as an "amoral" economy. The economic practices of the City of London and Wall Street are no different, in their moral and physical implications for humanity, than the military policies underway in Gaza.
Cutthroat monetarism, and its correlates—"victimless crimes" like epidemic drug use and addictive computer use—have already substantially depopulated Europe and the West more broadly through their Malthusian "cultural freedom" effects.
A New Pope and Economic Renewal
The recent election of a Pope from the United States may position that institution, as well as the American people, through a new social dialogue, to reverse this trend. The fact that the newly elected Pope Leo XIV chose that name has prompted many to revisit the legacy of his predecessor, Pope Leo XIII (1878-1903). Economist and statesman Lyndon LaRouche called attention to Leo XIII’s work 35 years ago.
LaRouche’s 1991 book-length philosophical essay The Science of Christian Economy begins with a preface, "On the 100th Anniversary of Rerum Novarum," referring to Pope Leo XIII’s famous encyclical, Rerum Novarum: Encyclical of Pope Leo XIII on Capital and Labor.
The Harmony of Interests
Compare Section 19 of Rerum Novarum with a critical passage from the writings of American System economist Henry Charles Carey.
First, Pope Leo XIII:
"The great mistake made … is to take up with the notion that class is naturally hostile to class, and that the wealthy and the working men are intended by nature to live in mutual conflict. So irrational and so false is this view that the direct contrary is the truth. Just as the symmetry of the human frame is the result of the suitable arrangement of the different parts of the body, so in a State it is ordained by nature that these two classes should dwell in harmony and agreement, so as to maintain the balance of the body politic. Each needs the other: Capital cannot do without labor, nor labor without capital."
Next, Henry C. Carey, from The Harmony of Interests: Agricultural, Manufacturing, and Commercial:
"To substitute true Christianity for the detestable system known as the Malthusian, it is needed that we prove to the world that it is population that makes the food come from the rich soils, and that food tends to increase more rapidly than population, thus vindicating the policy of God to man … to approve that among the people of the world, whether agriculturalists, manufacturers, or merchants, there is perfect harmony of interests, and that the happiness of individuals, as well as the grandeur of nations, is to be promoted by perfect obedience to that greatest of all commands, ‘Do unto others as ye would that others should do unto you,’—is the object and will be the result of that mission."
Applying This Approach to Gaza
This is the true basis of American economy and American foreign and domestic policy. It is not the colonial policies of Adam Smith or the neo-colonial policies of Milton Friedman. It is the policy of a national bank, directed credit, application of advanced high-density energy technologies, and the limitation of speculative banking practices—characteristics of the American System, "the only one that was ever devised, the tendency of which was that of elevating while equalizing the condition of man throughout the world."
This must be the approach to Gaza immediately: no more killing or starvation, but justice and peace through development. The Schiller Institute Oasis Plan for Gaza and the campaign to bring it to United Nations discussions planned for early June are central features of the May 24-25 conference, which all should attend and build.