Published by schillerinstitute.com
The following is a joint statement by the initial signers, listed below, in response to the July 14 posting by the Ukrainian Center for Countering Disinformation accusing 79 prominent individuals from around the world as promoters of “Russian Propaganda.”
Response to the Ukrainian black-listing
We, the participants in various conferences of the Schiller Institute, and other individuals named in the Ukrainian list, are accused of promoting “Russian propaganda” on a list posted by the “Ukrainian Center for Countering Disinformation,” which is officially part of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, operating under the authority of the President.
In times of war, publishing such a list is tantamount to targeting individuals. It is all the more unacceptable that the list agglomerates the names of many speakers, representing top institutions from around the globe, with diverse opinions, who are involved in a dialogue, searching to arrive at peace in the interest of all.
To assume that such a wide array of speakers are all “Putin agents” and can’t think for themselves, can only be explained by a belief in conspiracy theories, or as mere vulgar propaganda, or both. The key question is whether the listed speakers are promoting viewpoints consonant with the truth.
Normally, this would be up to an audience to decide. But the U.S./NATO efforts to blacklist those that would offer any “alternative narrative” on Ukraine, until now, remains unchallenged.
So, hats off to Ukraine for providing a handy list of speakers who voice different ideas.
Those interested in finding out the truth will now be better able to compare the official story—the “narrative”—with an uncompromised critique, determine which can bear close scrutiny, and decide for themselves which analysis is closer to the truth.
Signers:
1) Ray McGovern: (U.S.), Analyst, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA-ret.), founding member of the Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS)
2) Kirk Wiebe: (U.S.), Member of the Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS), and a former senior analyst with the National Security Agency. He’s also a partner in the prevention of crimes of the intelligence community with Bill Binney.
3) Sam Pitroda: (U.S./India), Innovator, entrepreneur and policy-maker, former advisor to Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi
4) Col. Richard H. Black (ret.): (U.S.), Former Marine, former head of the U.S. Army’s Criminal Law Division at the Pentagon and former Virginia State Senator
5) Dr. Clifford Kiracofe: (U.S.), Former Senior Staff Member, U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, and President, Washington Institute for Peace and Development
6) Geoff Young: (U.S.), Democratic Party nominee for U.S. Congress from Kentucky, CD 6
7) Diane Sare: (U.S.), LaRouche independent candidate for U.S. Senator from New York
8) David T. Pyne: (U.S.), Deputy Director of National Operations for the EMP Task Force on National and Homeland Security
9) Alessia Ruggeri: (Italy), Spokeswoman of the Comitato per la Repubblica, trade unionist
10) Lt-Gen Leonardo Tricarico (ret.): (Italy), former Chief of Staff of the Italian Air Force
11) Dr. jur. Wolfgang Bittner: (Germany), Author
12) Jan Øberg, PhD: (Sweden), Co-founder and director of the Transnational Foundation for Peace and Future Research, art photographer, peace and future researcher.
13) Jens Jørgen Nielsen: (Denmark), former Moscow correspondent for the Danish daily newspaper Politiken, author of several books about Russia and Ukraine, a leader of the Russian-Danish Dialogue organization, Associate professor of communication and cultural differences at the Niels Brock Business College in Denmark.
14) Prof. Li Xing, PhD: (Denmark), Professor of Development and International Relations in the Department of Politics and Society, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, and researcher at the Research Center on Development and International Relations, at Aalborg University in Denmark.
15) Ulf Sandmark: (Sweden), Chairman of the Schiller Institute in Sweden
16) Jacques Cheminade: (France), President, Solidarité & Progrès, political party in France
17) Dr. George Koo: (U.S.), Retired business consultant specializing in U.S.-China Trade and Chairman, Burlingame Foundation
18) Helga Zepp-LaRouche: (Germany), Founder, Schiller Institute
19) Jason Ross: (U.S.), Secretary-Treasurer, The LaRouche Organization and Science Adviser to Lyndon LaRouche)
20) Harley Schlanger: (U.S.) former spokesman for Lyndon H. LaRouche, spokesman for the Schiller Institute and the LaRouche Organization
21) Earl Rasmussen: (U.S.) Executive Vice President, Eurasia Center
22) James Jatras: (U.S.), former diplomat, former advisor to U.S. Senate Republican leadership
23) Pedro Rubio: (Colombia), President, Association of Officials of the General Accounting Office of the Republic
24) Graham Fuller: (U.S.) former vice chairman of the National Intelligence Council, CIA, 25-year CIA operations officer, author of numerous books
25) Nebojsa Malic: (U.S.) Serbian-American, wrote for Antiwar.com for 15 years, and for RT America until it was closed down in March 2022
26) J. Michael Springmann (US), served in the United States government as a diplomat with the State Department’s Foreign Service, with postings in Germany, India, and Saudi Arabia. He left federal service and currently practices law in the Washington, DC, area.
27) Mike Robinson (UK), co-editor of “UK Column”
28) Mike Callicrate (US), Kansas; Colorado, Bd of Directors of Organization for Competitive Markets, Owner Ranch Foods Direct
29) Tony Magliano (US), internationally Syndicated Catholic social justice and peace columnist
30) Daniel Estulin (Russia) Author and investigative journalist
31) Jeremy Kuzmarov (U.S.), Journalist and Author of Four Books on U.S. Foreign Policy
32) Dragana Trifković (Serbia), general director of the Center for Strategic Studies
12. August 2022.