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The military exercises ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin on March 16 continue at a high pace, involving a greater scale of Russian forces each day. Western media outlets are nearly hysterical about the deployment of Iskander missiles to Kaliningrad (via amphibious ships, according to Defense Ministry statements) and of nuclear-capable Tu-22M Backfire bombers to Crimea. In reporting on this, March 17th, Reuters notes that Moscow is refusing to even consider returning Crimea to Ukraine and is “militarizing” the Arctic while also militarily reinforcing Kaliningrad—and doing all of this despite U.S. economic sanctions, which State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki yesterday vowed would not be lifted.

Lyndon LaRouche commented yesterday that the deployment of the Iskanders to Kaliningrad was to be expected, and is permanent: just look at the map, he noted; it’s set. The Russians have stated their approach clearly and repeatedly. None of the recent maneuvers or statements are surprising; it’s what they have been saying they would do, LaRouche said.

Readers of EIR will recall that, in a dramatic Nov. 23, 2011, nationwide TV broadcast, then President of Russia Dmitri Medvedev had warned specifically, that, if the U.S. and NATO continued with their deployment of their missile defense system on Russia’s borders, “the Russian Federation will deploy modern offensive weapon systems in the west and south of the country, ensuring our ability to take out any part of the U.S. missile defense system in Europe. One step in this process will be to deploy Iskander missiles in Kaliningrad Region.” Medvedev then concluded: “We are open to a dialogue and we hope for a reasonable and constructive approach from our Western partners.”

In that broader sphere of strategic policy, Moscow again repeated its public warnings this week. Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov told a Moscow press conference on March 17th, “It seems to be unlikely to reach new agreements between Russia and the United States in the near future, if ever. Russia’s security now depends not only on the balance of strategic nuclear weapons of Russia and the United States. It depends on many other factors, such as U.S. global missile defense plans, the situation in the area of sea-based long-distance cruise missiles, and other types of long-distance high-precision systems.”

Similarly, Deputy Director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Department on Security Affairs and Disarmament Vladimir Leontyev said last week:

As for Russia’s military exercises, in addition to the Iskander and Backfire bomber deployments, the Russian Defense Ministry reported today that at least one of the Delta IV-class nuclear ballistic missile submarines of the Northern Fleet also deployed and was visited by Chief of the General Staff Gen. Valeriy Gerasimov. The Defense Ministry said that “the results of the training confirmed that ballistic missile crews were ready to perform their combat tasks,” reports Sputnik News.

Other aspects of the exercises include the following, all reported by TASS:

• The Western Military District announced, today, that more than 20 ships of the Baltic Sea Fleet are engaged in anti- submarine and anti-aircraft drills.

• About 30 assault and attack helicopters from airfields in the Leningrad and Smolensk regions are being deployed to the Arctic.

• Paratroopers from Russia’s northwestern Pskov region have been put on high combat alert as part of the command and staff exercise. They will march to their airfields before being deployed to shooting ranges.

• 1,500 ground troops will be conducting live fire exercises at the Mulino training range, about 360 km east of Moscow, with T-72 tanks and BMP-2 fighting vehicles.

A LaRouchePAC team was on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., yesterday, bringing LaRouche’s statement on the historic significance of the interventions last week by the three statesmen, Schmidt, Steinmeier and O’Malley, to the attention of the members of Congress.

Some 20-30 congressmen and half a dozen senators were briefed directly, given copies of LaRouche’s article “On the Subject of Germany’s Role” and the LPAC pamphlet “Why The United States Must Join the BRICS”, which resonated with the debate which has now been sparked by the world-shaking decision by Germany, France, Italy, and Great Britain to join the Chinese-initiated Asia Infrastructure Investment Back (AIIB). Whereas prior to this week, most of these members of Congress had barely been aware of the offer by Chinese President Xi Jinping that the United States join the AIIB (let alone even knowing what the initials AIIB stood for) and would have been oblivious to the significance of this emerging new economic order emanating from the initiatives of China, they were now eager to discuss the implications of America’s four leading European allies announcing their realignment towards this Chinese initiative, in defiance of Barack Obama’s now disgraced attempts to suppress Western participation in the AIIB — a clinical example of the endemic incompetence of these members of congress who perpetually live in the world of yesterday’s “news” only to be caught flat-footed by those who rather act on the future as true leaders to make history.

The effect of Martin O’Malley’s interventions to reinvigorate the fight for Glass-Steagall was similar. Prior to this past week, members of Congress had let themselves be pulled into irrelevant side issues. But with the news of O’Malley’s intervention, even long-time supporters of Glass-Steagall were refocused and inspired to hear that someone was challenging the banal talking points of popular debate dominating the mass media’s coverage of the presidential election cycle and rather inserting the truth about the reality of the financial breakdown crisis, demanding focused and immediate action to restore Glass-Steagall, even at the expense of denouncing his own party for crawling into the pockets of Wall Street by becoming the party of “Dodd-Frank Lite.” The news of this initiative was generally well received — that is, except by Obama’s Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, who when briefed on O’Malley’s calls for Glass-Steagall and the developments pertaining to the AIIB, was rendered literally speechless by rage, realizing the impotence of the Obama administration to control the forward march of history.

A particularly significant response came from Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) at a luncheon sponsored by the Progressive Democrats of America, where he was speaking to the audience on what a disaster Obama’s Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement will be for an already struggling US economy. LaRouchePAC’s Alicia Cerretani raised the obvious counterpoint to the “contain China” Asia pivot approach of the TPP, briefing the gathering on the BRICS revolution, the decision by the four leading European nations to join the AIIB, and Xi Jinping’s offer to the U.S. to join the BRICS, and urged Ellison and the entire Progressive Caucus to demand that the U.S. take up Xi Jinping’s offer and join the AIIB. Ellison concurred heartily, and said that he thought that it was something that the whole Progressive Caucus should take a stand on. He said that the Progressives have long advocated for an infrastructure investment bank in the U.S., but while it’s not been acted on by the United States, now the Chinese have taken the initiative.

Afterwards in discussion, Ellison reported that he’s been hearing a buzz about the AIIB over the last 24 hours and was very excited to receive the background material contained within the pamphlet “Why The U.S. Must Join BRICS”. Other members of the Progressive Democrats organization also engaged in extended conversation about the implications of the BRICS revolution, the growing list of endorsements for the Schiller Institute petition, the danger of war and the necessity of an immediate national mobilization for Glass-Steagall.

A LaRouchePAC team was on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., yesterday, bringing LaRouche’s statement on the historic significance of the interventions last week by the three statesmen, Schmidt, Steinmeier and O’Malley, to the attention of the members of Congress.

Some 20-30 congressmen and half a dozen senators were briefed directly, given copies of LaRouche’s article “On the Subject of Germany’s Role” and the LPAC pamphlet “Why The United States Must Join the BRICS”, which resonated with the debate which has now been sparked by the world-shaking decision by Germany, France, Italy, and Great Britain to join the Chinese-initiated Asia Infrastructure Investment Back (AIIB). Whereas prior to this week, most of these members of Congress had barely been aware of the offer by Chinese President Xi Jinping that the United States join the AIIB (let alone even knowing what the initials AIIB stood for) and would have been oblivious to the significance of this emerging new economic order emanating from the initiatives of China, they were now eager to discuss the implications of America’s four leading European allies announcing their realignment towards this Chinese initiative, in defiance of Barack Obama’s now disgraced attempts to suppress Western participation in the AIIB — a clinical example of the endemic incompetence of these members of congress who perpetually live in the world of yesterday’s “news” only to be caught flat-footed by those who rather act on the future as true leaders to make history.

The effect of Martin O’Malley’s interventions to reinvigorate the fight for Glass-Steagall was similar. Prior to this past week, members of Congress had let themselves be pulled into irrelevant side issues. But with the news of O’Malley’s intervention, even long-time supporters of Glass-Steagall were refocused and inspired to hear that someone was challenging the banal talking points of popular debate dominating the mass media’s coverage of the presidential election cycle and rather inserting the truth about the reality of the financial breakdown crisis, demanding focused and immediate action to restore Glass-Steagall, even at the expense of denouncing his own party for crawling into the pockets of Wall Street by becoming the party of “Dodd-Frank Lite.” The news of this initiative was generally well received — that is, except by Obama’s Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, who when briefed on O’Malley’s calls for Glass-Steagall and the developments pertaining to the AIIB, was rendered literally speechless by rage, realizing the impotence of the Obama administration to control the forward march of history.

A particularly significant response came from Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) at a luncheon sponsored by the Progressive Democrats of America, where he was speaking to the audience on what a disaster Obama’s Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement will be for an already struggling US economy. LaRouchePAC’s Alicia Cerretani raised the obvious counterpoint to the “contain China” Asia pivot approach of the TPP, briefing the gathering on the BRICS revolution, the decision by the four leading European nations to join the AIIB, and Xi Jinping’s offer to the U.S. to join the BRICS, and urged Ellison and the entire Progressive Caucus to demand that the U.S. take up Xi Jinping’s offer and join the AIIB. Ellison concurred heartily, and said that he thought that it was something that the whole Progressive Caucus should take a stand on. He said that the Progressives have long advocated for an infrastructure investment bank in the U.S., but while it’s not been acted on by the United States, now the Chinese have taken the initiative.

Afterwards in discussion, Ellison reported that he’s been hearing a buzz about the AIIB over the last 24 hours and was very excited to receive the background material contained within the pamphlet “Why The U.S. Must Join BRICS”. Other members of the Progressive Democrats organization also engaged in extended conversation about the implications of the BRICS revolution, the growing list of endorsements for the Schiller Institute petition, the danger of war and the necessity of an immediate national mobilization for Glass-Steagall.