The two-day international conference of the Schiller Institute began this morning in the German capital under the theme, “Common Future for Mankind, and a Renaissance of the Classical Cultures.”

Over 320 people from some 22 countries on four continents participated in the deliberations, with an array of prominent speakers from across the planet. (Further details forthcoming.)

The first panel addressed the “Strategic Crisis Is More Dangerous Than at the Peak of the Cold War.” Before the presentations, master of ceremonies Elke Fimmen introduced the speakers and particularly welcomed the presence of Lyndon LaRouche at this conference. Then the pianist from China, Ya-ou Xie, played a piece from Bach’s Hunting Cantata.

The keynote was then delivered by Schiller Institute international president Helga Zepp-LaRouche, who focused the conference from the outset:

“I think we all have come to this conference because everybody who is in this room knows that we are experiencing an absolutely unprecedented systemic and existential crisis of civilization. We have the coincidence of a war danger, where NATO is confronting Russia in a very, very aggressive fashion—which could lead to a Third World War. We have a U.S. confrontation against China in the South China Sea. You have the danger of a new 2008-type of financial crisis, which could blow up the financial system, and naturally you had two days ago, the Brexit—Great Britain voting to leave the European Union. And as we all know, this was not a vote against Europe as such, but it was a vote against a completely unjust system and a corrupt elite.

“Now this conference has one topic, or one subsuming topic, and that is to define solutions to these crises: to discuss what would be the new paradigm, and is mankind capable of solving such an existential crisis?

“We have distinguished speakers from four continents, from many countries, and obviously these are the people, or they are representative of the kinds of people, who are determined that a solution is to be found. And before I go into touching upon these various mortal dangers, the solution is easy. So be addressed and be calm. If mankind unites for a good plan and acts in solidarity with courage, any crisis in human civilization can be overcome, because that is the nature of human beings—that when we are challenged with a great evil, an even greater force of good is awakened in our soul.”

World renowned American statesman Lyndon LaRouche returned to this theme in his remarks during the question and answer session, stating: “This means that we are responsible essentially for what is going to happen to humanity.”

“How do we actually solve this problem? What you do is, you can go out and do some science. You apply science to create a method of creativity. Therefore, you base the whole thing not on mankind as such; you base it on the power of creativity. And that’s what my responsibility is; that’s what I do in main. What I’ve done in general through most of my life, is that. You’ve got to increase the productive power of labor of the human mind. You have to give the individual human being a greater power of creative means for human life.”

Lyndon and Helga Zepp-LaRouche field questions from the audience, June 25-26, 2016.