September 15, 2007 (LPAC) -- The second session of the Schiller Institute's conference, "The Eurasian Land-Bridge Is Becoming a Reality," began with a moving performance of Johan Sebastian Bach's "Jesu Meine Freude" performed by the Berlin chapter of the LaRouche Youth Movement under the direction of Karsten Werner. The performance set the tone for the conference's second session on "Russia: Eurasia's Keystone Nation."

The panel, entitled, Russia -- Eurasia's Keystone Nation was introduced by Schiller Institute Founder and President Helga Zepp-LaRouche. The first speaker was Prof. Stanislav Menshikov, one of Russia's foremost economists and experts on the United States, and a dear friend of Lyndon and Helga LaRouche. Entitled "Industrial Policy and Political Climate in Russia for the Land-Bridge Project," Professor Menshikov recalled a comment voiced at his own 80 birthday celebration in May, where the LaRouches were featured guests, suggesting the two railway stations that will be built on the Russian and the U.S. side of the Bering Strait tunnel be named after Menshikov and LaRouche respectively. The professor then spoke on the current political and economic context in which the Bering Strait project is now taking place.

Taking up LaRouche's report on the danger of the British Empire to world civilization, the professor reviewed how that Empire has sought the destruction of Russia since the collapse of the Soviet Union, through creating the system of Russian oligarchs and forcing Russia to implement the neo-liberal economic model. The government of President Boris Yeltsin was their tool, and it has only been in the recent period that the government of President Vladimir Putin has been able to reverse some of the worst damage done under the earlier brutal regime. It is only now, in 2007 that Russia has returned to the level of economic activity of 1990. Nonetheless Russia's industry has been reduced to being 30% of the economy, most of it in industrial exports such as oil, gas, steel, and non-ferrous metals. Russian manufacturing, both heavy and light, continues to suffer.

In the context of Putin's and others' efforts to develop Russian industrial capacity, the Bering Strait project is seen as crucial, and could only be realized in cooperation with the United States, and especially with China and East Asia. The professor stressed that with its strong growth, the Bering Strait project should be of tremendous interest for China.

Professor Menshikov further stressed the importance of the U.S. role, because "without the U.S. nothing will happen." In conclusion, Professor Menshikov said: It is this project that will "prevent a clash between the great powers," and "as LaRouche said, to save civilization, there needs to be a change in the political and economic policies of most of the countries of the world."

The second presentation was to be given by Victor Razbegin, Deputy Chairman of the Council for the Study of Productive Forces of the Russian Federation Ministry of Economic Development and Trade and the Russian Academy of Science. However, because of the change in the Russian government last week, Mr. Razbegin was unable to attend. His presentation, read by Rachel Douglas, head of EIR's Russia desk, was entitled "The Eurasia-North American Multi-Modal Intercontinental Connection: Key Link in the World Transport System." Razbegin, who is the public face of the Bering Strait project and organizer of April's world historic conference on the subject, reviewed genesis of the project dating back to the 19th century and bringing it up to the formation of the Inter-Hemispheric Bering Strait Tunnel and Railroad Group in 1991 and the U.S. Russian Intergovernmental Commission formed in 1996, which commissioned a series of studies. Razbegin detailed the project's feasibility and its tremendous benefits. The project, complete with the necessary railroad lines, and parallel oil and gas pipelines, and electricity and fiber optic lines, would cost only $55-67 billion.

The third presentation was by Dr. Sergei Cherkasov and Academician Dmitri Rundqvist of the Vernadsky State Geological Museum, Russian Academy of Science. The presentation, entitled "Infrastructure Corridors in Russia—Pros and Cons: Raw Materials Approach," detailed the development of Russia's vast mineral resources in the context of the Eurasian Land-Bridge project. Dr. Cherkasov demonstrated how there are now 9,000 known mineral deposits in Russia, but many more will be discovered as transport and other infrastructure are built. He also spoke of the tremendous challenges ahead in the Russian East and Yakutia, which include not only the harsh weather, but also the low population density of the region. He concluded that the world must not only take on the challenges of building the necessary infrastructure, but also the social, political, and demographic challenges.

The fourth presentation by Yuri Krupnov, director of the Institute for Demography, Migration, and Regional Development, and was entitled "Svobodny Cosmodrome: Potential Space Industry Cluster and Development Corridor in Russia's Amur Region." It was delivered Ilnur Batyrshin, head of the Kazan Youth Chapter of World Development Network, founded by Mr. Krupnov. The presentation details a proposal to develop space launch site in Svobodny in the Amur region, not only to become a major space launch center, but also a space science and industrial center that would complement the Bering Strait project. The project envisions expanding the current city by this site from its current population of 20,000 to 200,000.

A lively discussion followed, including one question from the eight-year-old son of a conference participant from Germany, who wanted to know who was the first to propose a Bering Strait project. The question prompted American engineer, Hal Cooper to give a thumbnail history of the project from when it was first proposed in 1860 to the present.