[1 of 2] The Jihadist take-over of Syria is first and foremost a tragedy for the people of Syria who might be in for the fate of Libya. But for Russia this is an entirely different thing. Unlike Washington, Moscow does not try to over-extend and fight for 20 years for a lost cause. Rather, it lets its enemies saw the seeds of their own future defeat. If one thing is clear by now, it's that Al-Qaeda-run governments always come back to hunt the USA. My guest today is Graham Fuller, a former CIA intelligence officer and geostrategist.

Update on Syria and the geopolitics of West Asia with Ambassador Chas Freeman. Ambassador Freeman served as US Assistant Secretary of Defense from 1993-94, and as U. S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia (89–92), handling the fallout of the Gulf War. He was the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs during the historic U.S. mediation of Namibian independence, And he was Richard Nixons principal interpreter during his 1972 visit to China, which lead to the normalization of US–China relations.

What’s Down-Under up to in Geopolitics? Will you be safe there from the looming Third World War there? Well, not exactly. Turns out, Canberra has no better idea than to offer itself on a silver platter as a loyal servant to US military ambitions. Is Australia risking everything for the sake of US empire? Today I'm talking to Dr. Hugh White, an emeritus Professor of Strategic Studies at Australian National University. Professor White has researched and published for decades on Australia’s strategic and defence policy, Asia-Pacific security issues, and global strategic affairs. Among other positions, he has served as an intelligence analyst with the Office of National Assessments, and as a senior official in the Department of Defence. Read more of Professor White's analysis at the Quarterly Essays : https://www.quarterlyessay.com.au/ess...

All necessary measures have been on the table for a long time. There is no need for a new international process but for concrete implementation under international leadership. The two conflicting parties are unable to find a solution on their own. The leadership should unquestionably rest in the hands of the United Nations, which should decide, as a first concrete step, to admit the state of Palestine as a full member. Following that, the war in and around Gaza should be ended as quickly as possible, with international peacekeeping forces monitoring and ensuring it. A crucial component of the Sachs Plan involves establishing a "UN Reconstruction and Sustainable Development Funds" with a proposed budget of at least 160 billion USD. It is intended to be primarily financed by a significant reduction in international military expenditures. Jeffrey Sachs recognizes the need for a radical shift in U.S. Israeli and Middle East policy. He sees potential for this change, as the U.S. population increasingly disagrees with their government's aggressive foreign policy, supported by numerous opinion polls. He hopes that this pressure, combined with actions from the international community (given that a large majority of UN member states support the immediate admission of Palestine to the United Nations), will compel the U.S. administration to break free from the influence of powerful lobbies in Washington. From Europe, he hopes for a distancing from the growing dependence on the U.S. In conclusion, it is a logical and well-thought-out plan, lacking only one thing: the necessary courage from the international community to finally address a concrete solution to the longest-standing unresolved international problem. The overwhelming majority of the international community is, however, ready for such a solution.

Firtz Edlinger interviews Jeffrey Sachs on the horrific crimes against the Palestinians. Sachs explains his peace plan, the root cause of the conflict and the responsibility of the United States in enabling the ethnic cleansing of the Gaza strip. All necessary measures have been on the table for a long time. There is no need for a new international process but for concrete implementation under international leadership. The two conflicting parties are unable to find a solution on their own. The leadership should unquestionably rest in the hands of the United Nations, which should decide, as a first concrete step, to admit the state of Palestine as a full member. Following that, the war in and around Gaza should be ended as quickly as possible, with international peacekeeping forces monitoring and ensuring it. A crucial component of the Sachs Plan involves establishing a "UN Reconstruction and Sustainable Development Funds" with a proposed budget of at least 160 billion USD. It is intended to be primarily financed by a significant reduction in international military expenditures. Jeffrey Sachs recognizes the need for a radical shift in U.S. Israeli and Middle East policy. He sees potential for this change, as the U.S. population increasingly disagrees with their government's aggressive foreign policy, supported by numerous opinion polls. He hopes that this pressure, combined with actions from the international community (given that a large majority of UN member states support the immediate admission of Palestine to the United Nations), will compel the U.S. administration to break free from the influence of powerful lobbies in Washington. From Europe, he hopes for a distancing from the growing dependence on the U.S. In conclusion, it is a logical and well-thought-out plan, lacking only one thing: the necessary courage from the international community to finally address a concrete solution to the longest-standing unresolved international problem. The overwhelming majority of the international community is, however, ready for such a solution.

Well, this is it. The end of the road is in plain sight for everyone to see. But the driver is still hitting that gas pedal as if there was no tomorrow. The game of chicken is on, but this is one that the West cannot win. The rise of China is the greatest existential threat to the USA in its history not because of any security, economic, or epistemic dangers, but purely because it invalidates the self-conception of the Washington elites that equate themselves with "the world." The sheer fact that there is a counter concept on the global stage that is successfully rivalling the US in all spheres–from the economy, to tech, to culture, and foreign influence—invalidates its hegemony and thereby the core of the modern self-image of the USA. Listen to the explanations of Professor Michael Brenner, who explores both, US relations with China and Russia to make sense of the suicidal policies that the US is taking toward its rivals. Turns out that hegemony—once the mindset has firmly taken root—undermines the very foundations upon which it is built. Or, put differently, success is blinding the US into defeat.

NATO is a criminal organisation according to its own charter and it‘s belligerent ideology is build on a pile of ideological nonsense. Listen to Dr. Jan Oberg, a prolific and outspoken Danish conflict researcher. In this straight forward talk, Dr. Oberg completely obliterates both NATO and the Collective West war-derranged hypocrisy. Dr. Oberg holds a PhD in sociology from Lund University and an honorary doctorate from Soka University in Tokyo. He held teaching positions in Japan, Spain, Austria, Burundi, and Switzerland, and he is the co-founder and director of the Transnational Foundation for Peace & Future Research. Links to Dr. Oberg‘s work: Homepage: https://janoberg.me/2021/11/28/welcome/ Online Book: https://oberg.life More: https://transnational.live

The lie that Ukraine is defending democracy or standing up for "western values" has never been weaker. But now we are getting reports that not just journalistic publications critical of the Kiev-Regime are getting purged, ANYONE who dares to utter opinions not in line with the regime is getting persecuted, even for private conversations. Society is under total surveillance. I’m talking to Vasyl Muravytskyi, a Ukrainian journalist who has been publishing highly critical reports about his government before and after the Euromaidan events back in 2014, for which he got in a lot of trouble. On 1 August 2017, he was arrested by Ukrainian law enforcement charged with high treason and spent 11 months in prison. Vasyl now lives in Finland from where he is talking to us, assisted by a translator to help with the English.

The political situation inside Taiwan is heating up and the USA is doing its utmost to make sure it can provoke China into an attack on Taiwan at a time of its choosing. But what is the situation really like and how do the Taiwanese see their future with their family members on the other side of the Taiwan Strate? After all, even the ruling government in Taipei still calls itself the "Republic of China"? Today I’m speaking for the second time to Dr. Joanna Lei, a Taiwanese business woman, media executive and former law maker for the Kuomintang Party. Today we want to discuss in a bit more detail her own work and analysis of how politics in Taiwan is going.

The provocations from Washington just never stop. Be it Nancy Pelosi visiting Taipei or US military personell stationed on some of Taiwan's closest Islands to mainland China, the US is upping its game to make sure China is provoked into a corner form which only war can result. Donald Trump just staffed his cabinet with people who want to bring peace to Europe to focus all their warfare on Asia. The signs for Taiwan (and the Philippines) are bad. To discuss the unfinished but currently peaceful Chinese Civil War, I'm joined today by Dr. Joanna Lei, a scholar, business women, US media executive, and former Senator in the ROC parliament and the US-American scholar, Dr. Jeffrey Sachs, an economics Professor at Columbia University. Read more from Jeffrey Sachs: https://www.jeffsachs.org

While the media is portraying the cease-fire deal between Hama and Isreal as a great breakthrough and seems more concerned with who brokered it, Biden or Trump, the real story is a much darker one. Not only are the chances for the cease-fire to bring "peace" to the devastated Gaza Strip extremely slim, it also heralds in a new phase in Israel's quest to burn its entire neighborhood as it frees up capacities that can now be directed against Iran. However, the US might be abusing its attack dog in West Asia for the last time to fight a strategic rival it cannot win against. Once this war goes the way all US foreign adventures go, Tel-Aviv might learn the hard way that it is not at all the master in the relationship but an expendable tool of great power politics. To discuss this I got with me again my friend and colleague Lasha Kasradze, a Georgian analyst in the US and, for the first time, Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, a retired US army officer, former Chief of Staff of the Secretary of State, and member of the activist group Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity. Lasha Kasradze is an international relations analyst with the focus on the states of the former Soviet Union. He concentrates on the South Caucasus and the Black Sea regional affairs. As a keen observer of regional affairs, he has discussed conflicting geopolitical interests between the West and regional powers on you tube platform. Lasha has also shared his analyses on the geopolitical podcast of the Stratfor/Rene company- a geopolitical analyses firm. In 2020, he was asked by the rector of the Sokhumi State University (SSU) in Tbilisi, Georgia to become an academic advisor and a strategic business development officer for SSU. Lasha has been an independent international relations analyst. He is a strong advocate for fostering exchange of ideas and critical thinking. Towards this end, he has conducted exclusive interviews with prominent guests from the US in an effort to facilitate a free flow of objective analyses within the society of his native Georgia . Lasha has written for the Center for New America and his articles have also been published with New Eastern Europe and The National Interest. He holds degrees from Rollins College and The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University in International Relations.

[Part 1 of 2] After Georgia has expressed time and again that it wants to be part of the West and wants the best possible relations with the EU. Leaders in Brussels and Washington are now openly debating putting the entire country under sanctions for the crime of not wanting to elect more hawkish leaders on Russia. Wanting a good relationship with the West is not enough. You also have to be on board with becoming the next staging ground for a proxy war against Russia in order to be counted as a "loyal ally" of the West. Insubordination is nothing the transatlantic neocon elites are willing to put up with. In this talk, we are discussing Georgia, the sanction systems, and the greater geopolitical goals of the US deep state. To discuss this, I got with me again my friend and colleague Lasha Kasradze, a Georgian analyst in the US and, for the first time, Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, a retired US army officer, former Chief of Staff of the Secretary of State, and member of the activist group Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity. Lasha Kasradze is an international relations analyst with the focus on the states of the former Soviet Union. He concentrates on the South Caucasus and the Black Sea regional affairs. As a keen observer of regional affairs, he has discussed conflicting geopolitical interests between the West and regional powers on you tube platform. Lasha has also shared his analyses on the geopolitical podcast of the Stratfor/Rene company- a geopolitical analyses firm. In 2020, he was asked by the rector of the Sokhumi State University (SSU) in Tbilisi, Georgia to become an academic advisor and a strategic business development officer for SSU. Lasha has been an independent international relations analyst. He is a strong advocate for fostering exchange of ideas and critical thinking. Towards this end, he has conducted exclusive interviews with prominent guests from the US in an effort to facilitate a free flow of objective analyses within the society of his native Georgia . Lasha has written for the Center for New America and his articles have also been published with New Eastern Europe and The National Interest. He holds degrees from Rollins College and The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University in International Relations.

In some circles, it has become common place to view BRICS as an anti-western alliance. But that is not the nature of this club. BRICS is non-western, not anti-western. And that's the fundament on which its cooperative power is built. Listen to Professor Anuradha Chenoy explain the fundamental difference as well as the pillars of the new financial system the group is working on. Anuradha Chenoy is a specialist of international affairs who has worked for decades especially on Russia, Human Security, Arms Trade, and Peace building. Her article on this topic can be found here: https://www.epw.in/journal/2024/48/st...

Don't be fooled. The most recent protests in Tbilisi are about as organic as a BigMac. The neocon factions inside the Georgian political process (and outside as well) are trying desperately to undo the results of the October 26 election in the country, resorting even to the Maidan play-book of a decade ago. However, the situation in Georgia is quite different now from what it was in Ukraine. While anything could still happen, the political game of the Georgia Dream government is more prudent than that of the Yankovich government, and the political substance that the protests are trying to tap into is weaker as well. Listen to my two guests discussing the issue: Lasha Kasradze and ‪@AlexMercouris‬ from ‪@TheDuran‬ Alexander's channel:    / @alexmercouris  

The power dynamics in West Asia are shifting away from US Empire as we speak, and mainstream media barely covers it. Saudi Arabia and Iran have gone from a cold detente to a pragmatic entente that will completely change the region, and there is nothing the US, Isreal or Europe can do about it. It is not ideology that is driving this change, but cold pragmatism combined with the necessities of the rising global multipolarity. Follow Dr. Arta Moeini on these outlets: Agon magazine: www.agonmag.com Peace and Diplomacy: www.peacediplomacy.org/arta-moeini-2/ Twitter:twitter.com/artamoeini?s=21&t=g8LQsbMyozr3KHvMhAfgQg Dr. Moeini is the director of research and head of US Operations at the Institute for Peace and Diplomacy, a Think Tank in North-America. He researchers the future of the international order from a realist perspective and writes a lot of very useful analytical essays.

Even committed US veterans can't stand the empty rhetoric of the Washington neocon elite anymore. Ukraine is a text-book example for a provoked war and the need for deescalation has never been bigger, but US imperialism stands in the way of that. Listen to the straight forward analysis of David T. Pyne, a former US army officer who dismantles the war-narrative his country's pro-war government and the NATO establishment have been touting from the rooftops of power for the past 3 years. Follow David Pyne on his substack: https://dpyne.substack.com

n his new book "The Ukraine War and the Eurasian World Order", Professor Glenn Diesen argues compellingly that the way the world used to work not only for the past century, but for the past 500 years is over and done with. From here on, the global system will be much more dynamic, multi-polar, and much more complex. Professor Diesen also shows how Ukraine has been a pawn in the hands of NATO warmongers who despite their best efforts, however, have not been able to break even one of their strategic rivals in the system. The time of Western impunity is ending. The question is, what comes next? Get his book from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Ukraine-War-Eu... Get his book from the publisher: https://www.claritypress.com/product/... Glenn Diesen is a professor at the University of Southeast Norway and an associate editor at the Journal “Russia in Global Affairs”. Many of you certainly know him from this work with the YouTube Channel “The Duran”, where he has been conducting numerous wonderful interviews alongside Alexander Mercouris. More from Glenn Diesen: https://www.usn.no/kontakt-oss/tilset...

We just witnessed one of the biggest changes in middle eastern (or west asian) geopolitics in decades. Iran's highly targeted attack on Israel and the signalling towards the other Arab states, combined with its incredible diplomacy, allowed Tehran to brake free from US strangle-hold. This talk was recorded only hours before Israel's (limited) counter attack on Iran, in the morning hours of April 19. So far, it seems Ambassador freeman correctly predicted that Israel has to change its strategic calculations. Ambassador Chas Freeman was US Ambassador to Saudi Arabia from 1990-92 and then became Assistant Secretary of Defense from 93-94. Ambassador Freeman's homepage: https://chasfreeman.net

"Humanitarian Interventions" are the greatest and most deadly scam of our age. In the name of "doing good" and "protecting the innocent" NATO has killed more people than any supposed dictator or rogue regime could ever have even dreamed of. The level of carnage the western alliance has unleashed on civilian populations in their very name is beyond the wildest imaginations. And when confronted with the death toll, the criminals behind those policies are usually even proud of it or express regret that not more bombs were dropped. Listen to professor David N. Gibbs' masterful take-down of one of the most criminal concepts of international relations to date. Dr. David N. Gibbs is Professor of History at Arizona University. He wrote numerous important books helping us to understand the contemporary United States of America; among them “Revolt of the Rich: How the Politics of the 1970s Widened America's Class Divide.” and the one we want to focus on today, “First Do No Harm: Humanitarian Intervention and the Destruction of Yugoslavia.” Follow David N. Gibbs on via homepage: https://dgibbs.arizona.edu

Neoconservatism is an insanely brutal and blood thirsty ideology. But how did this mad and monstrous mindset take over an entire nation that prides itself on being the pinnacle of humanistic values? Well, it wasn't even difficult. Professor David N. Gibbs tells us the origin story of the devils that are the neocons. Dr. David N. Gibbs is Professor of History at Arizona University. He wrote numerous important books helping us to understand the contemporary United States of America; among them “Revolt of the Rich: How the Politics of the 1970s Widened America's Class Divide.” and the one we want to focus on today, “First Do No Harm: Humanitarian Intervention and the Destruction of Yugoslavia.” Follow David N. Gibbs on via homepage: https://dgibbs.arizona.edu

Originally published on 30 Apr 2025.

Today I’m talking to Ali Borhani, a Geopolitical Strategist and the cohost of the BRI-Diaolgue podcast on which he talks to, experts, decision makers, and academics about all thins geopolitics and especially China’s Belt Road Initiative. In fact, Ali has been watching China very closely and included his findings in a report entitled “The Rise of Chinese Multinationals”. His insights are business focused and business relevant, so that’s what we want to discuss today.Links:Ali's China Report: https://chinareport.mediapad.eu/enAli's advisory firm: https://www.3sixtystrategicadvisors.c...My Interview on BRI-Dialogue:    • D52 w/ Pascal Lottaz #Neutrality Unle...  Chapters:00:00 Intro02:05 Ali's view on the current geopolitical landscape07:17 China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)19:48 The west's narrative of China's impending housing market implosion26:44 China's still modest response to Trump's tariffs33:17 Will John Mearsheimer's prediction about China come true?45:03 Why is China able to invest more than USA into infrastructure?52:33 Advice to companies for the coming months

Originally published on 29 Apr 2025.

Neutrality is much more than fence-sitting. It's a strategic way of approaching world affairs and it's not reserved for smalls states like Switzerland or Austria only. Want proof? Here is a short analysis of the Soviet-Japanese neutrality pact during the Second World War and some of Russia's modern use of the concept even beyond Ukraine.00:00 When Neutrality Becomes Popular05:04 How Neutrality Works11:20 Soviet-Japanese Neutrality Pact17:07 Russian-North Korean Neutrality ClauseExtract of a presentation given via video to an International Relations conference, April 2025.Check out our new Goods Shop: https://neutralitystudies-shop.fourth...

Originally published on 18 Apr 2025.

Today I’m talking to Dr. Geoffrey Roberts, an Emeritus Professor form the University College Cork, in Ireland. Geoff is a British historian, biographer, and political commentator, a specialist in Russian and Soviet foreign and military policy, and an expert on Stalin and the Second World War. His most recent work is the book titled “Stalin's Library: A Dictator and his Books.”Geoff is one of the critical western historians who also dears to speak his mind when it comes the War in Ukraine, something that he has been critisized for strongly. So, today we want to discuss Ukraine and academic Freedom in the West.

Originally published on 15 Apr 2025.

If someone offered you money to write about the "heroic deeds" of war criminal in the Balkans, would do you so? Do you think people would fall for it? Well, here's the thing: one man's war criminal is another man's war hero...Joe Tripician is an Emmy award-winning Producer / Writer / Director and a Published Author. His work has been broadcast across America, Europe and Japan, has shown at the Cannes Film Festival, and is part of the permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Joe also once was paid good money to produce a hagiography of Franjo Tudjman, the Croat leader during the Yugoslav wars. Today we discuss the ins and outs of his experience as being a paid propagandist for a darling of the western narrative about the Balkan Wars.Links:Joe’s memoir “Balkanized at Sunrise”: https://www.amazon.com/Balkanized-at-...Joe’s documentary (in production) “I Was a Paid Propagandist” Trailer: https://vimeo.com/693242604Donation link: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/joetr...Joe’s website: https://joetripician.comFollow Joe on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/joetrip.bsky...

Originally published on 14 Apr 2025.

Genocide has no speed limits nor time constrains. The two-year long slaughter of the Palestinians in Gaza is but the latest phase of a Holocaust that has been going on for nearly a century. The deliberate and collective plan to erase an entire people physically, culturally, and even strike them from the historical record is much older than "October 7". The complete destruction of this ancient Arab civilisation is systematic and perpetrated not only by the Israelis. It's the effort of white-settler colonial Europeans to pull off just one more time the annihilation of an indigenous population the way the European's exterminated already three other continents. Today I’m talking to Craig Mokhiber, the former Director of the human rights office at the UN Headquarters in New York, who in October 2023 quit the agency publically, over the already unfolding artrocities in Gaza and what most of us today recognize as the beginning of the Gaza Genocide. Craig's Article:https://mondoweiss.net/2025/04/yemen-...

Originally published on 13 Apr 2025.

Today I’m talking to Patrik Baab, one of Germany’s best and most critical international journalists. Mr. Baab is the author of the German-language bestselling book “On Both Sides of the Front,” in which he shares his experiences traveling to the Donbas. He also worked for many years as an editor for the North German Broadcasting Company (NDR) and he used to work as a lecturer at two universities.Patrik Baab’s publications can be found here:https://patrikbaab.de/https://www.buchkomplizen.de/buecher/...https://www.buchkomplizen.de/buecher/...https://www.zeit-fragen.ch/archiv/202...https://www.buchkomplizen.de/buecher/...https://www.buchkomplizen.de/buecher/...https://www.buchkomplizen.de/mediensy...https://shop.tredition.com/booktitle/...

Originally published on 12 Apr 2025.

2025 might well become for Ukraine what 1944 was for Finland, the year of capitulation. But look at what came after that for the nordic nation: 80 years of development and prosperity. Surrenders like those of Japan or the capitulation of Finland are anything but catastrophes. Unless we are talking about a war of annihilation, surrenders are the end of mass-violence and inevitably the beginning of a new chapter. In Europe and in Asia we have many examples of successful surrenders, in which "letting go" of an old regime in the ned re-started nations and set them toward prosperity in the future. And if you are not sure about that, just ask any German if he/she would prefer their nation had not lost WWII.Finland is a particularly important example for Ukraine. Not only are the political parallels striking, but the potential political settlement will almost necessarily look similar. To discuss this, I'm talking today with Dr. Tuomas Malinen, an Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Helsinki and an outspoken critic of his country’s NATO integration. Tuomas’ Substack: https://mtmalinen.substack.com

Originally published on 11 Apr 2025.

The rise of BRICS is only the beginning. Multipolarity and the empowerment of national and rural communities is crating new ideas and pathways of development that don't care about western prescriptions or interests. New initiatives are being born daily that are not under the control of the neocolonial structures of old. This dynamic is another nail in the coffin of the "Collective West" and a stepping stone of the Global South toward true and sovereign prosperity.

To discuss these developments I’m talking today to Neha Bansal, a former policy specialist at the United Nations and the Founder of the think tank “Asianism Retold – Development Pathways from the Global South”. Her think tank seeks to bring Asian values and Asian perspectives to bear on global conversations about development, immigration, health, and human flourishing. Today we want to discuss the Global South perspectives.

Originally published on 11 Apr 2025.

Donald Trump just broke a lot of China—but not the one he was actually targeting. The level of trust and good-will the US threw over board in the last week will hunt Washington for years to come, even if the political leadership should get back on track and try to be a more reliable partner again. If the goal of the Trump administration was ever to send a big middle finger to the entire world, then this did the trick, and the World has certainly seen it clearly. This begs the question, what's next? The sad answer: more uncertainty. Erratic foreign policy making is not anymore a "glitch" in the US system, it has become part and parcel of the system.

Originally published on 10 Apr 2025.

The lies, omissions, and contradictions of the War in Ukraine are still rampant. That also holds true for warcrimes and crimes against humanity committed during this war. How can there ever be healing after all sides in this war accuse each other of the most horrendous crimes imaginable? Well, healing requires justice, and justice requires truth.The most instructive example for how a process of seeking justice can bring some healing to the victims of mass-violence—on all sides—is South Africa's approach to deal with the crimes committed by both, whites and blacks during the apartheid regime. My guest today, Dr. Clivia von Dewitz, argues that this experience holds important lessons for Russia and Ukraine, too, as justice begins with the search for truth.Dr. Dewitz is a judge at a District Court in Germany. In 1997 she completed an internship at the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission and later researched for many years the role of restorative justice in Canada, Costa Rica, New Zealand, and the United States.She is also a trained mediator in criminal and civil law, and most recently she published a book with the title “A Peace Commission for the Ukraine Conflict: Could South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission be a Model?”Links:German Book Link: “Gerechtigkeit durch Wiedergutmachung?”: https://westendverlag.de/Gerechtigkei...English Book Link:https://www.amazon.de/Peace-Commissio...Peace Institute: https://peacemaking.institute/english/Homepage Clivia von Dewitz https://coachingcvd.info/

Originally published on 9 Apr 2025.

Today I’m talking again to Dr. David Gibbs, a Professor of History at Arizona University. We talked before on this channel but he recently made me aware of a noteworthy comparison, namely the striking similarities that today’s Russo-Ukrainian war has with the Soviet-Afghanistan war. At the time when the 1979 invasion took place, it was viewed in the West as completely unprovoked and a sensational threat to Western security. That’s the topic of discussion today.

Originally published on 8 Apr 2025.

The signs are not just on the wall but written in the skies and the ocean's too. The entire "western" narrative, its repressive dominance, and its hubris are about to collapse and take many of its established institutions down with it. And the kakistrocratic (aka imbecile) leadership, doesn't even realise it. If they did, they wouldn't be driving Europe into that giant iceberg. To discuss the very sorry state of the European tragedy, I'm joined again by two colleagues from the region, Dr. Jan Oberg, a peace researcher from Sweden and the former British Diplomat Ian Proud.Ian's Substack article: https://thepeacemonger.substack.com/p...Jan's Susback: https://thetransnational.substack.com

Originally published on 27 Apr 2025.

NEW (!) Goods Shop: https://neutralitystudies-shop.fourth...As we are nearing Donald Trump’s 100th day in office on April 30th, it‘s worth assessing the last three months of his eclectic policies. Today I’m talking again to Cameron Macgregor, a US entrepreneur who founded a free speech platform, a fellow youtuber with a channel on finance and geopolitics, and a Substack writer. Cameron‘s channel: ‪@Neo-Masculinity‬

Originally published on 7 Apr 2025.

David Morris is CEO of the Australia China Business Council (Tasmania) and director of several companies and NGOs promoting trade, investment and inter-cultural understanding. He is also a Senior Research Fellow with Beijing Foreign Studies University. Previously, he was working as a diplomat, among other postings, he served in Beijing, representing the international organisation of Oceania. Today we are discussing David‘s recently published interesting book with the title “A New Era of Risk: Why We Need a New, Sustainable Internationalism to Manage the Rise of China.”Links:David's X account: https://x.com/dm_1earth1EarthVillagers website: http://1earthvillage.org/

Originally published on 6 Apr 2025.

Donald Trump has slapped massive tariffs on almost all countries that have trade with the USA and the Stockmarket has fallen into an abyss over the past 2 days. What the heck is this about and is the US digging its own grave or is this a brilliant Trumpian Masterplan?To discuss this I’m talking today with my colleague and friend, Dr. Warwick Powell who is an Adjunct Professor at Queensland University of Technology and a Senior Fellow at the Taihe Institute.Part 1 of Essay: https://open.substack.com/pub/warwick...Part 2 of Essay: https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-04-05...

Originally published on 4 Apr 2025.

Today I’m talking to the Author, Activist, and Film Maker, Saúl Alvídrez. Born and raised in Mexico, Saúl went on a journey through South America at the age of 24, during which he was not only thinking a lot about the world, but also met two fascinating characters: Noam Chomsky and José Mujica. One being the great US intellectual, the other a former President of Uruguay, from whom he learned so much about the politics necessary to survive the 21st century.Saul's Book: In Spanish: "Chomsky & Mujica: Sobreviviendo al siglo XXI" https://www.amazon.com/-/es/Chomsky-M...In English: “Chomsky & Mujica: Surviving the Twenty First Century” https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/bo...In German: "Chomsky & Mujica: Überleben im 21. Jahrhundert" https://www.amazon.de/Chomsky-Mujica-...

Originally published on 2 Apr 2025.

First it was Romania but now France, too, has banned the most prominent opposition leader from running for public office. In Turkey Erdogan just arrested his main rival, and Germany is talking about banning the largest opposition party. And those are just the most prominent cases. My guest today, Artur Ciechanowicz, shines a light on Poland in which Donald Tusk—a darling of the EU establishment—has been using various methods to get around the rule of law and crack down on his opposition, too.Artur Ciechanowicz is a journalist, international affairs expert and a former reporter for the Polish newswire PAP in Berlin and Brussels. He also writes for “The European Conservative” and the Brussels-based MCC ThinkTank. He recently wrote an insightful report with the title “Donald Tusk’s anti-democracy handbook: How to capture a state, dismantle the rule of law and not get persecuted by the European Commission.”Links:Artur’s Report: https://brussels.mcc.hu/uploads/defau...MCC Brussels:https://brussels.mcc.hu/Artur on the European Conservative: https://europeanconservative.com/arti...

Original published on 1 Apr 2025.

The New York Times article that just came out over the weekend is the second one in a year that admits the deep and scrupulous ways in which the USA has been directly fighting this war against Russia. Not through a semi-independent proxy, but by way of directly organising and coordinating attacks with the Ukrainians little more than front-line executioners of Washington's "Kill Chain"—as they them selves apparently called it. And the worst things of all: The Americans even blame Ukraine for not sacrificing enough men and resisting sending more young men to die at the front lines. Absolute depravity.

Originally published on 31 Mar 2025.

Beyond the fact that Russia has categorically ruled out any NATO membership or similar military security guarantees for Ukraine as part of a deal to end the war, we should also be aware of how one-dimensional the West's conception of "security guarantees" is, and how the entire thinking about 'guaranteeing' the security of a state through external means is a misguided approach to international stability.CORRECTIONS: I made two mistakes when recording this video. NATO has of course, 32 members as of 2025 (not 27, that's the number of EU members), and I meant to say that the Ukraine war is the only war currently in Europe, not world wide. Ma apologies for the errors.The best ways to support us:Donations on Patreon: patreon.com/NeutralityStudies.A subscription on Substack: pascallottaz.substack.com. Follow us also in Audio Podcast Form:Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/ch/podcast...Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2vvTf44...

Originally published on 29 Mar 2025.

NATO's worst enemy is NATO itself. The impunity with which this rogue war machine is breaking not only International Law but also its very own charter is breath-taking. It is hard to believe but as so often, the most outrageous and extensive crimes are hidden in plain sight. NATO parades its founding charter on its homepage, where article 6 clearly states the area covered by the treat. (https://www.nato.int/cps/ua/natohq/of...) Yet, on the same homepage, the organisation also proudly presents all corners of the world in which it is (or was) active—way beyond what the charter provides for. (https://www.nato.int/cps/ra/natohq/to...)

The best ways to support us:

Donations on Patreon: patreon.com/NeutralityStudies.

A subscription on Substack: pascallottaz.substack.com.

Follow us also in Audio Podcast Form:

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/ch/podcast...

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2vvTf44...

Originally published on 27 Mar 2025.

Today I’m talking again to Dr. Yu Bin, a great expert on Russia and China.

Dr. Yu Bin earned his PhD from Stanford University, he is a senior fellow at the Russian Studies Center of the East China Normal University in Shanghai, and the author of six books and more than 150 chapters. Most impressively, Dr. Yu Bin has been writing in-depth quarterly updates on Chinese-Russian relations for the past 25 Years! They are all available for free online at the links below.

Dr. Yu Bin’s analysis on Russan-Chinese Relations: https://cc.pacforum.org/relations/chi...

Dr. Yu Bin’s most recent analysis on the peace negotiations: https://eng.globalaffairs.ru/articles...

Originally published on 25 Mar 2025.

The best ways to support us:Donations on Patreon: patreon.com/NeutralityStudies.A subscription on Substack: pascallottaz.substack.com.The dissolution of the Soviet Union was without doubt one of the most consequential events of the 20th century. While over-all the process took place peacefully, there were areas and moments of bloodshed before and after the fateful days of 1991. Today I'm talking to someone who not only lived through those days but was close to the political process in one of the former Soviet republics. Dr. Mamradze is a physicist who became a politician after his country’s independence but had observed events closely all through the 1980s. He later served as chief of staff to the ex-president of Georgia, Eduard Shevardnadze and as a Member of the Georgian Parliament.

Originally published on 23 Mar 2025.

The UK is clinging on by its teeth to the mantra that it will “support Ukraine for as long as it takes.” Since Trump’s public announcement that Ukraine would never become a member of NATO, and the alliance‘s Secretary General‘s admission to the same effect, it should be clear that “as long as it takes” is now well over. But, as so often, the Europeans are the last to get the message. The UK, France and some lone outposts of Empire are still serving the “boots ok the ground” rhetoric, when it has become utterly clear that this war is lost. To discuss the UK's policy towards Ukraine, I’ve got Lord Robert Skidelsky with me today. Lord Kidelsky is an Emeritus Professor of Political Economy at Warwick University, the author of a three-volume biography of the economist John Maynard Keynes, and since 1991 he has been serving as a member of the House of Lords, that is the upper chamber of the British Parliament.Lord Skidelsky‘s Guardian Article: https://www.theguardian.com/commentis...My own take at the FOLLY the Europeans are going through: https://open.substack.com/pub/pascall...

Originally published on 26 Apr 2025.

What are the erratic policy decisions of the Trump administration about? And why do the Russians seem so keen on going along with a diplomatic process that seems not conducive toward solving the Ukraine war? Even though Zelensky has already rejected the US framework for a negotiated settlement with Russia, Witkoff still went to Moscow and met with V. Putin. Sergey Lavrov is still talking well about the US president on US TV. What's going on? We might seeing the contours of a process that will not necessarily lead to peace in Eastern Europe, but to a general understanding of Great Power Politics. The linkage between the Ukrainian and Iranian conflict theatres are a clear sign that both, the USA and Russia seem to agree that more is on the table than "just" Ukraine. Also China is at least in part involved in this process, as the Iranian Foreign minister just visited also Beijing. Multipolar Great Power diplomacy is now in full swing and it seems that all three, Washington, Moscow, and Beijing are understanding that this is crucial time to define the rules of engagement between them for the decades to come.

Originally published on 19 Mar 2025.

On March 18, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump held a second phone conversation in which they discussed the US ceasefire proposal. Although European leaders tried to make it look as if this was a "take it or leave it" moment for Russia, we now understand that the USA was very realistic about this initial offer. It was nothing but a process starter and now the two teams in Washington and Moscow are working toward a realistic process that will end not only the war in Ukraine but lead to a normalisation of US-Russian relations. A surprising aspect of the readout is that the Middle East takes up more space than I had expected and that the Americans are apparently seeking Russia's help in their approach toward Iran. However, looking at the wording of the two documents, it seems that both sides are clear about the need to compartmentalise the negotiations and not connect different theatres but break the issues apart as to come to an understanding on the various bilateral issues separately. Good diplomacy finally taking place again.

Originally published on 21 Mar 2025.

The best ways to support us:Donations on Patreon: patreon.com/NeutralityStudies.A subscription on Substack: pascallottaz.substack.com. Today I’m talking to John Menadue, one of Australia’s most prolific publishers and public figures. Born in 1935, John worked in Australian media, served as head of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet from 1974 to 1976 and was Australia’s Ambassador to Japan fon 1977-1980. He was appointed Head of the Department of Trade in December 1983. And after returning to the private sector, he became the CEO of Qantas Airline from 1986-1989.After several more positions in and out of Government, John founded influential public policy journal Pearls and Irritations at http://johnmenadue.com/ in January 2013 on which he and his colleagues have been reporting very critically on current affairs.

Originally published on 20 Mar 2025.

What's the justification of Trump bombing one of the poorest countries in the world? What are the effects of using tariffs as a foreign policy tool?In the second part of this conversation, I'm once more talking to the outspoken Ambassador Chas Freeman, who among many other positions served as US Ambassador to Saudi Arabia and later became Assistant Secretary of Defence back in the 1990s. He also was Richard Nixons principal interpreter during his 1972 visit to China, which lead to the normalization of US–China relations.

Originally published on 18 Mar 2025.

Why is Trump being so agreeable to Russia? And why is Putin so eager to end the war through peace dealings, contrary to people's perception of him wanting to conquer Ukraine?To answer these questions and to get insight into the recent Russia-USA peace talks, today I’m talking once more to the outspoken Ambassador Chas Freeman, who among many other positions served as US Ambassador to Saudi Arabia and later became Assistant Secretary of Defence back in the 1990s. He also was Richard Nixons principal interpreter during his 1972 visit to China, which lead to the normalization of US–China relations.The best ways to support us:Donations on Patreon:   / neutralitystudies  A subscription on Substack: https://pascallottaz.substack.com/Follow us also in Audio Podcast Form:Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/ch/podcast...Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2vvTf44...

Originally published on 17 Mar 2025.

The best ways to support us:Donations on Patreon: patreon.com/NeutralityStudies.A subscription on Substack: pascallottaz.substack.com. Today I’ve got the great honour of talking to Michael von der Schulenburg, a German member of the European Parliament. In his youth, Mr. von der Schulenburg escaped communist rule in East-Germany, then studied in Berlin, London and Paris, after which he started working for the United Nations, including as UN Assistant Secretary-General. He served in many of the world's trouble spots, such as in Haiti, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, and many more.He also wrote the formidable book “On Building Peace: Rescuing the Nation-State and Saving the United Nations”. Unsurprisingly, he is also an outspoken critic of the belligerent politics the EU and its member states are currently engaged in.

Originally published on 16 Mar 2025.

For a decade the US and western media pretended to be greatly concerned about poor Syrian civilians being slaughtered by their government. Last week, 1000s of Syrians were killed point blank in mass executions by the new Al-Qaeda terrorist regime that took over the state in a Turkey-backed coup de force. And the West remains silent and complicit in this very predictable humanitarian catastrophe. Why does the USA and its European satellites still engage in sich horrible manufactured catastrophes?To get first-hand insights, I’m talking today to Dennis Kucinich a former mayor of his native Cleveland, Ohio, and a Member of the US House of Representatives, where he served from 1997 - 2013. Mr. Kucinich also ran for the US presidency in 2004 and 2008 and he has been one of the rare consistent voices against US warfare, opposing the Iraq war and later even flying to Syria together with then congress woman Tulsi Gabbard to understand the plight of the country first hand. He recently wrote an article on his Substack about the manufactured tragedy in Syria: https://open.substack.com/pub/kucinic...