Neutrality Studies

The "Nuclear Umbrella" always was a sick joke in which the umbrella itself would do the dirty work of exterminating the place it was supposed to "keep clean" of enemy forces. Today I speak with Ola Tunander, professor emeritus at the Peace Research Institute Oslo, and Rainer Rupp, former NATO analyst and East German spy, about the real meaning of the US nuclear umbrella. We dis...

While all of Europe is sitting in the antechamber of war—except Ukraine, which is already in the slaughterhouse—a small Alpine nation is putting up resistance. The Swiss population is demanding a referendum on neutrality from its EU- and NATO-subservient government. In the best tradition of direct democracy, the Swiss have managed, against the will of their elites in government and parliament, to...

President José Ramos-Horta of Timor-Leste joins Felix Marquardt to discuss Europe’s loss of credibility on international law, the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, the Iran crisis, the collapse of UN authority, energy and shipping risks, moral limits in war, freedom fighters and terrorism, the Nobel Peace Prize, and Timor-Leste’s approach to diplomacy and peace. Links: President José Ramos-Horta (Official...

Pascal welcomes back Arnaud Bertrand for a wide talk on China’s open source AI push, US tech controls, Europe’s growing dependence, drones and humanoid robots, Southeast Asia’s balancing act, new payment rails in Asia, China’s response to US sanctions, and the wider shift in global power around Iran, finance, industry, and the fading force of Western control. Links: Arnaud Bertrand on X https://x....

Pascal Lottaz speaks with former CIA analyst Larry C. Johnson about the Iran war, failed US pressure, Saudi anger over US actions, oil shock, rising prices, Gulf states pulling back, and the wider shift toward China and Russia. They also discuss sanctions, market signals, Israel’s role, and the chance of talks forcing Washington to change course. Links: Larry C. Johnson Substack https://larrycjohn...

Settler colonialism goes not far enough to explain the insane level of cruelty we see with the Gaza Genocide and the rampage of Israel in Lebanon, Syria, and other parts of the Holy Land. It doesn't explain why the entire West, Europe and North America are on board with the project. The crusading spirit that is baked into the colonial system, does. Looking at the original crusades, we see that...

The Gaza Genocide would not be possible, was it not for the enabling hand of Legacy Media. Today I speak with Prof. Dr. Robin Andersen (Fordham University), author of "The Complicit Lens", about Western coverage of Gaza, the October 7 story, newsroom pressure at major outlets, distorted war language, hospital reporting, discussion-stopping media frames, collapsing trust in legacy news, a...

Pascal speaks with Israeli-American lawyer Joseph Avesar, president of the Israeli Palestinian Confederation Committee, about a one-state federal plan for Israel and Palestine. They discuss Israel’s lack of a constitution, the limits of the two-state path, Zionism, democracy, public support, and a shared government model with equal rights, local self-rule, and elected bodies meant to build peace....

Pascal Lottaz speaks with Dr. Mattias Desmet, professor of clinical psychology in Belgium and author of The Psychology of Totalitarianism, about mass formation, totalitarianism, propaganda, loneliness, free speech, war narratives, and the emotional pull of group belief. The discussion covers the difference between dictatorships and totalitarian states, the role of education and media, and sincerit...

Steven Kapos, a Jewish Holocaust survivor and pro-Palestine activist, shares childhood memories of bombing, hiding, rescue homes in Budapest, and his father’s survival through the Kastner deal. The conversation then turns to Zionism, racism, Israel and Palestine, Gaza through Holocaust memory, European support for the war, and the moral duty to resist mass violence. Links: Double Down News YouTube...

Pascal speaks with Professor Ulrike Guérot about the new book Germany Neutral, the push for German rearmament, shrinking space for peace voices, NATO’s role in Europe, missed chances for a neutral security order, and the case for a neutral Germany and a neutral Europe. They also discuss the European Peace Project and the May 9 peace action. Links: European Peace Project: https://europeanpeaceproje...

Pascal Lottaz speaks with Professor Seyed Mohammad Marandi of the University of Tehran about conditions in Iran, the risk of a new US and Israeli attack, sanctions and shipping pressure in the Strait of Hormuz, Gulf state exposure, OPEC, ideology and resistance, and the lessons of past nuclear talks. Marandi argues Iran now wants mutual steps, tougher terms, and no more one sided deals. Links: Sey...

Pascal Lottaz speaks with Professor Steven Starr about claims of US and Israeli failure in Iran, the drain on missile stocks, damage to bases, oil shock, and risks of wider war. They also discuss Gaza and Lebanon, religion inside US war politics, nuclear danger, Russia and Ukraine, drone warfare, and what modern conflict says about American military limits. Links: Nuclear Famine https://nuclearfam...

Pascal Lottaz speaks with Leith Marouf of Free Palestine TV about Palestine as part of a wider region shaped by colonial borders, the role of empire and Israel, the link between history, geography, and resistance, the place of Iran in the region, and the limits of Western politics. The talk also covers anti-Zionism, armed struggle, media work, and paths toward liberation. Links: Free Palestine TV...

Pascal Lottaz speaks with clinical psychologist Benjamin Schöndorf of Resistance is Fertile about material analysis and psychology, the making of identity and consciousness, narcissism and supremacy in imperial power, mental suffering, collective identity, revolutionary consciousness, liberation psychology, and the social roots of war. The talk also looks at China, Iran, capitalism, and whether vi...

Pascal Lottaz and Felix Marquardt speak with scholar Norman Finkelstein about Gaza after two years of war, Israeli goals, genocide claims, Tucker Carlson and the right, Zionism and Jewish identity, the New York Times, the fading use of Holocaust framing, the UN’s loss of legitimacy, and Finkelstein’s upcoming book Gaza’s Gravediggers, including his critique of the October 7 rape narrative. Links:...

Felix speaks with award-winning British filmmaker and journalist Richard Sanders about the campaign against Jeremy Corbyn, the use of antisemitism claims against Palestine supporters, Peter Mandelson and the Epstein story, Gaza documentaries after October 7, media cover-up, Palestine Action, and the wider crackdown on speech in Britain and France. Links: Double Down News YouTube https://youtube.co...

David Pyne, former U.S. Army officer and Deputy Executive Director for the EMP Task Force on National and Homeland Security, joins Pascal Lottaz to assess the Iran war, the ceasefire extension, the blockade, Israel’s role, damage to Trump and MAGA, pressure on JD Vance, global fallout for U.S. power, and the Ukraine war’s likely path toward collapse and settlement. Links: David Pyne Substack The R...

Pascal Lottaz speaks with Dr. Joanna Lei, a Taiwanese businesswoman, media executive, and former KMT lawmaker, about the KMT chair’s visit to Beijing, the new party channel with China, the 10 cross-strait measures announced after the trip, DPP and KMT election pressure, US arms and TSMC issues, the Iran war as a warning for Taiwan, and possible paths to peace instead of war. Links: Joanna Lei on Y...

Pascal Lottaz is joined by former Swiss intelligence officer and military analyst Colonel Jacques Baud for a discussion on EU sanctions against Baud, frozen bank access, legal appeals, and the wider effect on free speech. They then examine the Israel Iran war, Western military limits, Iran’s deterrence, the move from Cold War logic to civilizational conflict, and the deeper crisis in Western leade...

Pascal Lottaz speaks with Algerian YouTuber Fethi Sahraoui of Jazair Hope about Algeria’s foreign policy, the legacy of French colonization, the war of independence, the long crisis with France, language and identity, Western Sahara, Palestine, the Algerian diaspora in France, and the need for honest history, respect, and a healthier Algeria-France relationship. Links: Jazair Hope: https://jazairh...

Pascal Lottaz speaks with Stanislav Krapivnik from Moscow about the US blockade around Iran, the Strait of Hormuz, the risk of a wider war, and the limits of US naval power. They also discuss ceasefire politics, pressure from Israel on Washington, the danger of a ground invasion, and Europe pushing the Russia Ukraine war toward a larger clash. Links: Verified guest links are listed below. ([x.com]...

Israel blew up a synagogue during the Jewish holiday of Passover. The synagogue was standing in Tehran and either intentionally or by accident became a victim of the US/Israeli war of aggression against Iran. The episode stands paradigmatically for the grave threat that Israel and Zionism pose to the life and safety of Jews (and non-jews) around the world. While we mostly think of Zionism as a dan...

Pascal Lottaz speaks with Carlos García Hernández, author of Fiat Socialism. ([lolabooks.eu](https://www.lolabooks.eu/products/fiat-socialism?utm_source=openai)) They discuss modern monetary theory, fiat money, debt, inflation, Japan, job guarantees, public deficits, national debt, and monetary sovereignty. The talk also looks at Argentina, BRICS, Marx, and the case for full employment, basic need...

Pascal is joined again by Professor Said Marandi of the University of Tehran to discuss the Islamabad talks, threats against the Iranian delegation, US demands over Iran’s nuclear program and the Strait of Hormuz, the ceasefire with Lebanon, Western media claims, and the risk of more war, economic shock, and a wider regional crisis. Links: Professor Seyed Mohammad Marandi on X: https://x.com/s_m_m...