Neutrality Studies

Originally published on 11 May 2025.You know you are nearing the end of empire when the chief extortionists start asking for ever more money for ever less return. The US is caught in a spiral of economic and moral bankruptcy. To help us take a step back and look at the big picture, I've got today Arnaud Bertrand back on the channel, one of Twitter/X’s best and most profound political analysts. Links:Aranaud’s Twitter/X Profile: https://x.com/rnaudbertrandOur new Goods Shop: https://neutralitystudies-shop.fourth...

Originally published on 9 May 2025.The emperor is naked by now in so many areas that it is difficult to still find even just a shred of fabric somewhere. Even financially, there is no more sweet talking the situation. The US economy is only weeks away from a real supply shock that the bond marked it not playing ball with Trump's trade wars.Today I’m talking to Sean Foo. Many of you will probably know Sean because he is the host of a very successful and useful YouTube channel on geoeconomics on which he posts daily analysis about the global economy and the impact of political events on various markets. I find his analysis always insightful and realistic, so I am very happy he agreed to answer some of my questions. Sean, welcome!Links:Goods Shop: https://neutralitystudies-shop.fourth...Sean Foo’s Channel: ‪@SeanFooGold‬

Originally published on 8 May 2025. Today I’m talking to Professor Seyed Mohammad Marandi, a Professor of English Literature and Orientalism at the University of Tehran, an advisor to the Iranian nuclear negotiating team, and a prolific commentator here on YouTube and on other platforms. Professor Marandi always offers important Iranian viewpoints as well as realist analysis, so I’m happy he agreed to come online.Goods Shop: https://neutralitystudies-shop.fourth...

7 May 2025 InterviewsDid Pakistan lose control of the terrorism it created in the name of the USA or is the escalation of recent days part and parcel of how the politics of regional terrorism is conducted?To discuss all this, today I'm talking to Dr. Hazrat Bahar. Dr. Bahar is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Institute for Communication and Media Studies at Leipzig University in Germany. His research focuses on the transformation of Afghanistan's media system over the past two decades and he was recommended to me by a close friend as the right person to discus the ongoing Inida-Pakistan Crisis from the Afghan side, since the politics of the region is inextractably interlinked

Originally published on 6 May 2025.I‘ve been wrestling with the question of how to vest approach the Yugoslav wars and finally decided to ask someone who is not from the region but studied it for decades. Today I’m talking to Susan Woodward, a professor of political science at the City University of New York (CUNY). Professor Woodward is the author of “Balkan Tragedy: Chaos and Dissolution after the Cold War,” and also the more recent work “The Ideology of Failed States: Why Intervention Fails”Today we want to discuss what happened in the 1990s and the legacy of the Balkan Wars.

Originally published on 5 May 2025.Last week there were rather large protests in the capital Taipei against the ruling TPP party and President William Lai. This news got suprpisingly little coverage in western media, which usually is so keen on showing all kinds of “people’s power” movements when they occur against governments the west doesn’t like. But this time, rather a wave of silence.To discuss this and more, today I’m talking again to Dr. Joanna Lei, a Taiwanese business woman, media executive and former law maker for the Kuomintang Party in the Republic of China (Taiwan).Links:Goods Shop: https://neutralitystudies-shop.fourth...

Originally published on 3 May 2025.Today I'm talking again to Michael Brenner. Michael is Professor Emeritus of International Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh and a Fellow at the Center for Transatlantic Relations at Jogn Hopkins.Links:Goods Shop: https://neutralitystudies-shop.fourth...Timestamps:00:00:00 Preview00:00:51 Intro00:01:13 Connection between USA's internal politics and its foreign policy00:09:28 Is Trump doing something new, or just repeating a cycle?00:22:19 Discussing USA's military bases00:36:58 Is the current US political system sustainable?00:47:01 Israel's effect in the internal politics of USA00:51:07 The lobbying system of USA and its problems01:02:46 Will the USA understand that it doesn't have to be exceptional?01:08:20 "Kakistocracy" - The rule of the least capable01:12:00 Outro

Originally published on 2 May 2025.In the part 2 of the conversation with Jyotishman Mudiar, we discuss the US-China relation, Asia, and the future of Global Power.Jyotishman Mudiar is the host of the very successful YouTube Channel “India and Global Left”. He has been producing great content over there for many years already, so I highly recommend checking it out.Links:Jyotishman's channel "India and Global Left": @IndiaGlobalLeft Goods Shop: https://neutralitystudies-shop.fourth...Timestamps:00:00:00 Preview00:00:36 Discussing Jyotishman's channel and his motivation00:03:56 Jyotishman's interview with John Mearsheimer00:11:19 The West's perception of everything being their doing00:17:09 Jyotishman's view on USA's current "sledgehammer" approach00:22:47 Jyotishman's view on financialization's effects00:33:19 Outro

Originally 1 May 2025.What is fueling the current tensions between India and Pakistan? What is the historical root of this conflict? How do the Indian and Pakistani media narratives differ? And where does this conflict sit in the global context?To answer all this and more, today I’m talking to Jyotishman Mudiar, the host of the very successful YouTube Channel “India and Global Left”.Jyotishman has also been producing great content over there for many years already, so I highly recommend checking it out.Links:Jyotishman's channel "India and Global Left": ‪@IndiaGlobalLeft‬Timestamps:00:00:00 Preview00:01:01 Intro00:02:07 What's happening in India-Pakistan right now?00:08:52 Will the UN help calm down the situation?00:13:15 Why is the India-Pakistan border so violent and unstable?00:16:35 What is the role of internal politics in all this?00:20:26 Does any outside power intervene in this conflict?Check out our merch: https://neutralitystudies-shop.fourth...

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