Neutrality Studies

After 4 years of all-out war in Europe it is high time for peace. A german alliance of thinkers, journalists and a former Ex-NATO General have submitted a proposal to finally end the bloody Ukraine war. But the EU is still immovable.

I’m joined again by Michael von der Schulenburg, Member of the European Parliament and longtime UN/OSCE peace negotiator. We talk on the fourth anniversary of the full-scale Russia-Ukraine war and the uncomfortable gap between public war rhetoric and the hard limits of real diplomacy. Michael explains the peace proposal his group drafted, the letters sent to EU leaders, and the political climate that treats negotiation itself like a taboo. We also dig into collapsed arms control, the fading “red lines” of nuclear risk, and the way Ukraine’s future gets discussed in rooms far from the front.

Links:

Europe Needs Peace: https://michael-von-der-schulenburg.com/europa-braucht-jetzt-den-mut-zum-frieden/

Open Letters to Kaja Kallas and Roberta Metsola: https://pascallottaz.substack.com/p/open-letter-to-kaja-kallas-and-roberta

Michael von der Schulenburg (website): https://michael-von-der-schulenburg.com/

Michael von der Schulenburg (European Parliament profile): https://www.europarl.europa.eu/meps/en/256966/MICHAEL_VON%2BDER%2BSCHULENBURG/home

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Timestamps:

00:00:00 Anniversary setting and opening stakes

00:01:40 Letters to EU leaders and peace proposal

00:06:38 OSCE vision, Paris Charter, ignored security

00:12:20 Deadlock mindset and endings in past wars

00:19:41 US-Russia track and Europe as spoiler

00:26:20 Military realism and silencing peace voices

00:33:22 Propaganda lock-in and breaking the frame

00:37:10 Backchannel attempts and Ukraine collapse risk

00:45:21 Where the letters will be published and close

YouTube: https://youtu.be/mj5-wmnZBeQ

Can “limited” nuclear war be planned on European soil, or only survived in fantasy? Can preparation for nuclear use ever make sense once Berlin-scale firestorms, shelter deaths, and fallout are put on the table?

I’m Pascal Lottaz (Kyoto University), joined by Ted Postol (MIT professor emeritus, nuclear weapons researcher) and Rainer Rupp (German former intelligence professional with NATO experience). Ted walks through the real physical effects of a single airburst over Berlin, then Rainer connects that reality to the 1983 war scare, Able Archer, and the dangerous gap between nuclear planning and what nuclear weapons actually do.

Links:

Able Archer 83: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Able_Archer_83

Operation RYAN: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_RYAN

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Timestamps:

00:00:00 Introduction and nuclear war premise

00:01:06 One detonation over Berlin setup

00:05:02 Fireball heat and shockwave basics

00:13:08 Thermal burns and blast at 5 km

00:22:00 Firestorms shelters and mass death

00:26:21 1983 war scare Able Archer and RYAN

00:43:11 Pentagon view submarines and accident risk

00:53:14 Leadership blind spots and short warning time

01:09:42 2026 Europe nuclear debate and closing remarks

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Dr. Pietro Shakarian

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pietro-shakarian-7a792563/?originalSubdomain=am

Homepage: https://people.aua.am/team_member/dr-pietro-a-shakarian/

Can Europe unify without repeating empire and breakup cycles? Is the euro a trap without a shared budget, and could real-time AI planning replace markets? I sit down with Captain Ivo Yotsov, professor at the Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy, to map six failed unifications and a choice for Europe.

Links:

Ivo Yotsov ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0300-9417

Ivo Yotsov on ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ivo-Yotsov

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Timestamps:

00:00:00 Introduction

00:01:02 Liberal institutionalism vs realism

00:03:09 Six unifications from 800 to Napoleon

00:12:41 German order and the eurozone trap

00:20:00 Yugoslavia and the center-periphery split

00:24:19 Borders shift and the escape problem

00:26:01 Fourth theory and real-time planned economy

00:33:10 Direct democracy and system control

00:38:56 Museum Europe or reindustrialized Europe

Original video: https://youtu.be/F5RriRhSF5s

A US armada off Iran, airlifts into the region, and Geneva talks running in parallel with Russia-Ukraine negotiations—signal for a real strike, or a pressure bluff meant to force a nuclear deal and spark unrest at home?

In this episode I’m joined by Ian Proud, former UK diplomat and the voice behind The Peacemonger, to weigh the Iran buildup, Israel’s trigger risk, and the odd Geneva setup with Trump’s inner-circle negotiators. We also dig into Europe’s role in blocking an end to the Ukraine war, the EU’s push for militarization and central power, and the financial and political bombshell of fast-tracking Ukraine into EU structures. We close on the Russia-China-Iran triangle, hedging vs alliance talk, and the Hormuz nightmare scenario hanging over global energy.

Links:

Ian Proud Substack The Peacemonger: https://thepeacemonger.substack.com/

Ian Proud YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@IanProud

Ian Proud on X: https://x.com/proud_diplomat

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Timestamps:

00:00:00 Introduction

00:01:36 Iran buildup, flotilla scale, pressure tactics

00:05:02 Israel strike risk and US entanglement

00:06:42 Geneva dual-track talks and war theater swapping

00:10:16 Witkoff and Kushner credibility and sequencing

00:14:45 Missile demands, JCPOA legacy, Europe in lockstep

00:20:44 EU militarization, enemy politics, sovereignty pushback

00:23:49 Ukraine fast-track EU plan and budget reality

00:37:19 China Russia Iran coordination and Hormuz risk

00:40:59 Hedging logic and closing remarks

Original on YouTube: https://youtu.be/cGSMEkf5mCg

Munich sounded like empire talk again: last gasp or full return? Sanctions as speech control, financial warfare aimed at China, and an oil shock hanging over Europe all come up fast. Today I’m joined by my friend Stanislav Krapivnik to take this apart, line by line.

Links:

Stanislav Krapivnik on X: https://x.com/StasKrapivnik

Stanislav Krapivnik on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MrSlavikman

Neutrality Studies substack: https://pascallottaz.substack.com

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Timestamps:

00:00:00 Introduction

00:00:31 Rubio speech and empire nostalgia

00:03:19 Family history and empire mindset

00:11:10 US roots revolt and expansion

00:15:12 Empire comeback framing in Europe

00:24:35 Sanctions and speech discipline at home

00:26:46 Protect Taiwan Act and financial coercion

00:36:19 Economic power shift and bloc formation

00:50:06 Cuba tankers Iran flashpoint Hormuz shock

Can a blacklist replace a court? Can a travel ban turn Europe into a cage? I sit down with Dr. Juan Branco, French-Spanish lawyer and activist who advised Julian Assange and now defends Nathalie Yamb, to trace EU sanctions from asset freezes to speech policing.

-- Sorry for the choppy connection. The recording had issues.

Links:

Juan Branco on X: https://x.com/anatolium

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Can EU sanctions turn into punishment without trial, and can foreign-policy powers be aimed inward at Europeans? In this talk, I’m joined by Colonel Jacques Baud (former Swiss Army colonel and intelligence officer), now targeted by EU sanctions, to unpack the legal gray zone, the evidence problem, and the wider push for narrative control.

Links:

Appeal & petition site: https://www.appeal-baud.com

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Originally published on Feb 16, 2026.

Why is the West suddenly terrified of hearing the other side? We used to study opponents without fear, but now it is forbidden. Are our governments just managing stories instead of fixing real problems? It really feels like we are becoming the closed system we once opposed.To make sense of this strange new world, I sat down with two men who refuse to follow the herd. Peter Lavelle left the corporate world to become a leading voice in Russian media, while Dr. John Laughland traded British politics for honest academic work in Europe. They are true non-conformists who aren't afraid to speak their minds.Links:The Gaggle with Peter and George:    / @thegagglewithpeterandgeorge  Neutrality Studies Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@neutralitystudies

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Originally published on Feb 14, 2026.

The US government promises a massive nuclear build-up, but do they even have the plywood to build the factories? What happens when the skilled workers needed for doomsday weapons leave for better-paying AI jobs? Is the American war machine running on pure delusion?To find the truth behind the curtain, I brought in Greg Mellow. He is an engineer and former enforcement official who has spent the last 35 years acting as a watchdog over these very labs. As the co-founder of the Los Alamos Study Group, he breaks down exactly why the system is failing from the inside.Links:Los Alamos Study Group: https://lasg.orgStop The Bomb: https://stopthebomb.orgNeutrality Studies Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@neutralitystudies

Neutrality Studies substack: https://pascallottaz.substack.com(Opt in for Academic Section from your profile settings: https://pascallottaz.substack.com/s/a...)Merch & Donations: https://neutralitystudies-shop.fourth...