Neutrality Studies

Steven Starr, former director of the University of Missouri’s Clinical Laboratory Science Program and senior scientist at Physicians for Social Responsibility, examines rising nuclear risks. He discusses tactical weapons, missile stockpiles, Israel and Iran, Europe’s confrontation with Russia, launch-on-warning dangers, and the human cost of a full nuclear war, including EMP effects, firestorms, nuclear winter, and famine.Links:Steven Starr — Nuclear Famine: https://nuclearfamine.orgSteven Starr — An EMP Attack on the U.S. Power Grids and Critical National Infrastructure: https://www.unz.com/article/an-emp-at...Neutrality Studies substack: https://pascallottaz.substack.comMerch: https://neutralitystudies.com/shopDonation: https://neutralitystudies.com/donateTimestamps:00:00 Introduction: Rising Nuclear Risks01:59 Missile Shortages and Tactical Nukes08:48 Tactical Weapons, Fallout and History11:01 Israel, Iran and Europe’s Escalation18:45 What Full-Scale Nuclear War Would Do23:16 No-First-Use and Accidental Nuclear War32:50 Cold War Lessons and the Nuclear Umbrella38:33 Public Opinion, Propaganda and NATO41:07 Escalation, Military Decline and Diplomacy

The people who lead Ukraine straight into the bayonets of Russia are working over-time to do the same to the rest of the European continent. Retired Royal Navy Commodore Steve Jermy joins me today to discuss what we need to work toward stopping this: A new “Spirit of Westphalia” for ending the NATO-Russia war. We examine the loss of cooperative security in Europe, weak air defenses, the energy costs of escalation, the human cost of a wider war, and possible paths toward diplomacy, neutrality, OSCE-led confidence-building measures, and Track II talks.Links:Steve Jermy’s Substack: https://stevejermy.substack.comSteve’s Article: https://stevejermy.substack.com/p/the...Neutrality Studies substack: https://pascallottaz.substack.comMerch: https://neutralitystudies.com/shopDonation: https://neutralitystudies.com/donateTimestamps:00:00:00 Introduction and the Spirit of Westphalia00:09:03 Support Neutrality Studies00:09:20 Why Europe abandoned cooperative security00:14:41 Air defense, drones, and missile warfare00:18:14 Energy security and the need for diplomacy00:22:37 How peace talks could begin00:29:25 Neutrality, the OSCE, and ending sanctions00:35:19 Who could launch a new peace process?00:45:25 Where to follow Steve Jermy

It's the "last hurray of colonialism", as my guest today, Dr. Ooi Kee Beng, puts it. The wars inUkraine and Iran are left-overs of a time that has already passed and is currently being supplanted by the realities of the Multipolar Order.Dr. Ooi, executive director of Penang Institute, discusses why Southeast Asia feels more hopeful than Europe, how China’s rise shapes decolonization and multipolarity, and why Western thinking still treats the world as a contest. He examines colonial history, the Middle East, ASEAN neutrality, and keeping the Strait of Malacca open.The Penang Peace Dialogue SIGN UP: https://commonwealthofworldchinatowns...Links:Wikibeng: https://wikibeng.comPenang Institute: https://penanginstitute.orgISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute: https://www.iseas.edu.sgNeutrality Studies substack: https://pascallottaz.substack.comMerch: https://neutralitystudies.com/shopDonation: https://neutralitystudies.com/donateTimestamps:00:00:00 Introduction00:01:09 Europe and Southeast Asia’s outlook00:06:13 China’s rise and regional history00:11:44 Decolonization and a multipolar world00:23:21 Bandung, Africa, and sovereignty00:26:39 Orientalism and the colonial world order00:39:28 Iran, the Middle East, and oil00:42:56 ASEAN and the Strait of Malacca00:49:03 Maritime Southeast Asia and globalization

Is the Collective West in disarray because of its absence of long term thinking? Or is it all a charade and the master minds are just really good at hiding what's actually going on? Well, we might be in for an even bumpier ride than we thought, not because the Western leadership is brilliant (they are mostly imbeciles), but the underlying sociological structure is not as short-sighted as one might assume.Nel Bonilla, author of Worldlines, explains her “bunker state” framework and why she sees NATO 3.0 as a shift toward deeper military integration. She and Pascal Lottaz discuss NATO’s evolution, Europe’s defense industry, proxy warfare, conscription, public spending, the “global West,” and ways peace, labor, and neutrality movements could resist this change.Nel's Article: https://worldlinesletter.substack.com...More Links:Worldlines – The threads connecting geopolitics: https://worldlinesletter.substack.comNel Bonilla at NachDenkSeiten: https://www.nachdenkseiten.de/?gastau...Neutrality Studies substack: https://pascallottaz.substack.comMerch: https://neutralitystudies.com/shopDonation: https://neutralitystudies.com/donateTimestamps:00:00 Introduction and the bunker state04:47 NATO 1.0, 2.0, and 3.016:16 Is NATO a node or a driver?18:28 Silent social transformation in Europe32:28 The Ankara summit and arms production44:10 War readiness and proxy warfare50:34 The end goal: a “global West”54:08 The bunker state and social contract57:00 Peace movements and alternatives

Radhika Desai, University of Manitoba professor and host of Radhika Desai Geopolitical Economist, joins Pascal to examine Korean peace efforts, fading trust in US military protection, the dollar system’s debt trap, and China’s industrial rise. They also discuss neoliberal demand problems, Western double standards on overcapacity, and the growing split inside MAGA as Trump fails to deliver for US workers.Links:Radhika Desai: https://radhikadesai.com/Radhika Desai Geopolitical Economist:    / @raddesai  Neutrality Studies substack: https://pascallottaz.substack.comMerch: https://neutralitystudies.com/shopDonation: https://neutralitystudies.com/donateTimestamps:00:00:00 Introduction00:00:28 Korea peace and Trump’s troop policy00:09:53 South Korea and the US military umbrella00:20:24 Economic models and neoliberal demand crisis00:28:19 Sri Lanka and the dollar debt trap00:39:24 China’s rise and the overcapacity debate00:52:08 MAGA’s split and Trump’s broken promises01:00:04 Where to follow Radhika Desai

Stanislav Krapivnik returns to assess the reported Turkey-Pakistan-Saudi alliance, its ties to Iran, Yemen, Israel and the Black Sea. He and Pascal Lottaz discuss attacks on shipping and ports, Russia’s war strategy in Ukraine, Western political thinking, and how weather could affect the fighting in the months ahead.Links:Stanislav Krapivnik YouTube:    / @mrslavikman  Rise of the Imperial Eagle Substack: https://zmeigarinich.substack.comNeutrality Studies substack: https://pascallottaz.substack.comMerch: https://neutralitystudies.com/shopDonation: https://neutralitystudies.com/donateTimestamps:00:00:00 Introduction00:00:20 Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia00:11:47 Turkey, Russia and the Black Sea00:17:48 Maritime escalation and Ukraine’s ports00:29:14 Russia’s military options in Ukraine00:35:14 Consumer systems and Western projection00:43:01 Russia’s summer offensive outlook

While the US lives in fantasy world about the Strait of Hormuz, Tehran has been busy preparing for the next phase of the war, which doubtlessly the US will restart once more. Since there is no diplomatic solution, Tehran is coming around to the conclusion that with the next battle, a decisive military change in the region must occur—in the US satellites.Prof. Seyed Mohammad Marandi joins me to discuss daily life in Tehran, Iran’s trade routes under blockade, the risk of renewed US attacks, Saudi Arabia’s position, missile strategy, and relations with Gulf states. He argues that Iran seeks to remove regional threats rather than spread instability, and recommends books for understanding Iran.Links:Seyed Mohammad Marandi on X: https://x.com/s_m_marandiNeutrality Studies substack: https://pascallottaz.substack.comMerch: https://neutralitystudies.com/shopDonation: https://neutralitystudies.com/donateTimestamps:00:00:00 Tehran after the bombing00:04:18 Iran’s trade routes and the blockade00:11:39 Risk of a renewed US war00:20:28 Saudi-Pakistan-Türkiye agreement00:24:03 Could Saudi Arabia become unstable?00:28:18 Iran’s missile strategy and US bases00:38:07 Iran’s security approach and Gulf states00:47:20 Where to follow Marandi and read more

NATO's European Forever War is now turning decisively against the EU. The elites that have been cheering the carnage on for the longest time are starting to catch up with the actual battle field reality.Anatol Lieven, director of the Eurasia Program at the Quincy Institute, discusses why Ukraine’s NATO question and territorial deadlock make a lasting settlement hard. He examines US weapons limits, the Iran war, changes in US and Israeli politics, Morocco’s role in the Ceuta migration crisis, and why China is avoiding a move on Taiwan. He also argues that Western foreign-policy institutions repeatedly fail to learn from past wars.Links:Anatol Lieven at Responsible Statecraft: https://responsiblestatecraft.org/aut...Neutrality Studies substack: https://pascallottaz.substack.comMerch: https://neutralitystudies.com/shopDonation: https://neutralitystudies.com/donateTimestamps:00:00 Ukraine, NATO, and peace talks07:46 Can a Ukraine deal hold?16:51 US weapons limits and Iran21:15 Trump’s Iran strategy25:13 Israel and US political shifts28:31 Ceuta migration crisis33:40 China, Taiwan, and Western failures

While the US is in high panic about "the rise of China" and its failing warmongering in the word, Beijing is at its most relaxed yet. Turns out, China is confident that it won the race roughly 10 years ago and is now only working on expanding its lead. Professor Wang Wen, Dean of the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University of China, discusses how Chinese scholars view Trump’s second administration, trade pressure, China’s domestic development, and US-China competition. He shares his views on Iran, Taiwan risks, BRICS, the Belt and Road Initiative, global governance, green energy, AI, and why he believes cooperation can replace conflict.Links:Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, Renmin University of China: https://rdcy.ruc.edu.cnNeutrality Studies substack: https://pascallottaz.substack.comMerch: https://neutralitystudies.com/shopDonation: https://neutralitystudies.com/donateTimestamps:00:00:00 Trump and China’s Response00:12:14 China’s Long-Term Development Model00:18:39 US-China Conflict Risks00:23:17 China’s Future Advantages00:30:32 Iran War and US Power00:36:39 BRICS and Chinese Foreign Policy00:44:57 China, Realism and Peaceful Coexistence

The war in Ukraine is not about Ukraine. It's about meaning. Yes, it's a proxy war, and yes, power is at the core of the military confrontation. Even thinking of it as a war of civilizations is not wrong, but it misses what the civilizations actually disagree on. Only the symbolic foundations of the war reveal what Moscow on the one hand and the Globalists on the other are actually fighting about.Russian political philosopher and Orthodox thinker Pavel Shchelin joins Pascal to discuss how worldviews, symbols, and desires shape political decisions. They examine sanctions, competing ideas of peace and security, Russia-West relations, NATO, and why shared political language can hide deep disagreement over Ukraine.Links:Pavel Shchelin YouTube:English Channel:    / @namingtheselfevident  Personal Channel:    / @pavelshchelin  Interview Channel:    / @schelin_official  Neutrality Studies substack: https://pascallottaz.substack.comMerch: https://neutralitystudies.com/shopDonation: https://neutralitystudies.com/donateTimestamps:00:00:00 Pavel Shchelin on political theology00:04:26 Worldviews, rationality, and reality00:12:00 Sanctions and symbolic politics00:23:00 Russia-West stories and political language00:34:28 Peace proposals and ending wars00:52:39 Enlightenment, globalism, and empire00:57:36 Russia's security goals and Ukraine