Neutrality Studies

While the US is busy destroying itself in Eastern Europe and West Asia, East Asia, too, is busy preparing for countering US warmongering. But not the way you think. South East Asia is engaged in its own cat and mouse game with the hegemon. Jomo Kwame Sundaram, Malaysian economist, research adviser at Khazanah Research Institute, emeritus professor, and former UN assistant secretary-general, discusses how the Iran war affects ASEAN energy, food, and trade. He examines Indonesia, the Strait of Malacca, ASEAN neutrality, BRICS, debt and the dollar system, and why the Non-Aligned Movement needs new life through peace, sustainable development, and resistance to militarization.Links:Jomo Kwame Sundaram Substack: https://jomodevplus.substack.comJomo Kwame Sundaram at Inter Press Service: https://www.ipsnews.net/author/jomo-k...Neutrality Studies substack: https://pascallottaz.substack.comMerch: https://neutralitystudies.com/shopDonation: https://neutralitystudies.com/donateTimestamps:00:00:00 Introduction00:01:01 Iran war impacts on Malaysia and ASEAN00:04:07 How ASEAN sees the Iran war00:07:33 Strait of Malacca and military pressure00:12:38 Non-alignment and Indonesia’s political shift00:19:12 Indonesia’s stability and foreign pressure00:26:55 BRICS, debt, and the Global South00:37:55 Why the Non-Aligned Movement faded00:43:03 Peace and sustainable development00:46:36 How to revive the Non-Aligned Movement00:51:18 Can ASEAN lead non-alignment?00:56:52 A positive vision for the NAM01:00:14 Where to follow Jomo

Professor Seyed Mohammad Marandi joins Pascal Lottaz to discuss the reported war around Iran, the Strait of Hormuz, attacks on US bases, and growing pressure on Gulf states. They examine the risks to energy, trade, food supplies, and the global economy, as well as Iran’s ties with China and Russia. Marandi also argues that US policy is driven by failed assumptions and lacks a clear plan.Links:Seyed Mohammad Marandi on X: https://x.com/s_m_marandiSeyed Mohammad Marandi on Telegram: https://t.me/s_m_marandiNeutrality Studies substack: https://pascallottaz.substack.comMerch: https://neutralitystudies.com/shopDonation: https://neutralitystudies.com/donateTimestamps:00:00:00 Introduction and situation in Tehran00:02:24 Hormuz and the end of negotiations00:08:28 Yemen, energy and global economic risks00:13:04 Iran’s shipping corridor in Hormuz00:17:05 Gulf states, diplomacy and escalation00:19:34 US options and critical infrastructure00:24:25 Why Iran is not striking Israel directly00:29:16 China, Russia and Iran’s war economy00:35:46 Does the US have a strategy?00:43:44 How long can the war continue?00:47:33 Where to follow Marandi and recommended books

American journalist Danny Haiphong joins Pascal Lottaz to discuss the Iran war, US power, public anger in the United States, and the rise of a multipolar world. They examine Iran’s military and media strategy, China’s growing appeal, Russia’s role, economic sovereignty, and what a post-imperial West could contribute to a more balanced global system.Links:Danny Haiphong YouTube:    / @geopoliticshaiphong  The Chronicles of Haiphong Substack: https://chroniclesofhaiphong.substack...Danny Haiphong on X: https://x.com/GeopoliticsDHNeutrality Studies substack: https://pascallottaz.substack.comMerch: https://neutralitystudies.com/shopDonation: https://neutralitystudies.com/donateTimestamps:00:00:00 Introduction00:00:30 The state of the US empire00:09:42 US public anger and elite interests00:20:16 Iran, Russia and China’s soft power00:35:20 Economic sovereignty and Western decline00:43:36 What the West can still contribute

After three rounds of attack in less than two years, the US/Israeli war alliance is at the weakest point in decades. The damage the unsuccessful military campaign are doing to US power projection is enormous. Join me to night for a talk with Colonel Daniel Davis, the host of ‪@DanielDavisDeepDive‬. Check out Danny's foreign language channels:French:    / @danieldavisdeepdivefrance  German:    / @danieldavisdeepdivegermany  Spanish:    / @danieldavisdeepdivespanish  Portuguese:    / @danieldavisdeepdiveportuguese  Italian:    / @danieldavisdeepdiveitalian  Russian:    / @danieldavisdeepdiverussia  Chinese:    / @ddddchinese  And here you can support Neutrality Studies:Our Substack: https://pascallottaz.substack.com Our Shop: https://neutralitystudies-shop.fourth... Donations: https://neutralitystudies.com/donateTimestamps:00:00 Iran Escalation and the Strait of Hormuz14:00 Why the U.S.–Iran Agreement Failed21:45 Nuclear Escalation and the Lack of an Exit Strategy26:07 America’s Rapidly Depleting Missile Stockpiles29:31 The Failure of America’s Post-Cold War Doctrine34:19 What Could Finally Force U.S. Policy to Change?39:38 Election Distrust and the Risk of Domestic Crackdowns

They keep portraying Russia as a power-hungry mad-dog. But the truth is that whoever the leadership in Moscow (or St. Petersburg) was, the one thing all leaders wanted above all, was security. Security from centuries of invasion. Just how to communicate that to a West that is hell-bend on claiming the Kremlin is an expansionist power?Professor Alistair Renfrew of Durham University discusses the West’s long-running misunderstanding of Russian security policy. He examines Russian fears of invasion, the civil war intervention, NATO expansion, Georgia, Ukraine, the Minsk process, failed peace talks, and Europe’s rearmament. Renfrew argues that Russia’s policy is mainly defensive and warns that Europe is taking risks without a clear path to peace.Find Alastair on Substack: @alessandrodelguado &Alastair’s Novel:  www.faktionbooks.comSupport us here:Neutrality Studies substack: https://pascallottaz.substack.comMerch: https://neutralitystudies.com/shopDonation: https://neutralitystudies.com/donateTimestamps:00:00:00 Introduction00:00:54 Why Russia Is Misunderstood00:04:53 Soviet Fears and Foreign Intervention00:09:50 Allied Intervention in 1918–2200:13:16 The Lasting Impact of World War II00:17:15 Why Russia’s Message Is Ignored00:26:55 Georgia and the Provocation Trap00:31:17 Minsk, Donbas and the 2022 Talks00:35:11 Who Gains From the War?00:42:59 Why Europe Is Rearming00:49:58 Can Russia Avoid a Wider War?00:53:42 Where to Follow Alistair Renfrew

Jeff Rich, Australian historian and creator of The Burning Archive, joins Pascal Lottaz to discuss NATO’s changing role, Europe’s growing military stance toward Russia, and the limits of the “US vassal” view. They trace the history and emotion behind anti-Russian feeling, question “civilization” as a political lens, and examine Australia’s ties to Russia, migration, and the US-led order.Jeff's great Interview with Richard Sakwa:    • Video  Links:The Burning Archive Substack: https://jeffrich.substack.comThe Burning Archive YouTube:    / @theburningarchive  Neutrality Studies substack: https://pascallottaz.substack.comMerch: https://neutralitystudies.com/shopDonation: https://neutralitystudies.com/donateTimestamps:00:00 Introduction and NATO 3.009:22 NATO, Europe, and US power21:02 The long roots of anti-Russianism36:00 Civilization, realism, and fear50:28 Australia, Russia, and migration

Desperate times call for desperate wars. As the US is failing to subdue Iran with missile strikes, the crazies in Washington are cooking up an even bigger screw-up: Ground invasion.Larry C. Johnson joins Pascal to discuss the renewed US-Iran war, pressure on Gulf states, the Strait of Hormuz, and the risk of fuel shortages. They examine US missile and drone stocks, Iran’s military options, China’s role, Saudi Arabia and Yemen, possible ground operations, and Washington’s conflict with international law.Links:Transition Protocol:    / @transition_protocol  Sonar21: https://sonar21.comNeutrality Studies substack: https://pascallottaz.substack.comMerch: https://neutralitystudies.com/shopDonation: https://neutralitystudies.com/donateTimestamps:00:00:00 Introduction and renewed Iran war00:07:24 Gulf strategy and Saudi Arabia’s Yemen move00:13:31 Gulf states, US bases and China’s role00:21:02 US drones and the limits of ground war00:30:53 Missile stocks, fuel shortages and international law

The US-Israeli war alliance is losing its allies in the gulf. The resumption of the Iran War is a reflection of US desperation and the best idea Washington has? Start a new front against international law itself. The decline of the empire is accelerating.Support us on Substack: https://pascallottaz.substack.com Merch: https://neutralitystudies.com/shopDonation: https://neutralitystudies.com/donate

The contempt with which the US is treating international law has found a new low point. The State Department now officially says it wants to dismantle the ICC.Dr. Yusra Suedi, an international law scholar at the University of Manchester and founder of SAIL, joins Pascal Lottaz to examine the US campaign against the ICC, the limits and value of international courts, pressure on smaller states, and Europe’s role. They also discuss the Gaza case at the ICJ, why proving genocide is legally difficult, and why international law still matters.Links:SAIL Simplified Approach to International Law: https://www.learnsail.org/Yusra Suedi on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/yusrasuedi.b...Yusra Suedi on LinkedIn:   / yusrasuedi  Neutrality Studies substack: https://pascallottaz.substack.comMerch: https://neutralitystudies.com/shopDonation: https://neutralitystudies.com/donateTimestamps:00:00:00 International Law and Its Courts00:07:03 The US Campaign Against the ICC00:19:42 Courts as Justice and Political Pressure00:34:00 Can the US Dismantle the ICC00:43:31 The Legal Test for Genocide

If all else fails, go to war with Russia. It's an age old European strategy to keep their own population from revolting against their economic slave-masters. And sure enough, the 21st century is no exception. The elites would rather have a nuclear war with Russia than admit that their economic policies at home are ruining the continent. For this, one only needs to reactivate age-old Russophobic tropes. And here we go. Like Anti-semitism is wielded against the enemy within, Russophobia has a very specific political purpose to rally people up against the external enemy. That dynamic is now in full swing..Dr. Yakov Rabkin, emeritus professor of history at the University of Montreal, discusses the links between Russophobia, anti-Semitism, racism, and war. He explains how stereotypes turn groups into simple enemies, block public debate, and support militarization. The conversation also covers colonial ideas, economic inequality, “demodernization,” Israel and Zionism, and why diplomacy is being replaced by deterrence.Links:Yakov Rabkin website: https://yakovrabkin.ca/Yakov Rabkin on Academia.edu: https://independent.academia.edu/YRabkinNeutrality Studies substack: https://pascallottaz.substack.comMerch: https://neutralitystudies.com/shopDonation: https://neutralitystudies.com/donateTimestamps:00:00:00 Russophobia and anti-Semitism00:07:11 Nazi racism and colonial thinking00:13:25 Racism, essentialism and inequality00:19:29 Demodernization and private anger00:24:46 Why elites need enemies00:35:04 Stereotypes, diplomacy and deterrence00:46:51 Anti-Semitism, Israel and public debate00:54:09 Empire, culture and racism