Neutrality Studies

Dr. Richard Overy, a historian of the Second World War and author of "Rain of Ruin," explores the complexities of Japan's surrender in 1945. He discusses the evolution of Allied bombing strategies and the moral implications behind the shift to firebombing. Overy emphasizes the internal fractures within Japan and how the emperor played a pivotal role in surrender dynamics. He reflects on the miscalculations regarding Soviet mediation and draws parallels to contemporary conflicts, stressing the importance of understanding historical lessons in today's geopolitical landscape.

Originally published on 12 Oct 2025. What if the first 80% of users flocking to a new digital ID system are hackers and fraudsters? Is this technology the dawn of a dystopian future, or are the risks just overhyped?In this episode, I’m talking to Yana Afanasieva, an expert in financial regulation, FinTech and data privacy. Yana led regional compliance teams at Amazon and PayPal in Europe, where she gained extensive experience and inside knowledge of Big Tech. Today we want to discuss Digital IDs, not least because the UK has rolled out a project and the Swiss also just voted for a digital ID to become a reality. We explore why the current debate is far too simplistic and what's really at stake.Yana draws on her Big Tech experience to explain why our data is never truly safe, even when stored on our own phones. We discuss the critical need for a new legal framework that treats our data as property and argue for strict firewalls around our financial and medical information.Links:Yana's Linkedin:   / yanaafanasieva  Yana's X (Twitter) profile: https://x.com/YanaAfanasieva.Neutrality Studies Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@neutralitystudiesNeutrality Studies substack: https://pascallottaz.substack.com Goods Store: https://neutralitystudies-shop.fourth...

Originally published on 23 Aug 2025.Today I’m talking to Cyrus Janssen, an international business consultant, entrepreneur and fellow youtube analyst with a very large channel, nearing 1 million subscribers. With over 10 years experience doing business in China, he posts shot-form analysis as well as longer interviews often focusing on China and BRICS developments. This is what we want to discuss today.Links:Cyrus' channel: ‪@CyrusJanssen‬Neutrality Studies Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@neutralitystudiesNeutrality Studies Goods Shop: https://neutralitystudies-shop.fourth...

Dr. Erich Vad, a former German brigadier general and advisor to Chancellor Angela Merkel, dives into pressing military and political issues. He discusses the interplay of war and politics, emphasizing Germany's need for a robust military. Vad critiques the historical amnesia affecting German leaders and advocates for a national-interest mindset. He warns against escalating tensions, arguing for peace over militarism. Additionally, he highlights the importance of European agency in geopolitical discussions, especially concerning US-Russia dynamics.

Originally published on 11 Oct 2025.Today I’m talking again to Dr. Warwick Powell, an Adjunct Professor at Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane.In this part 2 of the conversation with Warwick Powell, we explore the complexities of US foreign policy. We question whether the US is in retreat or simply adapting its strategy to maintain primacy by pushing risk onto its allies. We discuss how this impacts nations like Japan and South Korea, who are beginning to forge more autonomous paths. Finally, we examine the decline of US soft power and the rise of global plurality, weighing the promise of a more cooperative, multipolar world against the dangers of it fracturing into conflict.Links:Neutrality Studies Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@neutralitystudiesOur Shop: https://neutralitystudies-shop.fourth...

Originally published on 10 Oct 2025.Today I’m talking again to Dr. Warwick Powell, an Adjunct Professor at Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane.In this part 1 of the discussion, we dive into China's strategic economic transformation and its response to US tariffs. We explore how China successfully deleveraged its overheated real estate market, redirecting capital into high-tech manufacturing to build resilience against external pressures.We then broaden our discussion to the emergence of "Globalization 2.0," questioning whether we're witnessing a simple replacement of one hegemon or the rise of a more complex, networked, and multi-polar world. We analyze China's role in shaping this new global system through initiatives like the Belt and Road and the push for non-dollar-based trade.Finally, we turn our attention to how nations across East and Southeast Asia, including Australia and Japan, are adapting to the end of undisputed American primacy and navigating the shifting dynamics of this new era.Links:Warwick's substack: https://warwickpowell.substack.com/Warwick's YouTube channel:    / @tiotalkswithwarwickpowell  Neutrality Studies Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@neutralitystudiesOur Shop: https://neutralitystudies-shop.fourth...

Originally published on 18 Aug 2025. Dr. Jan Oberg is a Danish peace researcher in Sweden. We talk about the escalating rhetoric toward Russia in Europe and what peace-oriented folks can do about it.Links:Neutrality Studies Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@neutralitystudiesOur Shop: https://neutralitystudies-shop.fourth...

Originally published on 9 Oct 2025.What if the official story of the Bosnian War is a carefully constructed myth? We'll explore declassified documents that ask: Did US intelligence warn against the very policies that led to disaster? And was the climactic bombing campaign not a necessity for peace, but a way to rebrand a failed policy?Today I’m talking to Dr. Harry Blain, an Assistant Professor for Political Science at Sacramento State University. On this channel, we’ve been running several programs on the Wars in the former Yugoslavia and Harry wrote a paper on the subject called “The myth of coercive diplomacy: the US intelligence community and the war in Bosnia” (linked below), in which he explores declassified US intelligence documents on Yugoslavia.Dr. Blain's research uncovers a startling story. We'll journey through assessments from the CIA's Balkan Task Force, revealing how experts consistently warned against the interventions the Clinton administration pursued. We discuss how early peace proposals, remarkably similar to the final Dayton Agreement, were scuttled. You'll hear the cynical backstory to the fall of Srebrenica—how it was viewed not just as a tragedy, but as a "diplomatic opportunity." We examine how the final NATO bombing campaign was less about forcing an unwilling enemy to the table and more about rebranding a policy failure and coercing Washington's own allies.Links:Harry's X (Twitter): https://x.com/hblainHarry's paper: https://doi.org/10.1080/02684527.2025...Neutrality Studies substack: https://pascallottaz.substack.comNeutrality Studies Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@neutralitystudiesGoods Store: https://neutralitystudies-shop.fourth...

Originally published on 17 Aug 2025.Second part of discussion with Glenn Diesen. First part on his channel:    • Pascal Lottaz: US-Russia Relations Decoupl...  Transcript of the Summit meeting: https://open.substack.com/pub/pascall...Neutrality Studies Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@neutralitystudiesOur Shop: https://neutralitystudies-shop.fourth...

Originally published on 8 Oct 2025.Today I'm talking to Dirk Pohlmann, a German author and documentary filmmaker. Mr. Pohlmann is working on a book about political assassinations in Europe and America, including those of JFK, Olof Palme, Enrico Mattei, Dag Hammarskjöld, and the German banker Alfred Herrhausen. That’s what we’ll be talking about today—so, dear Dirk, welcome.Filmografie of Dirk Pholmann: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0688383/Neutrality Studies Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@neutralitystudiesOur shop: https://neutralitystudies-shop.fourth...