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PODCAST

The Western Bubble

Balder Hageraats & Dario Hasenstab

Every Monday, Balder Hageraats and Dario Hasenstab examine how Western countries are increasingly lost in their own delusions on the world stage, and what can be done to bring them back to reality. We discuss issues ranging from geopolitics and human rights to development aid and current affairs, all through the lens of the Western Bubble.

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All Episodes

24:42

EXTRA : Wagner Group

The Western Bubble ·

2023/06/27

In this extra episode we briefly analyse the Western reaction to last week's events surrounding the Wagner Group in Russia. The palpable excitement and absurd hyperbole (such as "civil war" and claims about the "end of the Putin regime") reveals a Western audience that is not in touch with reality.

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43:54

Free Speech #040

The Western Bubble ·

2023/06/15

Today we analyse the West’s obsession with free speech and the dangers of overestimating its importance as well as underestimating its importance. Should it be illegal to deny the holocaust but legal to deny the Armenian genocide? Difficult questions in grey areas that society must have conversations about. This podcast is published with the help of RAIA and edited by RAIA member Usama Ghanem but is an individual project between the Director of RAIA Dario Hasenstab and Balder Hageraats. If you would

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21:45

Georg W. Bush #039

The Western Bubble ·

2023/06/07

Today we analyse how to understand the influence of George W. Bush, the 43rd President of the United States, on the Western Bubble. In our previous two episodes we talked about Huntington and Fukuyama whose ideas were turned into practice by the Bush administration. This led, for example, to the disastrous War on Terror. This podcast is published with the help of RAIA and edited by RAIA member Usama Ghanem but is an individual project between the Director of RAIA Dario Hasenstab and Balder

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23:36

Samuel Huntington #038

The Western Bubble ·

2023/05/31

Today we analyse how to understand the influence of Samuel Huntington on the Western Bubble. Huntington, a political scientist, had a significant impact on US intellectual thinking during the Cold War and its end. In the 21st century his most quoted work is “The Clash of Civilisations” which was hugely influential in shaping post-9/11 foreign policy. This podcast is published with the help of RAIA and edited by RAIA member Usama Ghanem but is an individual project between the Director of RAIA Dario

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22:30

Francis Fukuyama #37

The Western Bubble ·

2023/05/25

Today we analyse how to understand the influence of Francis Fukuyama on the Western Bubble. Fukuyama, a political scientist, rose to fame in the 1990s with his seminal work The End of History. This book encapsulated the inherent delusion of a post Cold War Western world. The results were often highly destructive. This podcast is published with the help of RAIA and edited by RAIA member Usama Ghanem but is an individual project between the Director of RAIA Dario Hasenstab and Balder Hageraats. If

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45:17

The Middle Class #36

The Western Bubble ·

2023/05/17

Today we analyse the rise and fall of the Middle Class in the Western Bubble. It has been a fundamental pillar in Western success over the past 400 years and has been the driving force behind core Western values. In the 21st century however, the Middle Class is threatened by an increasingly corrupt system that it created itself.This podcast is published with the help of RAIA and edited by RAIA member Usama Ghanem but is an individual project between the Director of RAIA Dario Hasenstab and Balder

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53:25

Saudi Arabia #035

The Western Bubble ·

2023/05/10

Today we analyse how the West continuously turns a blind eye towards Saudi Arabia’s policies and how this plays into the Western Bubble. This episode is largely based on Dario’s Thesis on Saudi Arabia’s regional foreign policy. If you are interested in learning more about this topic we can recommend the book “Blood and Oil: Mohammed bin Salman's Ruthless Quest for Global Power” by Justin Scheck and Bradley Hope. This podcast is published with the help of RAIA but is an individual project between the

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17:47

EXTRA: Biden and Carlson

The Western Bubble ·

2023/05/02

Today we analyse how this past week on one hand the continuation of the establishment through Joe Biden announcement to run again for President, while at the same time upheaval among populist media because of the sacking of Tucker Carlson from fox news. By many this was greeted as good news, however, it covers up dangerous dynamics below the surface. This podcast is published with the help of RAIA and edited by RAIA member Usama Ghanem but is an individual project between the Director of RAIA Dario

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35:36

EXTRA: Macron China Trip

The Western Bubble ·

2023/04/26

Another extra episode in which we analyse the Western Bubble's reaction to the Macron trip to China. Rather than perceiving it as the French President talking to the Chinese President this was one where Macron was accused of ceding to authoritarianism.Macron’s interview: https://www.politico.eu/article/emmanuel-macron-china-america-pressure-interview/2nd Politico Article:

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27:35

#EXTRA: Pentagon Leaks

The Western Bubble ·

2023/04/19

Today we analyse how the recent security leaks affect the Western Bubble. These moments tend to lead to tensions and accusations between allies, yet help us shine some light on a reality in which much of the formal narrative is empty and even delusional.This podcast is published with the help of RAIA and edited by RAIA member Usama Ghanem but is an individual project between the Director of RAIA Dario Hasenstab and Balder Hageraats. If you would like to get in touch with us write us an email at

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44:53

Conspiracy Theories & Externalising Responsibility #034

The Western Bubble ·

2023/04/12

Today we analyse how a major aspect of the Western Bubble is externalisation of responsibility. People live their lives insufficiently acknowledging their part in destructive behaviour of their society, instead choosing to project such failure onto "others", often supposedly wicked individuals out to do harm. Extreme versions of such irrational interpretations of reality are conspiracy theories.This podcast is published with the help of RAIA and edited by RAIA member Usama Ghanem but is an

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52:33

2003 Iraq War #033

The Western Bubble ·

2023/04/05

In almost every episode we are referencing the 2003 Iraq War as an example of the Western Bubble and we finally devoted an entire episode to it. The reasons for it go to the heart of the Western Bubble and the damages are beyond repair. This podcast is published with the help of RAIA and edited by RAIA member Usama Ghanem but is an individual project between the Director of RAIA Dario Hasenstab and Balder Hageraats. If you would like to get in touch with us write us an email at

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43:40

Future of Democracy? #032

The Western Bubble ·

2023/03/29

In this second of our two-part episode, we analyse the relationship between the Western Bubble and democracy. After last week's discussion on the facts and the bubble thinking. This week we analyse the serious problems democracy is facing in Western societies and whether it has a future?This podcast is published with the help of RAIA and edited by RAIA member Usama Ghanem but is an individual project between the Director of RAIA Dario Hasenstab and Balder Hageraats. If you would like to get in touch

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15:36

#Extra Putin and the ICC

The Western Bubble ·

2023/03/24

The ICC arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin: another case study in Western Bubble thinking where international law and the ICC are mistaken for objective mechanisms whereas in reality they are anything but.This podcast is published with the help of RAIA and edited by RAIA member Usama Ghanem but is an individual project between the Director of RAIA Dario Hasenstab and Balder Hageraats. If you would like to get in touch with us write us an email at thewesternbubble@gmail.com or connect with us on

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43:18

Democratic Bubble #031

The Western Bubble ·

2023/03/22

In the first of a two-part episode, we analyse the relationship between the Western Bubble and democracy. Democratic governance systems have many strengths and for many people are preferable to more authoritarian systems. However, Western societies have stopped critically assessing the reasons behind democracy, confusing the practical advantages of these systems with almost a sacred dogma about its supposed superiority. This is intellectually lazy and dangerous.This podcast is published with the

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17:16

#EXTRA Saudi-Iran Peace?

The Western Bubble ·

2023/03/15

This week Dario is sick so Balder is alone recording an EXTRA episode instead of a regular one. Here he analyses the Saudi-Iran agreement brokered by China from a Western Bubble perspective. This podcast is published with the help of RAIA and edited by RAIA member Usama Ghanem but is an individual project between the Director of RAIA Dario Hasenstab and Balder Hageraats. If you would like to get in touch with us write us an email at thewesternbubble@gmail.com or connect with us on Twitter via

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43:45

Nuclear (Non-)Proliferation #030

The Western Bubble ·

2023/03/08

In this second out of two episodes on nuclear weapons (non-)proliferation, we analyse why Western countries push for non proliferation and how these efforts are undermined by foreign policy decisions from the past.This podcast is published with the help of RAIA and edited by RAIA member Usama Ghanem but is an individual project between the Director of RAIA Dario Hasenstab and Balder Hageraats. If you would like to get in touch with us write us an email at thewesternbubble@gmail.com or connect with

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52:21

Nuclear Weapons #029

The Western Bubble ·

2023/03/01

In this first out of two episodes on nuclear weapons (non-)proliferation, we cycle through those states that currently possess a nuclear arsenal and briefly discuss some of the main motivations behind these destructive capabilities. Next week we analyse this issue specifically from a Western Bubble perspective.This podcast is published with the help of RAIA and edited by RAIA member Usama Ghanem but is an individual project between the Director of RAIA Dario Hasenstab and Balder Hageraats. If you

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15:41

EXTRA Putin leaves START

The Western Bubble ·

2023/02/27

In this second of our EXTRA episodes, we do not dive into a topic as usual but provide our commentary and analysis on current events from the Western Bubble perspective. Here we look at the Western reaction to Russian President Putin announcing Russia will suspend controls of Russia’s nuclear arsenal under the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START).This podcast is published with the help of RAIA and edited by RAIA member Usama Ghanem but is an individual project between the Director of RAIA Dario

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40:26

Hero Worshipping #028

The Western Bubble ·

2023/02/22

Today we analyse how unrealistic perspectives on historical individuals contribute to bubble thinking. We as a society take characters such as Mother Teresa, Winston Churchill and Mahatma Gandhi and elevate them to levels of irrational purity. This leads to a type of hero worshipping that strengthens delusional narratives about ourselves and our environment.This podcast is published with the help of RAIA and edited by RAIA member Usama Ghanem but is an individual project between the Director of RAIA

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