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PODCAST

The Western Bubble

Balder Hageraats & Dario Hasenstab

The West is suffering from the "Western Bubble" and as a result, the world suffers from it as well.In this podcast, Balder Hageraats and Dario Hasenstab examine how Western countries are increasingly lost in their own delusions on the world stage and what must be done to bring them back to reality.Understanding and acknowledging this phenomenon is crucial. It allows both Western and non-Western actors to much better navigate the current era of global uncertainty.🎙️ What we analyse:• Geopolitics

news politics

All Episodes

00:20:39

Deep Dive: the International System, from 1648 to 2026

The Western Bubble ·

2026/04/06

Welcome to the first instalment of our special, pre-recorded Deep Dive series! Over the next four weeks, we are taking a step away from the weekly news cycle to analyse the foundational concepts of the international system and explore exactly how we arrived at the geopolitical chaos of 2026.This episode begins with a special audio essay narrated by our producer, Stefani, exploring how the liberal world order was built—and why it is now collapsing. From the Peace of Westphalia in 1648 to the rise of

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00:42:12

The US Troop Deployment Trap & Ukraine’s Drone...

The Western Bubble ·

2026/03/30

In Episode 140 of The Western Bubble, Dario and Balder dissect the deepening chaos of the US-Iran standoff and its massive global ripple effects. As the White House issues shifting, hollow ultimatums and deploys thousands of troops to the Middle East, we analyse the fatal strategic trap of potentially occupying Iranian territory like Kharg Island. Rather than forcing a diplomatic win, Washington risks backing itself into an unwinnable corner while Tehran calls its bluff and keeps the Strait of

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00:18:35

Autopsy #3: The MI6 Delusion on Iran

The Western Bubble ·

2026/03/27

In Autopsy #3, Dario and Balder put Western intelligence under the microscope. We analyse a recent interview with former MI6 Chief Alex Younger to expose the deep-seated biases and historical baggage that continue to cloud Western foreign policy. Why are Western intelligence agencies and media outlets acting "surprised" by Iran regionalising the conflict, especially when Tehran publicly broadcasted its exact strategy months in advance?We break down the Western Bubble's "collective amnesia"—the

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00:53:04

Europe's Stockholm Syndrome during Trump's War #139

The Western Bubble ·

2026/03/23

In Episode 139 of The Western Bubble, Dario and Balder analyse the global fallout as the US-Iran conflict enters its third week. With the Strait of Hormuz now closed and international energy markets in a state of panic, the White House finds itself trapped in a war of its own making with absolutely no viable exit strategy. We dismantle the popular conspiracy theory that the current administration is playing a geopolitical game of "4D chess", proving instead how rapid escalation and a lack of clear

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00:14:54

Autopsy #2: Did Francis Fukuyama Invent the Western...

The Western Bubble ·

2026/03/20

In this week's Autopsy episode, Dario and Balder put the foundational text of the Western Bubble under the microscope: Francis Fukuyama’s 1992 declaration of "The End of History". We analyse a vintage clip of the American political scientist explaining his famous thesis, examining why the post-Cold War era convinced an entire generation that liberal democracy and capitalism were the final, perfected stages of human governance.While Fukuyama is often treated as the "poster boy" for Western

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00:46:52

Complicity and Silence: Europe’s Response to the Iran...

The Western Bubble ·

2026/03/16

As the US-Israeli military campaign against Iran enters its second week, we are turning our focus to a topic we can no longer avoid: the thoroughly embarrassing European reaction. In Episode 138, we analyse the delayed, disjointed, and hypocritical response from European leadership. We examine how the continent rushed to condemn Iran's retaliatory strikes while remaining glaringly silent on the initial aggression from Washington, exposing a dangerous reliance on the "good guys versus bad guys"

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00:41:56

The Spaghetti Tactic: Trump's Chaotic Narratives on...

The Western Bubble ·

2026/03/09

It has been just over a week since the United States and Israel launched a massive military campaign against Iran, and the justifications coming out of Washington are unravelling in real time. In Episode 137, we bypass the breaking news cycle to analyse the absolute absence of a coherent strategy driving this escalation. We examine what we call the "spaghetti tactic"—the Trump administration's chaotic attempt to throw every possible narrative at the wall, from claims of imminent attacks and forced

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00:29:21

Autopsy #1: The Illusion of Victory (George W. Bush's...

The Western Bubble ·

2026/03/07

Welcome to our very first Autopsy episode, a new format where we step back to analyse a specific piece of media, speech, or historical moment that perfectly encapsulates the Western Bubble. This week, as the world watches the United States and Israel launch a massive military campaign against Iran, we turn the clock back to 1 May 2003. We are analysing President George W. Bush’s infamous "Mission Accomplished" speech aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln to understand the dangerous parallels between the

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01:31:20

Trump's War On Iran #136

The Western Bubble ·

2026/03/02

The United States and Israel have launched a massive military campaign against Iran, creating a devastating geopolitical earthquake. In this urgent episode, we analyse President Trump’s stated justifications for the strikes—from baseless claims of imminent nuclear threats to forced regime change—and expose the severe strategic incompetence driving this chaotic escalation.Beyond the White House's rhetoric, we turn to the Western Bubble itself, examining the Orwellian complicity of European leaders

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00:30:12

Why the Western Bubble #000.2

The Western Bubble ·

2026/02/25

In this new trailer episode, we reintroduce the show with video and reflect on our journey from a university professor and International Relations student a few years ago to consulting partners at WB Insights today. We examine exactly what the Western Bubble is in 2026 and how the global geopolitical landscape has shifted over the last four years.As we launch our new video format, we are also upgrading our programming. We introduce our new producer, Stefani Obradovic and break down exactly what you

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45:08

The End of the World as We Knew It: A Liquidation...

The Western Bubble ·

2025/12/22

Today, we look back at a year defined by one name: Trump. Since taking power in January, the US President claims to have ended eight wars, ranging from the conflict between Israel and Hamas to tensions in the DRC. We analyse whether this is true peace or simply a series of liquidation sales.We also look at where Europe stands in this new order. With a new US National Security Strategy creating another breaking point for the transatlantic alliance, the continent seems to be going nowhere. Neoliberal

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6:59

The US National Security Strategy Made us Sick,...

The Western Bubble ·

2025/12/14

We intended to sit down this week and dismantle the new US National Security Strategy piece by piece. Unfortunately, the sheer weight of American imperial delusion appears to have been too much for Balder’s immune system.In this brief update, Dario explains why we are hitting pause for a few days. The document itself is a fascinating roadmap of where Washington thinks the world is going versus where it is actually heading, and it deserves a proper deep dive rather than a feverish skim.We will be

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69:04

The Art of the Surrender: Trump’s 28-Point Plan for...

The Western Bubble ·

2025/12/07

The rumour mill has stopped spinning, and the text is finally out. Donald Trump’s administration has drafted a 28-point "peace plan" for Ukraine, and it reads less like a diplomatic treaty and more like a liquidation sale.In this episode, we sat down and analysed the entire document point by point, so you don’t have to. We unpack the specific clauses that signal a complete collapse of Western strategy, including:The Territorial Concession: Why recognising Donetsk and Luhansk as "de facto Russian" is

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43:46

Trump + Venezuela = Iraq in 2003? #133

The Western Bubble ·

2025/11/30

Donald Trump has escalated military pressure on Venezuela at a speed that should alarm everyone. As of mid-November 2025, the United States has carried out at least twenty-one strikes, killing eighty-three people and leaving only two survivors. Furthermore, there are now an estimated fifteen thousand US troops in the region, including marines stationed offshore and thousands of personnel at bases in Puerto Rico. Europe has remained quiet on this particular topic... we wonder why. We also react to a

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32:44

The AI-Bubble vs. the Western Bubble #132

The Western Bubble ·

2025/11/23

This week, we look at the growing concerns around the so-called AI bubble and why the panic is beginning to resemble the early 2000s, only multiplied by trillions. Nvidia is now valued higher than Germany’s entire economic output in 2025, which means one single company is worth two and a half times the combined value of all publicly traded firms in Germany.A recent MIT report shows that 95 percent of organisations investing in generative AI see zero return, despite pouring thirty to forty billion

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49:42

The West Cancelled Climate Change #131

The Western Bubble ·

2025/11/16

As COP 30 begins in Belém, we look at how the world is heading into another climate summit with rising emissions, crumbling political will, and a system still built on ideas from the 1990s. Global fossil CO2 emissions are expected to increase again in 2025 to a record 38.1 billion metric tons. Western will to climate protection is suffering from populism, which is weakening climate policy across democracies, a trend Dario sees firsthand in his work.This podcast is published with the help of RAIA NOW

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36:57

The Mamdani Mystery #130

The Western Bubble ·

2025/11/09

This week, we talk about the surprising rise of Zohran Mamdani and why his victory matters far beyond New York. His proposals are, in reality, standard European centre-left policies. The reaction to him, though, reveals something deeper in American political culture: racism, Islamophobia, and a growing panic about who gets to define the political centre at all.Mamdani is winning over parts of the Trump base by talking about material conditions instead of cultural panic. Meanwhile, the Democratic

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46:27

The Post-Neoliberal Void #129

The Western Bubble ·

2025/11/02

In this episode, we look at what the world actually looks like after the decline of neoliberalism. The systems that once kept global politics, trade, and humanitarian responses predictable are dissolving, and what is emerging is not a stable alternative but something closer to global anarchy.The United States has pushed tariffs to levels not seen in over a century, and is now carrying out airstrikes on civilian vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific with almost no international consequences

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40:47

Chips, China, and Control #128

The Western Bubble ·

2025/10/26

China has quietly positioned itself as the global gatekeeper of rare-earth metals, now expanding export restrictions as a response to the United States imposing new trade barriers and levies. Meanwhile, the Netherlands caused a geopolitical tug-of-war between the European Union and China over the chip industry that powers modern life. Once again, Western countries seem unprepared for the long game as Western actions against China are hurting domestic industries.This podcast is published with the

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47:54

Trump’s Peace in Pieces #127

The Western Bubble ·

2025/10/19

Donald Trump has done it again: a dramatic announcement, a deadline, and a deal. His new 20-point peace plan for Gaza was signed between Israel and Hamas, hailed as the beginning of a new era, and even earned him a Nobel Peace Prize nomination from Javier Milei and Bosnia.But is this truly the end of one of the world’s most intractable conflicts, or just another temporary ceasefire dressed up as history?In this episode, we unpack the so-called Trump Peace Plan, how it differs from his earlier

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