The Western Bubble

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 can expect from our schedule:The New Formats:The Weekly Analysis (Mondays): A sharp breakdown of the current state of the Western Bubble.The Autopsy (Fridays): We react to a speech, article, or video from within the bubble to dissect where the authors went wrong, or occasionally, right.The Emergency Pod: Immediate reactions to unexpected geopolitical events that simply cannot wait until Monday.Deep Dives: Interviews with friends of the podcast, debates with individuals who might disagree with us, and deep historical analysis of events.Our Seasonal Schedule: To keep our analysis sharp and ensure our team gets a deserved mental pause, we are dividing the year into three core seasons for our weekly episodes and autopsies:Spring Season: January until the end of MarchSummer Season: May until the end of JuneFall Season: September until the end of NovemberDuring our off months (April, August, and December), we will release our pre-recorded Deep Dives so you never go a week without new insights.This podcast is a project between Balder Hageraats and Dario Hasenstab. We receive support from our wonderful producer Stefani Obradovic. If you would like to get in touch with us, write us anemail to [email protected].

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 frameworks are collapsing before our eyes, yet politicians remain focused on keeping Big Tech happy while the social fabric unravels.On a personal note, this episode wraps up a massive year for the podcast. After 37 episodes in 2025, we are taking a slightly longer break than usual to prepare for some major changes next year, including video content and guests. We will see you in the new year.This podcast is published with the help of RAIA NOW gUG 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 [email protected].

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 back next week with a full breakdown of the strategy alongside our comprehensive Recap of 2025. It has been a year where the Western Bubble didn't just wobble...This podcast is published with the help of RAIA NOW gUG 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 [email protected].

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 just the tip of the iceberg.The Profit Clause: The shocking provision where the US claims 50% of the profits from investment ventures using frozen Russian assets.The Cap: The demand to limit Ukraine’s armed forces to 600,000 personnel, effectively crippling its future defence.The Rehabilitation: The proposal to invite Russia back into the G8, signalling the official end of the "rules-based order."We conclude by discussing what this document tells us about the "Western Bubble." The West spent three years talking about sovereignty and democracy, only to end up with a spreadsheet that treats a sovereign nation as a distressed asset.This podcast is published with the help of RAIA NOW gUG 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 [email protected].

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 remarkable Fox Business interview with Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar, who casually frames Venezuela as a terrorist organisation, compares Nicolás Maduro to bin Laden, and claims that invading Venezuela would be good for the US economy. The justifications offered include everything from oil, to Hamas, to Hezbollah, to drug cartels, to protecting American children. What is striking is how easily the language of the War on Terror has been repackaged for a Latin American target.Finally, we discuss the confusion on the Left. After years of calling Maduro illegitimate, parts of the Left now feel compelled to defend him simply because Trump is the one threatening him. This reflex says more about Western political tribalism than it does about Venezuela.This podcast is published with the help of RAIA NOW gUG 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 [email protected].