The Western Bubble

Balder Hageraats & Dario Hasenstab

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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.

22/12/2025

The End of the World as We Knew It: A Liquidation Sale #135

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 thewesternbubble@gmail.com.

45 min
14/12/2025

The US National Security Strategy Made us Sick, Literally!

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 thewesternbubble@gmail.com.

7 min
07/12/2025

The Art of the Surrender: Trump’s 28-Point Plan for Ukraine #134

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 thewesternbubble@gmail.com.

1 h y 9 min
30/11/2025

Trump + Venezuela = Iraq in 2003? #133

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 thewesternbubble@gmail.com.

44 min
23/11/2025

The AI-Bubble vs. the Western Bubble #132

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 dollars into it. Even Google’s own CEO has admitted that parts of the current AI boom look irrational. Still, optimists like Mustafa Suleyman insist this moment is historic and that sceptics simply lack imagination. So, is this genuine technological transformation or a collective fever dream, driven by hype, speculation, and fear of missing out? What is the role of managerial attitudes in this whole situation? 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 thewesternbubble@gmail.com.

33 min
16/11/2025

The West Cancelled Climate Change #131

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 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 thewesternbubble@gmail.com.

50 min
09/11/2025

The Mamdani Mystery #130

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 establishment is telling itself that recent wins in Virginia and New Jersey confirm the safety of staying in the centre. Mamdani is treated as an anomaly, not a blueprint. But this misreads the moment entirely. If the Democrats repeat the mistake of 2016 with Bernie Sanders, by drifting further to the centre (right) out of fear of their own voters, they will continue to inflate the Western Bubble rather than address the real crisis. 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 thewesternbubble@gmail.com.

36 min
02/11/2025

The Post-Neoliberal Void #129

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. Meanwhile, the humanitarian disaster in Sudan continues without meaningful action from the so-called international community, even as millions are displaced and famine spreads. Multilateralism is not simply weakening. It is disappearing. And when there is no mechanism for cooperation, crisis management, or accountability, what remains is a world where power decides everything and suffering becomes background noise. 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 thewesternbubble@gmail.com.

46 min

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.

Creador

Balder Hageraats & Dario Hasenstab
Años de actividad

2022 - 2025
Episodios

150
Clasificación

Apto
Copyright

© RAIA NOW gUG 2026
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The Western Bubble