Pegasus Research Substack Podcast

Thomas
  • 5.0 (1)
  • POLITICS
  • UPDATED SEMIWEEKLY

This is my little space to write about an array of typically multicausal topics including current events, history around politics, foreign affairs, economics, and military topics. thomasleckwold.substack.com

  1. The Berlin Blockade and the Deutschmark

    11/01/2025

    The Berlin Blockade and the Deutschmark

    The Berlin Blockade started in June 1948, but its roots were from the failure of the Big Three, United States, Soviet Union, and United Kingdom to reach an agreement for common occupation goals in a post-war occupied Germany. Ideology differences about guaranteed no agreement, but pretending to be unified or leaving questions to be answered later guaranteed that there would be plenty of fuel to support Cold War flash points. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thomasleckwold.substack.com/subscribe

    10 min
  2. China’s Strategic Maneuvers: The SCO Summit and Victory Day Parade

    09/06/2025

    China’s Strategic Maneuvers: The SCO Summit and Victory Day Parade

    The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) conducted a summit in Tianjin, northern China, on August 31-September 1, 2025. This event coincided with the China Victory Day Parade in Beijing on September 3, which commemorated the 80th anniversary of the conclusion of World War II and Japan's defeat. The scheduling of these two key events allowed China's leadership to receive global dignitaries while also emphasizing the country's presence on the international stage. Various opposition political groups, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and media outlets took use of the opportunity to accentuate their anti-Western views, notably those directed at the United States, which were fanned by remarks by Chinese hosts. Unfortunately, the hyperbole and incessant cacophony in mainstream media coverage have masked the meeting's broader context, particularly China's obstacles and the actual outcomes of this Chinese influence campaign. Please support me through Patreon, Buy Me A Coffee or Ko-Fi. Patreon Buy Me A Coffee Ko-Fi This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thomasleckwold.substack.com/subscribe

    9 min
  3. Medvedev’s NATO Nonsense: Austria’s Neutrality and the Art of Overreaction

    08/30/2025

    Medvedev’s NATO Nonsense: Austria’s Neutrality and the Art of Overreaction

    Russia’s Dmitry Medvedev and Austria’s Beate Meinl-Reisinger exchange unforced errors over NATO membership and Austrian neutrality. Even when Russia is right, they still find a way to step on a rake. Research or support me through Patreon, Buy Me A Coffee or Ko-Fi. Patreon Buy Me A Coffee Ko-Fi This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thomasleckwold.substack.com/subscribe

    6 min
  4. West Philippine Sea Newsletter: Volume 31

    08/23/2025

    West Philippine Sea Newsletter: Volume 31

    Under the pressure of Chinese escalation, Australia initiated its largest deployment outside the country since the East Timor crisis of 1999, conducting a joint exercise with the Philippines in the West Philippine Sea. Research or support me through Patreon, Buy Me A Coffee or Ko-Fi. Patreon Buy Me A Coffee Ko-Fi This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thomasleckwold.substack.com/subscribe

    5 min
  5. South Korean Case to Join the Nuclear Club

    08/16/2025

    South Korean Case to Join the Nuclear Club

    South Korea faces a security dilemma on the Korean Peninsula that cannot be easily resolved with the security options that were previously available to it. Research or support me through Patreon, Buy Me A Coffee or Ko-Fi. Patreon Buy Me A Coffee Ko-Fi This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thomasleckwold.substack.com/subscribe

    14 min
  6. Chinese Nuclear Buildup

    08/09/2025

    Chinese Nuclear Buildup

    The People’s Republic of China joined the nuclear club on October 16, 1964, when it detonated a 22-kiloton nuclear device at its Lop Nur test site as part of Project 596. The bomb utilized 15 kilograms of weapons-grade Uranium-235, producing an explosive yield roughly equivalent to the U.S. “Fat Man” nuclear weapon dropped on Nagasaki, Japan, in August 1945. The Chinese nuclear program was initially supported by the Soviet Union; however, the Soviets withdrew their assistance and advisors in 1960 due to the Soviet-Sino split that year. Under Mao Zedong, the Chinese continued the program, leveraging the information, education, and equipment left behind by the Soviets to independently develop the bomb. China's subsequent nuclear policy diverged from the nuclear arms race between the Soviet Union and the United States that intensified in the 1960s and 1970s. However, it now appears that China is pursuing a nuclear weapons buildup to challenge the dominance of the U.S. and Russia. Research or support me through Patreon, Buy Me A Coffee or Ko-Fi. Patreon Buy Me A Coffee Ko-Fi This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thomasleckwold.substack.com/subscribe

    13 min
  7. Project Gemini: The Shoehorn Space Program

    08/02/2025

    Project Gemini: The Shoehorn Space Program

    Project Mercury, from 1958 to 1963, led to the first crewed space voyage on May 5, 1961. President John Kennedy told Congress on May 25, 1961, that the U.S. will place a man on the Moon and return him safely to Earth before the end of the decade. This ambitious aim would be fewer than nine years after the U.S. put a man in space for 15 minutes and 28 seconds. After the Soviet launch of Sputnik in October 1957, the space race became a race to the Moon between the US and the USSR. After Kennedy's statement, Project Apollo began in 1961. Mercury and Apollo failed to meet Moon-reach challenges. This required a new program to bridge Mercury's capability gap and Apollo's knowledge gap. This program was Project Gemini. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thomasleckwold.substack.com/subscribe

    10 min
  8. German and Japanese Recruitment Challenges

    07/26/2025

    German and Japanese Recruitment Challenges

    Japan and Germany were the main Axis forces during World War II, but both nations have subsequently become economic superpowers and essential components of the Western alliance in Europe and the Pacific. In order to tackle the present security issues in their respective regions, both countries this month announced new goals for their military buildups. The goal of the projected increases will establish in both nations their biggest military forces since World War II. These new policies of Germany and Japan will see that both will have difficulties reaching their defense manpower targets, despite their lofty aspirations. Research or support me through Patreon, Buy Me A Coffee or Ko-Fi. Patreon Buy Me A Coffee Ko-Fi This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thomasleckwold.substack.com/subscribe

    9 min
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This is my little space to write about an array of typically multicausal topics including current events, history around politics, foreign affairs, economics, and military topics. thomasleckwold.substack.com

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