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The Western Bubble

Education Podcasts

Every Wednesday 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.

Location:

United States

Description:

Every Wednesday 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.

Language:

English


Episodes
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Haiti failed by the West #75

5/1/2024
Haiti is always in the news for negative reports, the country is governed by a failed state. Today we discuss failed states from the Western Bubble perspective and use Haiti as a case study of destructive Western behaviour. This podcast is published with the help of RAIA and edited by RAIA member Julia Ohm but is an individual project between the Director of RAIA Dario Hasenstab and Balder Hageraats. This episode was supported by research from Yu Jie Law and Aston Roth. 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 @JD_Hasenstab and @BHageraats

Duration:00:45:21

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Multinational Corporations in the West #074

4/25/2024
Multinational corporations undermine and harm the West in various ways. But why does the West not do anything to control their power and influence? Because these MNCs are inherently Western and a Western product - find out how exactly in this episode! This podcast is published with the help of RAIA and edited by RAIA member Julia Ohm but is an individual project between the Director of RAIA Dario Hasenstab and Balder Hageraats. This episode was supported by research from Yu Jie Law and Aston Roth. 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 @JD_Hasenstab and @BHageraats

Duration:00:42:28

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The Eastern-West #073

4/17/2024
To discuss the Easter-West or non-Nato Western Bubble we invited someone from the Eastern-West. In this episode, we are talking to Daniel Bloch from Australia about Australia and to what extend we can or cannot apply the concept of the Western Bubble to Australia. Oh, ... and we also discuss how big Australia actually is, very big. This podcast is published with the help of RAIA and edited by RAIA member Julia Ohm but is an individual project between the Director of RAIA Dario Hasenstab and Balder Hageraats. This episode was supported by research from Yu Jie Law and Aston Roth. 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 @JD_Hasenstab and @BHageraats

Duration:00:57:59

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Is the Western Bubble a substitute religion? #072

3/27/2024
As a special Easter-Ramadan-Purim Episode, we had an informal talk about religion. What's the role of religion in the Western Bubble? How do we personally see and interpret religion? What is the role of religion in societies? And is the Western Bubble a substitute religion for people living in the West? This podcast is published with the help of RAIA and edited by RAIA member Julia Ohm but is an individual project between the Director of RAIA Dario Hasenstab and Balder Hageraats. This episode was supported by research from Yu Jie Law and Aston Roth. 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 @JD_Hasenstab and @BHageraats

Duration:01:04:42

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Israel's increasing Isolation #071

3/22/2024
Almost six months after the 7th of October Attacks, Israel is largely isolated on the world stage and in the West - driving it further into the arms of the West. We examine why this is the case and to what extend the West is to blame? This podcast is published with the help of RAIA and edited by RAIA member Julia Ohm but is an individual project between the Director of RAIA Dario Hasenstab and Balder Hageraats. This episode was supported by research from Yu Jie Law and Aston Roth. 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 @JD_Hasenstab and @BHageraats

Duration:00:40:09

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The Role of the Military #070

3/12/2024
What is the role of the military in the Western Bubble? Does it add to it? Does it intensify it? How come NATO has a military budget many times the ones of China or Russia? All questions we answer in this episode! This podcast is published with the help of RAIA and edited by RAIA member Julia Ohm but is an individual project between the Director of RAIA Dario Hasenstab and Balder Hageraats. This episode was supported by research from Yu Jie Law and Aston Roth. 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 @JD_Hasenstab and @BHageraats

Duration:00:44:23

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North vs South Europe #069

3/6/2024
"Northern European arrogance vs Southern European ingratitude" ... Europeans have their stereotypes for each other. But what does this have to do with the Western Bubble and its origins? This podcast is published with the help of RAIA and edited by RAIA member Julia Ohm but is an individual project between the Director of RAIA Dario Hasenstab and Balder Hageraats. This episode was supported by research from Yu Jie Law and Aston Roth. 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 @JD_Hasenstab and @BHageraats

Duration:00:39:35

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EXTRA: Macron sending troops to Ukraine?

3/1/2024
Two days after we recorded our episode on the second anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine Denmark dropped its investigation into the Nordstream Bombing and Macron speculated sending troops to Ukraine. Oh, and Putin threatened to deploy nuclear weapons if NATO were to send troops. This podcast is published with the help of RAIA and edited by RAIA member Julia Ohm but is an individual project between the Director of RAIA Dario Hasenstab and Balder Hageraats. This episode was supported by research from Yu Jie Law and Aston Roth. 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 @JD_Hasenstab and @BHageraats

Duration:00:18:29

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Two years Ukraine #068

2/28/2024
Two years ago Russia invaded Ukraine, since then a lot has happened in the Western Bubble, but basically very little has changed on the battle fronts, except 500000 casualties. Is the West partially responsible for this suffering because it blocked negotiations in the summer of 2022? https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-february-24-2024 This podcast is published with the help of RAIA and edited by RAIA member Julia Ohm but is an individual project between the Director of RAIA Dario Hasenstab and Balder Hageraats. This episode was supported by research from Yu Jie Law and Aston Roth. 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 @JD_Hasenstab and @BHageraats

Duration:00:55:53

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Donald Trump's Foreign Policy #067

2/21/2024
Donald Trump has very good chances to become US President once again. Today we analyse what the Foreign Policy of a second Trump term would look like, based on the concept of the Western Bubble. This podcast is published with the help of RAIA and edited by RAIA member Julia Ohm but is an individual project between the Director of RAIA Dario Hasenstab and Balder Hageraats. This episode was supported by research from Yu Jie Law and Aston Roth. 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 @JD_Hasenstab and @BHageraats

Duration:00:58:40

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The US Republican Party #066

2/6/2024
The Republican Party in the US is a great case study of Western behaviour in the past decades. Particularly recently, the Party has provided us with many things to analyse. DISCLAIMER: Dario’s audio is a little messed up in this episode, we apologise for this. This podcast is published with the help of RAIA and edited by RAIA member Julia Ohm but is an individual project between the Director of RAIA Dario Hasenstab and Balder Hageraats. This episode was supported by research from Yu Jie Law and Aston Roth. 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 @JD_Hasenstab and @BHageraats

Duration:00:42:23

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The ICJ's Ruling on Israel #65

1/31/2024
The International Court of Justice issued an emergency ruling on a case of South Africa brought forward against Israel over Israel's military actions in the Gaza Strip. Today we look at the relevance of international law for the Western Bubble and the world of international relations. Is it relevant at all? This podcast is published with the help of RAIA and edited by RAIA member Julia Ohm but is an individual project between the Director of RAIA Dario Hasenstab and Balder Hageraats. This episode was supported by research from Yu Jie Law and Aston Roth. 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 @JD_Hasenstab and @BHageraats

Duration:00:45:11

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Cancel Culture #064

1/24/2024
Today we discuss Cancel Culture! Where does it come from? And where is it going? Also, why is this unique to the Western World? Join us as we kick off our fourth season! This podcast is published with the help of RAIA and edited by RAIA member Julia Ohm but is an individual project between the Director of RAIA Dario Hasenstab and Balder Hageraats. This episode was supported by research from Yu Jie Law and Aston Roth. 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 @JD_Hasenstab and @BHageraats

Duration:00:48:09

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The Bubble Awards #63

12/22/2023
It is the end of 2023 and we are awarding the bubble awards once again! Who will win the bubble blooper, bubble booster, bubble burster, bubble blower and the best bubble? - Biden, Putin, von der Leyen, many others or the fan favourite Liz Truss? This podcast is published with the help of RAIA and edited by RAIA member Julia Ohm but is an individual project between the Director of RAIA Dario Hasenstab and Balder Hageraats. This episode was supported with research from Yu Jie Law and Aston Roth. 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 @JD_Hasenstab and @BHageraats

Duration:01:05:01

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EXTRA Why do young people vote for right-wing populists?

12/17/2023
During the recording of our last episode, right-wing populism, Dario went on a rant about society’s treatment of the youth during the Covid-19 pandemic. It was too long to keep in the original episode, but also too honest and important to fully cut it. So we decided to upload it as an EXTRA Episode, enjoy! This podcast is published with the help of RAIA and edited by RAIA member Usama Ghanem. Still, it is an individual project between the Director of RAIA Dario Hasenstab and Balder Hageraats. This episode was supported by research from Yu Jie Law and Aston Roth. 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 @JD_Hasenstab and @BHageraats

Duration:00:18:36

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Right-Wing Populism #62

12/15/2023
Geert Wilders, Javier Milei, Donald Trump, Boris Johnson! Crazy hair populists are on our minds and we want to understand why the West is so vulnerable to these right-wing populists. What aspects of the Western Bubble led to larger and larger parts of society voting right-wing populists parties? 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. This episode was supported with research from Yu Jie Law and Aston Roth. 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 @JD_Hasenstab and @BHageraats

Duration:00:46:46

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The Roman Empire #61

11/29/2023
How many times per week do we think about the Roman Empire? Balder thinks about it twice a week, Dario prefers the Egyptians… But what does this mean for the Western Bubble? Well, the Romans are an essential part of the Western identity as we like to idealise them. 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. This episode was supported with research from Yu Jie Law and Aston Roth. 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 @JD_Hasenstab and @BHageraats

Duration:00:46:13

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David Cameron is back! #60

11/22/2023
David Cameron is back in the politics of the United Kingdom and so is our need to talk about the UK. The last time we did so was one year ago and the name of the Prime Minister was Liz Truss. This week we talk about the reasons that have led British party politics to be focused around individuals rather than ideas and whether the UK should be an example of Western liberal democracy for the world… 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. This episode was supported with research from Yu Jie Law and Aston Roth. 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 @JD_Hasenstab and @BHageraats

Duration:00:42:16

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Global Conflicts we forget about #59

11/15/2023
Contrary to popular belief or media attention, the Israel-Hamas and the Russia-Ukraine conflicts are not the only ones in the world. Lives are also lost and destroyed in many other places in this world, some of which we highlight in this episode. What are the reasons we care so much about some conflicts, and so little about others. 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. This episode was supported with research from Yu Jie Law and Aston Roth. 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 @JD_Hasenstab and @BHageraats

Duration:00:40:58

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Israel vs. Hamas 3 #58

11/13/2023
After popular demand, we are back with this topic and the situation on the ground still has not improved. Since our last episode, the West has further isolated itself on this topic on the global stage after a vote in the UN General Assembly. And, we introduce a new category in our podcast: “International Relations Perspective” where we quickly analyse what Russia, Saudi Arabia and China are saying about this conflict. NOTE: We recorded this episode on November 5th, but due to technical issues we can only publish it today. Please bear this in mind when we mention numbers. This podcast is published with the help of RAIA and edited by RAIA member Julia Ohm but is an individual project between the Director of RAIA Dario Hasenstab and Balder Hageraats. This episode was supported by research from Yu Jie Law and Aston Roth. 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 @JD_Hasenstab and @BHageraats

Duration:01:01:12