Tom Sauer on the risk of nuclear war and the importance of a peace narrative

In this episode, Paul Buitink talks to Tom Sauer. Tom is Professor of International Politics at the University of Antwerp, Belgium, and specializes in nuclear weapons policy. A year after the invasion of Russia, Paul and Tom take a closer look at the origins of the war between Russia and Ukraine and how it could have escalated so much. They discussed the role of Russia, Ukraine, NATO and the EU.

Furthermore, Tom is of the opinion that too much attention is paid to the war narrative and too little to the peace narrative. The latter is completely absent on Flemish and Dutch television, in particular. Tom elaborates on the different scenarios in which the war could end. Tom also explains what the nuclear New START treaty is and why Russia has suspended it. They also talk about the nuclear threat, the war crimes and their trial. Finally, they answer the question of whether Europe's interests are the same as those of the US and whether its own European security framework can prevent new wars.