This episode explores the emerging nuclear confrontation between Russia, the United States, and China through the lens of The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin. It connects current geopolitical events — Putin’s test of the Poseidon underwater nuclear drone, Trump’s call for U.S. nuclear testing, and China’s rapid nuclear expansion — to the novel’s idea of an unstable three-body system where no balance is possible.

The analysis argues that each power represents a distinct force of deterrence: Russia’s spectacle of destruction, America’s theatre of parity, and China’s silent strategic patience. Together, they form a chaotic triad that mirrors both Mearsheimer’s theory of great-power insecurity and Liu Cixin’s vision of cosmic instability.

In the end, the piece suggests that humanity has entered a new “nuclear era of the Real,” where fear and uncertainty themselves — not actual war — govern international order.

In Halloween Without End: Netanyahu and the Ritual of Horror, the episode explores how fear and repetition have become the core of Netanyahu’s political order. Moving beyond consumerist images of Halloween, it examines the ritual of terror that structures modern power — where horror is not an exception but a governing principle. That is to say, the ghosts haunting Israel’s borders are not only the dead but also the unspoken truths of occupation and vengeance. The piece reflects on how the politics of fear turns into a form of the undead, where the living repeat the gestures of survival while the Real — the repressed, the traumatic — keeps returning, demanding recognition.

Description
This episode explains the political tension among Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, and Volodymyr Zelensky during renewed attempts to end the war in Ukraine. It shows how Trump first offered, then withdrew, the idea of selling Tomahawk missiles to Kyiv after speaking with Putin, disappointing Zelensky and raising doubts about U.S. commitment. The article also describes how, after postponing a planned peace summit, Trump finally imposed major sanctions on Russia’s oil industry—his toughest action so far—while Putin warned of retaliation and continued bombing Ukrainian cities. The piece highlights a triangle of pressure: Trump seeks a quick “deal” and global prestige, Putin wants to keep conquered land, and Zelensky insists that only real pressure—sanctions plus long-range weapons—can bring Russia to serious negotiations.

Bibliography

Broadwater, Luke. “Backing Off Tomahawk Suggestion, Trump Again Defers to Putin.” The New York Times, October 17, 2025.

Varenikova, Maria. “Zelensky Says Strike on Kindergarten Shows Putin Isn’t Serious About Talks.” The New York Times, October 22, 2025.

Nechepurenko, Ivan, and Anton Troianovski. “Putin Calls U.S. Sanctions ‘Unfriendly Act’ and Says Russia Won’t Bend.” The New York Times, October 23, 2025.

Rappeport, Alan. “Trump’s Sanctions on Russian Oil Sector Ratchet Up Economic War.” The New York Times, October 23, 2025.

MacFarquhar, Neil. “The U.S. and Europe Are Trying New Ways to Pressure Russia.” The New York Times, October 23, 2025.

Associated Press. “Putin Deplores U.S. Sanctions as ‘Unfriendly’ While EU Joins in Heaping Restrictions on Russia.” October 23, 2025. AP News

The Washington Post. “Putin Says U.S. Sanctions Are ‘Serious’ but Won’t Make Russia Stop War.” October 23, 2025. The Washington Post

Reuters. “U.S.-Sanctioned Russian Oil Majors Rosneft and Lukoil.” October 23, 2025. Reuters

The Guardian. “Putin Says He Will Never Bow to U.S. but Concedes Sanctions May Cause ‘Some Losses.’” October 23, 2025. The Guardian

Meduza. “From Summit to No Summit: How Trump’s Planned Meeting With Putin Fell Apart.” October 22, 2025. Meduza