THE WEIGHT OF CHAINS PODCAST

JAKE JULIUS: Serbia is a strong Orthodox Christian country! | The Weight of Chains Podcast #009

Tonight’s guest is commentator and analyst Jake Julius. Through his videos and discussions on geopolitics, culture, and religion, Jake has built an audience interested in questions many mainstream conversations tend to avoid — the role of Christianity in Western civilization, the cultural shifts taking place across Australia, Europe and North America, and how these developments intersect with geopolitics. Recently Jake visited Serbia — a country where Christianity, particularly the Orthodox tradition, remains deeply intertwined with national identity and historical memory. The Balkans offer a fascinating lens through which to examine these questions: a region shaped by empires, conflicts, and competing civilizations, but also one where religion continues to play a visible role in public life. At a time when global tensions are rising — from the growing confrontation between the United States, Israel, and Iran to broader geopolitical shifts affecting Europe and the Balkans — debates about culture, faith, and civilizational identity are increasingly intersecting with politics. Tonight we’ll talk about Jake’s visit to Serbia, the place of Christianity in the modern world, and whether Western societies are undergoing a deeper cultural transformation. Host: Boris Malagurski Video, Editing & Design: Pavle Vasiljević - vpx Media

AARON PALACIOS: I was threatened for supporting Serbs! | The Weight of Chains Podcast #008

Tonight’s guest is geopolitical commentator Aaron Palacios — an American analyst who has drawn attention online for his commentary on global politics, Western foreign policy, and the Balkans. Aaron’s story is an unusual one. As an American who developed a strong interest in Serbia and the wider Balkan region, he began researching the history of the Yugoslav wars, the Dayton framework, and the political situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina. As he started speaking publicly about these topics — especially Republika Srpska and the way the region is portrayed in Western media — he also faced significant pushback and even the loss of social-media platforms, something he has discussed openly in Serbian interviews. Today the Balkans remain tied to larger geopolitical shifts — from tensions between global powers to debates about sovereignty, international intervention, and media narratives about the region. At the same time, the world is witnessing escalating crises elsewhere — from the growing confrontation involving the United States, Israel and Iran to political upheaval in places like Venezuela. Tonight we’ll talk about Aaron’s personal journey into Balkan politics, the controversies he encountered along the way, and how events in places like Bosnia, Republika Srpska, and Serbia fit into the broader geopolitical landscape. Host: Boris Malagurski Video, Editing & Design: Pavle Vasiljević - vpx Media

JAN OBERG: The Western Empire is going down! | The Weight of Chains Podcast #007

Tonight’s guest is someone who has spent decades studying war, peace, and the dangerous space in between. Jan Øberg is a peace researcher, author, and co-founder of the Transnational Foundation for Peace and Future Research in Sweden — an independent think tank dedicated to conflict analysis, diplomacy, and alternatives to militarized foreign policy. At a moment when global tensions are escalating — from the dangerous confrontation involving the United States, Israel, and Iran to rising military spending across Europe and the Middle East — voices calling for diplomacy are becoming increasingly rare. Øberg has long argued that the international system has moved away from preventing conflicts and instead focuses on managing them once they explode. Tonight we’ll look at what’s driving the current wave of geopolitical confrontation, the erosion of international law, and the growing role of military alliances in shaping global politics. But we’ll also bring the conversation closer to home — to the Balkans — where the legacy of intervention and international oversight still shapes politics today, particularly in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where the authority of the High Representative continues to raise questions about sovereignty, democracy, and long-term stability. In a world that seems to be drifting further from diplomacy and closer to confrontation, we’ll ask whether peace thinking still has a place in international politics — or whether the world has already entered a new era of permanent geopolitical rivalry. Host: Boris Malagurski Video, Editing & Design: Pavle Vasiljević - vpx Media

MARCUS PAPADOPOULOS: Ancient European nations must unite! | The Weight of Chains Podcast #006

Tonight’s guest is one of the most direct and informed voices on international affairs. Dr. Marcus Papadopoulos is a historian, author, and commentator specializing in Russia, the former Yugoslavia, and European politics. He’s the editor of Politics First magazine and a regular on international media outlets. With a PhD in Russian and Soviet history, he’s spent years exposing the deeper forces behind the headlines — from NATO’s expansion to the West’s selective use of international law. He’s also the author of Arise, Rossiya: The Return of Russia to World Politics, a deep dive into how Russia clawed its way back onto the world stage. Marcus is known for challenging the mainstream Western narrative — whether on Ukraine, Syria, or the Balkans — and backing it up with serious historical perspective. Tonight, we’re talking about the geopolitical storm surrounding Ukraine and Russia, America’s shifting role, and the EU’s growing contradictions. But we’re also zooming in on the Balkans — especially Bosnia, where the High Representative’s attempt to disrupt democracy has raised serious questions about sovereignty and foreign overreach. Is Western policy in the region evolving — or repeating old mistakes? And more importantly, what should the world brace for in the months ahead? Host: Boris Malagurski Video, Editing & Design: Pavle Vasiljevic

GEORGE SZAMUELY: Yugoslavia was the blueprint for Ukraine | The Weight of Chains Podcast #005

Our guest tonight is someone who’s been exposing the hypocrisy of Western foreign policy long before it became fashionable — or even allowed. George Szamuely is a senior research fellow at the Global Policy Institute, author of the book Bombs for Peace: NATO’s Humanitarian War on Yugoslavia, and a relentless critic of the so-called ‘liberal order’ that somehow always seems to justify war, while preaching peace. Szamuely’s work is essential for understanding how NATO's 1999 bombing of Yugoslavia laid the groundwork — not for stability, but for a dangerous precedent: one where international law is applied selectively, and ‘humanitarianism’ is just a cover for geopolitical ambition. We discuss NATO’s long march eastward, the EU’s deep entanglement in the Ukraine conflict, and how Brussels — for all its talk about transparency and democracy — continues to shield its own corruption while posturing as a moral authority. And of course, we dig into the Balkans — from the High Representative’s unaccountable power in Bosnia to the international pressure campaign against Serbia and Republika Srpska. Whether you agree with him or not, George Szamuely pulls no punches. He challenges the manufactured consensus. And in a world where dissent is increasingly treated as disloyalty, that makes his voice not just valuable — but vital.