Originally published on 22 Oct 2025.

What happens when a superpower loses its arch-nemesis? After the Cold War, the West faced an "enemy deprivation syndrome," a desperate search for meaning that led to replaying WWII against every new foe and the invention of "humanitarian" war. But was this narrative shift deliberately manufactured?To unpack this, I’m talking to Dr. Phil Hammond, an Emeritus Professor of Media & Communications at London South Bank University. He is the author of various books, among them “War Games: Memory, Militarism and the Subject of Play” and “Screens of Terror: Representations of War and Terrorism in film and television since 9/11.”We trace the journey from adversarial journalism in Vietnam to today's embedded reporting, exploring the rise of "humanitarian militarism," the calculated dismantling of national sovereignty, and why the return of a multipolar world might just offer a surprising reason for optimism about the future of global politics.Links:Phil’s Work: https://linktr.ee/phil.hammondNeutrality Studies Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@neutralitystudies

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