TOM SAUER voor de vrede

Episode 2 of the series Three Times for Peace - The Nuclear Threat. Tom Sauer is a professor of international politics at the University of Antwerp and an expert on nuclear weapons. In this interview, he examines the extremely dangerous role played by nuclear weapons. As a specialist in international conflict management and nuclear warfare, he points out the acute threat hanging over our heads. He delves deeper into the current geopolitical crisis, the war in Ukraine, and the growing nuclear threat. Why does the world seem to be dangerously close to a nuclear conflict once again? Which lessons from history are we ignoring today? And what role do diplomacy, power, emotions, and mutual distrust play in international conflicts? Sauer discusses how peace historically often depended on inclusion rather than the humiliation of losing powers, and why, in his view, the relationship between Russia and the West has been fundamentally mishandled since the end of the Cold War. He warns of the breakdown of nuclear control treaties, the increasing risk of escalation, and the catastrophic consequences of even a limited nuclear conflict. In addition, he criticizes the dominant war narrative in media and politics, in which military solutions take center stage while diplomacy increasingly recedes into the background. An insightful conversation about geopolitics, security, nuclear threats, international responsibility, and the urgent need for de-escalation in an increasingly unstable world. Lucette Verboven asks critical questions; she is a Germanist, interviewer, and former television producer (KRO and Canvas). She publishes interviews on the YouTube channel Lucette Verboven.