Originally published on 20 Sept 2025.

While European leaders claim their support for Ukraine is a rational defense of democracy, their policies appear increasingly self-destructive. Is this a coherent strategy, or the result of a sophisticated propaganda campaign targeting their own citizens? And is the human mind becoming NATO’s next official battlefield?To discuss all this, today I’m talking again to Dr. Jonas Tögel, a German propaganda researcher working for the institute for psychology at the University of Regensburg. He is the author of the German-langauge books "War Games: How NATO and the Pentagon Simulate the Destruction of Europe” and “Cognitive Warfare: The Latest Manipulation Techniques as a NATO Weapon Category”.We explore NATO's official doctrine of "cognitive warfare" and its aim to make every citizen "resilient" to unapproved narratives. We break down the specific propaganda techniques used in mainstream German media, the dangerous irrationality driving European foreign policy, and why simply trying to understand an adversary is now treated as a thought crime. Finally, Jonas provides practical tools for citizens to identify and resist these pervasive manipulation campaigns.Links Jonas:Website: https://www.jonastoegel.de/Channel: @DrJonasToegelX (Twitter): https://x.com/JonasToegelNeutrality Studies:Neutrality Studies substack: https://pascallottaz.substack.com Goods Store: https://neutralitystudies-shop.fourth...