Grüezi Amerika. Views from the Sister Republic

Claudia Franziska Brühwiler
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Since January 20, 2025, we are officially in the era of Trump 2.0. But is it, will it be any different from Trump 1.0? And what do the events across the Atlantic mean for us in Europe?  My name is Claudia Franziska Brühwiler, and I am a professor of American Political Thought and Culture at the University of St.Gallen.  This podcast will take a closer look at current events through the lens of American history, politics, and culture. Sometimes, I will keep it short and share with you my analysis, thoughts, or some background story to what is happening. At other occasions, we will hear from guests from across the HSG community and beyond, who give us new insights into US politics, business, culture, and society.   We will look at the US from the perspective of its sister republic Switzerland. We often get hung up on what separates the US from Switzerland, while in fact we share not only great economic relations. Did you know, for instance, that America’s longest serving finance minister was born in Geneva – and one of our past Federal Councillors had fought in the Civil War? There’s a lot to discover – so I hope you’ll join us!  Cover Art: Anne Fritsch

  1. Sep 3

    Episode 51 – Glaube und Macht. Amerikas Katholiken

    Noch zur Gründungszeit waren Amerikas Katholiken eine Minderheit, die in vielen der ehemaligen Kolonien von der politischen Teilhabe ausgeschlossen waren. Doch schon im frühen 19. Jahrhundert wurde ihre Kirche zur mitgliederstärksten im Land, was sie bis heute geblieben ist: Rund ein Fünftel der Amerikaner sind römisch-katholisch. Allerdings spiegelte sich dies lange nicht in politischer Macht: John F. Kennedy kämpfte bei seiner Wahl zum ersten katholischen Präsidenten noch gegen Vorurteile, er würde sich mehr dem Vatikan denn der amerikanischen Verfassung verpflichtet fühlen. Als mit Joe Biden der zweite Katholik ins Oval Office gewählt wurde, hatten sich die Verhältnisse grundlegend geändert. Mittlerweile ist die Rede von einem «Catholic moment», in dem so viele Katholiken wie nie zentrale Machtpositionen besetzen: Die Mehrheit des Supreme Courts ist katholisch oder katholisch sozialisiert, ebenso der Aussenminister Marco Rubio und der Vizepräsident, der Konvertit JD Vance. Dem Verhältnis zwischen katholischer Kirche und der US-Politik widmet sich Professor Benjamin Dahlke in seinem jüngsten Buch One Nation under God (Herder, 2026). Der Theologe und Priester hat seit 2021 die Professur für Dogmatik und Dogmengeschichte an der Theologischen Fakultät der Katholischen Universität Eichstätt-Ingolstadt inne. Studium, Doktorat und Habilitation führten ihn an die Universitäten Paderborn, München, Mainz und Princeton. Zudem war er Gastforscher respektive -professor am Boston College und an der University of Notre Dame. Buchtipp: «Furious Minds. The Making of the MAGA New Right» von Laura K. Field (Princeton University Press, 2025)

    Episode 51 – Glaube und Macht. Amerikas Katholiken

  2. Jul 7

    Episode 50 – The Five Stages of Grief and Elisabeth Kübler-Ross’s Legacy

    Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance: the five stages of grief are nowadays part of popular knowledge, so much so that they have been spoofed several times in The Simpsons. It is less known that it was a Swiss-American psychiatrist who defined “DABDA.” Elisabeth Kübler-Ross was born a century ago in Zurich (July 8, 1926) where she would be among the few female medical students before moving to the United States. In 1967, she began interviewing dying patients at the University of Chicago’s Billings Hospital on which she based her groundbreaking bestseller On Death and Dying (1969). Together with Prof. Anna Magdalena Elsner, we look at Kübler-Ross’s legacy beyond the five stages of grief. Anna Magdalena Elsner is Associate Professor of French Studies and Medical Humanities at the University of St.Gallen. Her work on death, dying, and mourning in twentieth-century and contemporary French literature, philosophy and film aims to foster a culture of critical as well as transdisciplinary thinking about medicine, care and the end of life. She is the principal investigator of Assisted Lab, an ERC project that engages with the aesthetics, laws, and ethics of assisted dying. Anna holds a BA in philosophy and modern languages from Oxford University and obtained her PhD in 2011 from the University of Cambridge. She is the author of Mourning and Creativity in Proust (Palgrave, 2017) and the co-editor of The Proustian Mind (Routledge, 2022) and Literature and Medicine (Cambridge UP, 2024).

    Episode 50 – The Five Stages of Grief and Elisabeth Kübler-Ross’s Legacy

  3. Jun 12

    Episode 49 – Soccer in a Football Nation II – Going the College Route

    While the odds of the United States men's national soccer team winning the 2026 FIFA World Cup are much lower than many Americans believe, the women’s team (USWNT) has long been a force to be reckoned with. The USWNT won the World Cup four times and became five times Olympic champions. Mia Hamm, Megan Rapino, and Abby Warmbach are household names – and they all honed their skills as college players. Why is collegiate soccer still the most popular route to take for female players? What difference thus it make to play soccer in college instead of a club? Emmental native Alina Brühlmeier has started her soccer career in a Swiss club, but then seized the opportunity to join a US College team: after her commercial apprenticeship (KV), she joined the Hawkeye RedTails in Iowa. Now she is finishing her Bachelor’s degree in finance – and playing soccer at Webber International University in Florida.

    Episode 49 – Soccer in a Football Nation II – Going the College Route

  4. May 31

    Episode 48 – Soccer in a Football Nation I – US Soccer History

    On June 11, the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off with Mexico playing against South Africa. While Mexico, Canada, and the United States are hosting this World Cup together, the majority of matches will take place on American soil in stadiums that have originally been built for different sports. Already the fact that Americans call the world’s favorite sports “soccer” underlines its peculiar status in a “football nation.” But while earlier professional soccer leagues struggled to attract both spectators and investors, the MLS has started to gain supporters and the number of American kids playing soccer keeps rising. President Donald J. Trump even suggested a year ago that American football should rename itself and allow soccer to become football. Might the 2026 World Cup propel men’s soccer to the same status currently held by baseball and football? And why did soccer fail to launch when other pastimes became established at American colleges? Is American soccer any different from the way Europeans play? Who better to ask than the author of Soccer in American Culture: The Beautiful Game’s Struggle for Status (University of Missouri Press, 2022), a Choice Outstanding Academic Title. Professor White used to play soccer himself for Andover and Amherst, and also coached girls’ soccer. G. Edward White is David and Mary Harrison Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of Virginia Law School. He has been a Guggenheim Fellow, and twice a senior fellow of the National Endowment for the Humanities. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, a fellow of the Society of American Historians, and a member of the American Law Institute. White’s 20 published books have won numerous honors and awards, among them a final listing for the Pulitzer Prize in history. His academic career included appointments across the United States as well as at the University of Auckland (New Zealand) and at the London School of Economics. He originally studied at Amherst College, went on to Yale University for a doctorate in American Studies, before he obtained his J.D. from Harvard Law School.

    Episode 48 – Soccer in a Football Nation I – US Soccer History

  5. May 22

    Episode 47 – Ein neues transatlantisches Verhältnis?

    Manche Menschen sind nicht einfach Zeitzeugen, sondern Mitgestalter ihrer Zeit und deren Umbrüche: Egils Levits, 1955 geboren in der Lettische Sozialistische Sowjetrepublik, erlebte die Ausweisung seiner Familie nach Deutschland, studierte dort und fasste Fuss als Jurist – um dann 1990 in seine alte Heimat zurückzukehren und deren demokratische Zukunft mitzuprägen. Neben vielen anderen Stationen diente er unter anderem als Richter am Europäischen Gerichtshof für Menschenrechte und am Europäischen Gerichtshof, bevor er von 2019 bis 2023 Präsident Lettlands wurde. Heute beobachtet er kritisch das Zeitgeschehen. Anlässlich des 55. St.Gallen Symposiums sprachen wir über die Herausforderungen Europas, insbesondere der baltischen Staaten, der geopolitischen Veränderungen Herr zu werden. Wie kann das transatlantische Verhältnis neu definiert werden? Welche Rolle kann, muss die NATO heute haben? Wie schafft es Europa, sich von den USA zu emanzipieren? Diese Fragen treiben auch Egils Levits um. Lesetipps Veith Selk, DemokratiedämmerungCarlo Masala, Wenn Russland gewinnt

    Episode 47 – Ein neues transatlantisches Verhältnis?

  6. May 8

    Episode 46 – Trumponomics 2.0

    Uncertainty on the tariff front, the war in Iran with the blockage of the strait of Hormuz, and a dissatisfied population: 61 percent of Americans feel that the economy is getting worse, and many wonder how the president wants to turn the situation around prior to the Midterm elections on November 3. Is there anything in the toolbox of Trumponomics 2.0 that can remedy the current situation? Or are things not as bleak as people feel? At the occasion of the 55th St.Gallen Symposium, "Grüezi Amerika" seized the opportunity to discuss these questions with Rüdiger Bachmann. Professor Rüdiger Bachmann is a renowned economist with a truly transatlantic career: after his studies at the University of Mainz, he went to Yale University and started his academic career in the Midwest, at the University of Michigan. Before returning to Ann Arbor as a full professor, he held positions at RWTH Aachen, the University of Frankfurt and at the University of Notre Dame, in addition to several guest appointments. He regularly provides commentary on US politics and economics in media outlets such as Deutschlandfunk, ARD, and Phoenix.

    Episode 46 – Trumponomics 2.0

  7. Apr 26

    Episode 45 – Der amerikanische Traum «made in China»?

    Als der Historiker und Autor James T. Adams 1931 den Begriff des «amerikanischen Traums» prägte, war dieser in materieller Hinsicht für die Mehrheit der Amerikaner tot: Das Land steckte inmitten der Grossen Depression, statt auf Aufstieg hoffte man in erster Linie auf Überleben. Gerade deshalb betonte Adams, dass es beim amerikanischen Traum um mehr gehe als ein schickes Auto oder andere Besitztümer. Und tatsächlich betonen auch heute noch die Amerikaner unterschiedliche Aspekte, wenn sie den amerikanischen Traum definieren. Ob es um Stabilität oder Aufstieg geht, noch glaubt knapp die Mehrheit an die Erfüllbarkeit ihres Traums – aber die Totsagungen werden immer lauter. Derweil ist andernorts ein grosser Traum erwacht: 2012 sprach Xi Jinping, Präsident der Volksrepublik China, erstmals vom chinesischen Traum und dessen Erfüllung in der Great Rejuvenation. Wie amerikanisch ist dieser chinesische Traum? Und kann er dieselbe Sogkraft entwickeln, wie es der amerikanische Traum getan hat? Antworten weiss Professor Ralph Weber von der Universität Basel: Einst studierte er an der Universität St.Gallen Staatswissenschaften und promovierte bei uns zur politischen Philosophie von Tu Weiming. Nach einer Oberassistenz an der Universität Zürich führte ihn sein Weg ans Europainstitut Basel, wo er mittlerweile als Associate Professor lehrt und forscht. In seiner Arbeit setzt sich Ralph unter anderem auch mit dem Verhältnis Schweiz-China auseinander, nachzulesen beispielsweise im Bericht zur «Situation der tibetischen und uigurischen Gemeinschaften in der Schweiz: Effektive und wahrgenommene Druckausübung» oder in «Unified message, rhizomatic delivery: A preliminary analysis of PRC/CCP influence and the united front in Switzerland». Gemeinsam mit PD Dr. Ariane Knüsel hat er eine Geschichte der schweizerisch-chinesischen Beziehungen verfasst, Die Schweiz und China: Von den Opiumkriegen bis zur Neuen Seidenstrasse (2024). Buchempfehlung von Ralph Weber: Ling Li, Governance of a Party-state: Corruption, Law, and the Modus Operandi of the Chinese Communist Party.

    Episode 45 – Der amerikanische Traum «made in China»?

  8. Apr 10

    Episode 44 – A Pyrrhic Victory for the US and Israel?

    In late February, Israeli airstrikes—soon joined by the United States—targeted key sites across Iran, triggering a chain reaction that has reshaped the Middle East almost overnight. Iran retaliated with missile and drone attacks across the region and, in a move with massive global implications, closed the Strait of Hormuz, sending shockwaves through energy markets and international trade. At the same time, the internal balance of power in Tehran appears to be shifting, with the Revolutionary Guard stepping into an even more dominant role. Shortly after threatening Iran with “the destruction of their civilization,” President Trump announced a two-week long ceasefire. Does this signify, as historian Niall Ferguson suggested, a possible Pyrrhic victory for the US and Israel? Are we witnessing the beginning of a larger regional war, a forced reset of the nuclear question, or the early stages of a negotiated settlement? And how stable is Iran’s regime under the current level of pressure? We discuss these questions with Dr. Raz Zimmt, renowned expert on Iranian politics, society, and foreign policy. Dr. Raz Zimmt is the Director of the Iran and the Shiite Axis research program at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), an independent think tank affiliated with the University of Tel Aviv. He regularly provides expert commentary to Israeli and international media, including German-speaking outlets such as Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Spiegel, Frankfurter Rundschau, and Tagesspiegel. In addition to his work at INSS, he is a research fellow at the Alliance Center for Iranian Studies at Tel-Aviv University. His background is in Middle Eastern history, with a Master’s degree and a Ph.D. from Tel Aviv University, and he is the author of the book Iran From Within: State and Society in the Islamic Republic published (in Hebrew; 2022). Dr. Zimmt is a veteran Iran watcher in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) where he served for more than two decades. Recommendations: Dr. Zimmt recommends Iranian cinema to gain a better understanding of the country's society and culture. FilmInk lists a few must-seesTagesAnzeiger has curated a list of seven films

    Episode 44 – A Pyrrhic Victory for the US and Israel?
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Since January 20, 2025, we are officially in the era of Trump 2.0. But is it, will it be any different from Trump 1.0? And what do the events across the Atlantic mean for us in Europe?  My name is Claudia Franziska Brühwiler, and I am a professor of American Political Thought and Culture at the University of St.Gallen.  This podcast will take a closer look at current events through the lens of American history, politics, and culture. Sometimes, I will keep it short and share with you my analysis, thoughts, or some background story to what is happening. At other occasions, we will hear from guests from across the HSG community and beyond, who give us new insights into US politics, business, culture, and society.   We will look at the US from the perspective of its sister republic Switzerland. We often get hung up on what separates the US from Switzerland, while in fact we share not only great economic relations. Did you know, for instance, that America’s longest serving finance minister was born in Geneva – and one of our past Federal Councillors had fought in the Civil War? There’s a lot to discover – so I hope you’ll join us!  Cover Art: Anne Fritsch

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