Switzerland with Tom Switzer

Tom Switzer
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A new program about politics, modern history and international relations with host Tom Switzer. 

Episodes

  1. MAR 16

    IRAN: A war without end? | Professor John Mearsheimer

    The war in Iran has entered its third week. Washington insists it is winning. Tehran insists it’s holding firm. But here are the key questions: has the US started a war it does not know how to win? Is the Iran war turning into a strategic debacle for the US? Can President Trump end the Iran war without damaging American credibility?  In today's episode, Professor John Mearsheimer responds to the new consensus that the heavy US bombardment of the crucial island of Kharg will be a game-changer. Will it force the Iranians to open the Straits of Hormuz?  Join Tom's Exclusive Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/cff5e11f69a3/switzerland-with-tom-switzer Read Tom's Substack: https://substack.com/@tomswitzer Tom Switzer is a journalist and broadcaster who has been a prolific commentator on politics and international affairs. His writing and commentary have appeared in outlets including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times (international), The Australian, and across ABC and Sky News, where he has been a regular presenter and panellist. For 30 years, since 1995, he has worked at the Washington-based American Enterprise Institute, the Australian Financial Review, The Australian, the London-based Spectator magazine, and the Sydney-based Centre for Independent Studies, which he headed from 2017 to 2025. He is the host of Switzerland, a long-form interview series exploring global politics, modern history, and the ideas shaping the world.

    49 min

  2. MAR 9

    Will the war with Iran defeat the Mullahs and the Islamic Republic? | Bret Stephens

    Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnist Bret Stephens joins host Tom Switzer to discuss the escalating U.S.-Iran conflict under President Trump. Drawing on his book "America in Retreat: The New Isolationism and the Coming Global Disorder," Stephens argues why confronting Iran is a moral and strategic imperative, countering critics who liken it to another Iraq quagmire. Read Tom's Substack: https://substack.com/@tomswitzer Tom Switzer is a journalist and broadcaster who has been a prolific commentator on politics and international affairs. His writing and commentary have appeared in outlets including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times (international), The Australian, and across ABC and Sky News, where he has been a regular presenter and panellist. For 30 years, since 1995, he has worked at the Washington-based American Enterprise Institute, the Australian Financial Review, The Australian, the London-based Spectator magazine, and the Sydney-based Centre for Independent Studies, which he headed from 2017 to 2025. He is the host of Switzerland, a long-form interview series exploring global politics, modern history, and the ideas shaping the world.

    42 min

  3. MAR 2

    Iran After the Ayatollah: Stephen Walt on the Risks of Regime Collapse

    In the wake of U.S. strikes against Iran and reports of senior regime figures killed, what happens if the Islamic Republic collapses? Harvard professor Stephen Walt joins Tom Switzer to assess the most plausible scenarios inside Iran and to explain why history suggests that air campaigns alone rarely produce stable political outcomes. The conversation ranges widely: divisions within Trump’s MAGA base, the legality and strategic logic of the intervention, Iran’s capacity to retaliate, the regional consequences of regime change, and whether Washington’s approach reflects what Walt calls a strategy of “predatory hegemony.” They also discuss Israel’s role, shifting American public opinion, China and Russia’s stake in the conflict, and whether U.S. focus on Iran risks distracting from the larger strategic challenge posed by Beijing. Join Tom's Exclusive Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/cff5e11f69a3/switzerland-with-tom-switzer Read Tom's Substack: https://substack.com/@tomswitzer Tom Switzer is a journalist and broadcaster who has been a prolific commentator on politics and international affairs. His writing and commentary have appeared in outlets including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times (international), The Australian, and across ABC and Sky News, where he has been a regular presenter and panellist. For 30 years, since 1995, he has worked at the Washington-based American Enterprise Institute, the Australian Financial Review, The Australian, the London-based Spectator magazine, and the Sydney-based Centre for Independent Studies, which he headed from 2017 to 2025. He is the host of Switzerland, a long-form interview series exploring global politics, modern history, and the ideas shaping the world.

    37 min

  4. FEB 24

    John Mearsheimer: Why a U.S. Strike on Iran Could Spiral Out of Control

    What are the likely consequences of U.S. military action against Iran. In today's episode, John Mearsheimer argues that even a limited strike could trigger dangerous escalation. Public opinion, especially among younger Americans, has shifted against Israel. There is very little public support for a war with Iran, and there are deep divisions within Trump’s MAGA base on the issue. Trump’s instincts are to avoid dangerous escalation and forever wars. And U.S. Sunni allies, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and the Gulf states, oppose a U.S. war with Iran. And yet we are heading into another U.S. war on Iran. Why?  Join Tom's Exclusive Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/cff5e11f69a3/switzerland-with-tom-switzer Read Tom's Substack: https://substack.com/@tomswitzer Tom Switzer is a journalist and broadcaster who has been a prolific commentator on politics and international affairs. His writing and commentary have appeared in outlets including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times (international), The Australian, and across ABC and Sky News, where he has been a regular presenter and panellist. For 30 years, since 1995, he has worked at the Washington-based American Enterprise Institute, the Australian Financial Review, The Australian, the London-based Spectator magazine, and the Sydney-based Centre for Independent Studies, which he headed from 2017 to 2025. He is the host of Switzerland, a long-form interview series exploring global politics, modern history, and the ideas shaping the world.

    45 min

  5. FEB 18

    Is the Woke Era Over? Brendan O’Neill on the vibe shift

    Is the Woke Era Over? Brendan O’Neill on the vibe shift Is Western culture undergoing a major shift? In recent years, cancel culture, identity politics, and ideological conformity reshaped public debate across universities, media, corporations, and politics. Supporters saw long-overdue social progress. Critics warned of growing intolerance toward dissent. Now, some observers argue the tide is turning. In this episode of Switzerland, Tom Switzer speaks with British writer Brendan O’Neill -- one of the most prominent critics of cancel culture and identity politics -- about whether a genuine “vibe shift” is underway, what’s driving it, and what it means for free speech, democracy, and intellectual pluralism.  Brendan O’Neill’s new book is called Vibe Shift: The Revolt Against Wokeness, Greenism and Technocracy (Spiked publications). Join Tom's Exclusive Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/cff5e11f69a3/switzerland-with-tom-switzer Read Tom's Substack: https://substack.com/@tomswitzer Tom Switzer is a journalist and broadcaster who has been a prolific commentator on politics and international affairs. His writing and commentary have appeared in outlets including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times (international), The Australian, and across ABC and Sky News, where he has been a regular presenter and panellist. For 30 years, since 1995, he has worked at the Washington-based American Enterprise Institute, the Australian Financial Review, The Australian, the London-based Spectator magazine, and the Sydney-based Centre for Independent Studies, which he headed from 2017 to 2025. He is the host of Switzerland, a long-form interview series exploring global politics, modern history, and the ideas shaping the world. #woke #transrights #lgbtiq

    57 min

  6. FEB 11

    Is War With Iran Looming? Vali Nasr & Joshua Landis

    As Washington and Tehran negotiate over Iran’s nuclear program, ballistic missiles and regional militias, the risk of confrontation in the Persian Gulf is once again rising. On Switzerland, Tom Switzer is joined by two of the world’s leading experts on Iran and Syria -- Vali Nasr and Joshua Landis -- to examine whether diplomacy can avert war, what Iran’s leaders really want, and how weakened proxy networks, such as Hezbollah, are reshaping the region. They explore the legacy of Sunni–Shia rivalry, the collapse of the Assad regime’s rule, America’s military posture in the Gulf, and how Donald Trump's MAGA movement may help avert a new Middle East conflict.  Join Tom's Exclusive Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/cff5e11f69a3/switzerland-with-tom-switzer Read Tom's Substack: https://substack.com/@tomswitzer Tom Switzer is a journalist and broadcaster who has been a prolific commentator on politics and international affairs. His writing and commentary have appeared in outlets including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times (international), The Australian, and across ABC and Sky News, where he has been a regular presenter and panellist. For 30 years, since 1995, he has worked at the Washington-based American Enterprise Institute, the Australian Financial Review, The Australian, the London-based Spectator magazine, and the Sydney-based Centre for Independent Studies, which he headed from 2017 to 2025. He is the host of Switzerland, a long-form interview series exploring global politics, modern history, and the ideas shaping the world.

    38 min

  7. FEB 4

    The World is Running Out of People | Nicholas Eberstadt

    In this episode of Switzerland, Nick Eberstadt, one of the world’s leading demographers, addresses global depopulation and the coming demographic shock. He explains why falling birth rates and ageing populations are becoming one of the defining forces of the 21st century. From East Asia and Europe to the United States, Eberstadt argues that global depopulation will reshape economic growth, labour markets, welfare states, military power, and the balance between nations -- often in ways policymakers are unprepared for. The Chinese authorities enforced a one-child policy for three to four decades, and now the country faces massive depopulation. Could the CCP enforce a two-child policy? Could AI, robotics, and automation solve China’s demographic problem? Could slashed immigration to the US make America’s depopulation problem worse? And could falling maths and literacy scores threaten to topple America’s status as a global superpower? Join Tom's Exclusive Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/cff5e11f69a3/switzerland-with-tom-switzer Read Tom's Substack: https://substack.com/@tomswitzer

    46 min

  8. JAN 30

    Will Trump Trigger a New World War? | Max Hastings

    The legendary historian Max Hastings on NATO, China, democracy — and whether today’s world resembles 1914. In this episode of Switzerland, Tom Switzer is joined by Sir Max Hastings — one of Britain’s most distinguished military historians, journalists, and former newspaper editors — for a wide-ranging conversation about war, power, and the fate of the Western order. They explore whether today’s fractured international system bears dangerous similarities to 1914, the impact of Donald Trump on U.S. foreign policy, Europe’s strategic vulnerability, NATO’s future, the rise of authoritarianism, and the challenges posed by Russia and China. Drawing on decades of scholarship and reportage, Hastings reflects on nationalism, Brexit, technology’s growing political power, and the enduring strengths — and vulnerabilities — of democratic societies in an age of renewed great-power rivalry. Join the Exclusive Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/cff5e11f69a3/switzerland-with-tom-switzer Read the Substack: https://substack.com/@tomswitzer The discussion ranges across Israel’s war in Gaza, the wave of protests in Western cities, debates over free speech and community relations, and Australia’s own tensions following the Bondi attacks and the political controversy surrounding Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s response. Future episodes feature Nicholas Eberstadt on global depopulation and Sir Max Hastings on global disorder

    46 min

  9. JAN 28

    Does sharp criticism of Israel shade into antisemitism? Mearsheimer & Mahbubani Discuss Bondi terror

    Does sharp criticism of Israel’s conduct in Gaza inevitably shade into antisemitism? In the days after the December 14 Bondi terror attacks, Australian leader Anthony Albanese faced fierce criticism -- from the conservative opposition at home and from Benjamin Netanyahu abroad -- over how his government had responded to rising tensions and Jewish community fears. Those scenes, including the angry public reception the Prime Minister received at Bondi, have become emblematic of how raw and polarised the atmosphere has become. All of this is unfolding alongside a conflict in Gaza that generated mass protests across cities from London to New York to Sydney -- demonstrations that supporters describe as humanitarian, and critics fear can blur into hostility toward Jews. These matters are put to Professor John Mearsheimer from the University of Chicago and former Singaporean diplomat and policy maker Kishore Mahbubani. Future episodes feature Nicholas Eberstadt on global depopulation and Max Hastings on global disorder.  Tom Switzer is a journalist and broadcaster who has been a prolific commentator on politics and international affairs. His writing and commentary have appeared in outlets including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times (international), The Australian, and across ABC and Sky News, where he has been a regular presenter and panellist. For 30 years, since 1995, he has worked at the Washington-based American Enterprise Institute, the Australian Financial Review, The Australian, the London-based Spectator magazine, and the Sydney-based Centre for Independent Studies, which he headed from 2017 to 2025. He is the host of Switzerland, a long-form interview series exploring global politics, modern history, and the ideas shaping the world.  Join Tom's Exclusive Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/cff5e11f69a3/switzerland-with-tom-switzer Read Tom's Substack: https://substack.com/@tomswitzer

    20 min

  10. JAN 22

    Trump, Greenland and NATO: Heilbrunn, Mahbubani & Mearsheimer

    Donald Trump says Greenland must become American -- by consent if possible, by force if necessary. Europe has responded with a flat refusal, warning that any American land grab could trigger the unravelling of NATO itself.   In the third of his new YouTube program, Switzerland, Tom Switzer puts questions to Jacob Heilbrunn, editor of the National Interest in Washington, and professors Kishore Mahbubani from Singapore and John Mearsheimer from Chicago. Subjects include the future of NATO, the decline of Europe and French President de Gaulle’s prediction that the US would withdraw its military forces from the continent. Tom Switzer is a journalist and broadcaster who has been a prolific commentator on politics and international affairs. His writing and commentary have appeared in outlets including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times (international), The Australian, and across ABC and Sky News, where he has been a regular presenter and panellist. For 30 years, since 1995, he has worked at the Washington-based American Enterprise Institute, the Australian Financial Review, The Australian, the London-based Spectator magazine, and the Sydney-based Centre for Independent Studies, which he headed from 2017 to 2025. He is the host of Switzerland, a long-form interview series exploring global politics, modern history, and the ideas shaping the world. Join Tom's Exclusive Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/cff5e11f69a3/switzerland-with-tom-switzer Read Tom's Substack: https://substack.com/@tomswitzer ORNW1Y2XRJZJOUHA

    54 min

  11. JAN 15

    Trump’s National Security Statement: has China won? John Mearsheimer & Kishore Mahbubani

    In the first of a two-part series of his new YouTube program, Switzerland, Tom Switzer puts questions to two leading intellectual critics of the western foreign-policy consensus: professors Kishore Mahbubani from Singapore and John Mearsheimer from Chicago. Subjects include the Sino-American strategic competition, trade wars, the Trump administration’s National Security Statement, great powers’ spheres of influence, the Russia-China “axis,” and the subject of Kishore’s important 2020 book, Has China Won? The second part, forthcoming, will concentrate on US-Europe affairs and the resurgence of antisemitism in the wake of the Bondi massacres. Join Tom's Exclusive Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/cff5e11f69a3/switzerland-with-tom-switzer  Read Tom's Substack: https://substack.com/@tomswitzer Watch the show live: https://www.youtube.com/@TomSwitzerMedia  Tom Switzer is a journalist and broadcaster who has been a prolific commentator on politics and international affairs. His writing and commentary have appeared in outlets including The Wall Street Journal, The Australian, and across ABC and Sky News, where he has been a regular presenter and panellist. For 30 years, since 1995, he has worked at the Washington-based American Enterprise Institute, the Australian Financial Review, The Australian, the London-based Spectator magazine, and the Sydney-based Centre for Independent Studies, which he headed from 2017 to 2025. He is the host of Switzerland, a long-form interview series exploring global politics, modern history, and the ideas shaping the world.

    39 min

  12. JAN 6

    Venezuela after Trump’s strike: John Bolton vs John Mearsheimer

    Has President Trump made a historic mistake in Venezuela?   On his new program, Switzerland, Tom Switzer challenges John Bolton and John Mearsheimer on the Trump administration’s move to remove Nicolás Maduro from power. Bolton, Trump’s former national security adviser, argues the operation is justified if it delivers real regime change. Mearsheimer, the University of Chicago political scientist, warns the intervention makes no strategic sense and risks dangerous precedents.  Is President Trump willing to settle for Maduro 2.0? Does Venezuela mark a break from the post-war liberal order? Will Beijing and Moscow draw lessons for Taiwan and Ukraine? Can Washington control Venezuela’s oil without nation-building? And how does this intervention square with Trump’s promise to avoid foreign entanglements?  Subscribe to Switzerland (for free) and join the conversation. Join Tom's Exclusive Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/cff5e11f69a3/switzerland-with-tom-switzer  Read Tom's Substack: https://substack.com/@tomswitzer Watch the show live: https://youtu.be/QWUPMZXZwpE?si=4ajFijNCk5HCVvbI  Tom Switzer is a journalist and broadcaster who has been a prolific commentator on politics and international affairs. His writing and commentary have appeared in outlets including The Wall Street Journal, The Australian, and across ABC and Sky News, where he has been a regular presenter and panellist. For 30 years, since 1995, he has worked at the Washington-based American Enterprise Institute, the Australian Financial Review, The Australian, the London-based Spectator magazine, and the Sydney-based Centre for Independent Studies, which he headed from 2017 to 2025. He is the host of Switzerland, a long-form interview series exploring global politics, modern history, and the ideas shaping the world.

    52 min
  • 12 Episodes

About

A new program about politics, modern history and international relations with host Tom Switzer. 

Information

  • Creator
    Tom Switzer
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    12
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2025 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Switzerland with Tom Switzer

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