Switzerland with Tom Switzer

Tom Switzer
  • 4.0 (4)
  • Politics
  • Updated Weekly

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

  1. 3d ago

    Max Hastings: What History Tells Us About Trump and the West | Tom Switzer

    On this episode of Switzerland, Tom Switzer is joined by Sir Max Hastings, one of the world's leading journalists and historians, to ask what a lifetime of studying war and history can tell us about the extraordinarily unsettled world of 2026. They discuss Donald Trump and the future of the Western alliance, the war in Ukraine, Iran and the Middle East, China, and the significance of the recent US decision to abruptly withdraw B-1 bombers from Britain. What does history reveal about the ambitions of great powers, the dangers of miscalculation, and the way wars begin and end? They also discuss Sir Max's new book, Plunder, his gripping account of the final weeks of the Second World War in Europe. It covers the crossing of the Rhine, the collapse of Nazi Germany, the liberation of Belsen and the extraordinary decisions made by commanders such as Eisenhower and Patton as victory finally came into sight. At a time when war has returned to the centre of international politics, Sir Max brings the perspective of a historian who has spent decades trying to understand it. What can the experience of 1945 teach us about the world we are living through today? Sir Max Hastings is a former editor of The Daily Telegraph and the Evening Standard, and the author of 30 books on history, politics and the media. His new book is Plunder: The Last of the War in Europe, 1945. Join Tom's Exclusive Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/cff5e11f69a3/switzerland-with-tom-switzer Read Tom's Substack: https://substack.com/@tomswitzershow 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 The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times (international), The Australian, and across ABC and News24 (formerly Sky News), where he has been a regular presenter and panellist. 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.

  2. 5d ago

    Trita Parsi | China could break the US-Iran diplomatic deadlock | Tom Switzer

    Iran’s economy is under extraordinary pressure. Oil exports are being squeezed, sanctions are expanding and Tehran says it is fighting an “economic war”. Is the regime beginning to crack?  Or does Iran still hold considerable leverage because it can threaten shipping through the Strait of Hormuz? The latest evidence, documented in the Wall Street Journal this weekend, suggests the recovery in Gulf oil exports may be more fragile than some people have assumed. How significant is Iran’s ability to disrupt those flows? Meanwhile, China may be the one country capable of breaking the deadlock between Washington and Tehran. Why does Beijing have both the leverage and the incentive to intervene? Trita Parsi is from the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, based in Washington, DC.

  3. Sep 30

    Steve Hanke: Is America Heading for Economic Catastrophe?

    Steve Hanke, the veteran and acclaimed free-market economist, discusses America’s cost-of-living crisis, persistent inflation, the $40 trillion national debt and the warning signs coming from the bond market. Professor Hanke also explains why he thinks the AI boom may be a bubble, why Iran could inflict serious economic damage on the US, and why he has broken with Vice President JD Vance over the future of conservative economics. Steve Hanke is professor of applied economics at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and a former member of President Ronald Reagan’s Council of Economic Advisers. 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 The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times (international), The Australian, and across ABC and News24 (formerly 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.

  4. Sep 27

    Mearsheimer & Cockburn | Trump warns he will resume bombing after midterms

    President Trump has rejected Iran’s seven-day plan proposal for a seven-day ceasefire and has told aides he expects to resume bombing Iran after the November midterms.  Tehran’s proposal would have reopened the Strait of Hormuz within a week and resumed nuclear talks in return for the US easing oil sanctions and lifting its blockade of Iranian ports, which is causing deep damage to the country’s economy. Trump says openly that Tehran is begging for a deal after the midterms that dismantles its nuclear program. So is US economic pressure producing Iranian concessions? Patrick Cockburn is Middle East correspondent with the I newspaper in London and author of War in the Age of Trump.  John Mearsheimer is professor of political science at the University of Chicago and author of The Tragedy of Great Power Politics.

  5. Sep 22

    Why Is the Populist Right Rising Across Europe? | Simon Heffer

    Right-wing populist parties are surging across Europe -- and Germany is at the centre of the upheaval. The Alternative for Germany (AfD) has made major gains in recent state elections, challenging the dominance of Germany’s established political parties. What is driving this revolt against the political establishment -- and why is it happening now? To make sense of the populist ascendancy, Tom Switzer speaks with Simon Heffer, aka Lord Blackwater, one of Britain’s leading political and cultural historians and columnist during the past four decades.. Why has support for the established parties collapsed? How important are immigration, economic stagnation and declining competitiveness? Why has the AfD, France’s Le Pen and Nigel Farage’s Reform party attracted voters from the traditional working-class constituencies. Are they really neo-Nazis, as some of their detractors allege? And what does the rise of the populist right tell us about the future of European politics?

  6. Sep 20

    John Mearsheimer: Trump’s Mideast morass deepens

    The most revealing development in Donald Trump’s war with Iran may not be taking place in Tehran at all. It is happening hundreds of kilometres away, on Yemen’s Red Sea coast. In the past week, the Iran-backed Houthis have seized strategically important territory across Yemen’s Red Sea coast. From there, they have greater capacity to threaten shipping through the Red Sea and, crucially, Saudi Arabia’s ability to export oil. There are reports that the Trump administration is considering a large-scale operation against the Houthis. But how can the United States defeat the Houthis? Plus, the latest on the Russia-Ukraine standoff. At what point does military attrition become a threat not merely to Ukraine’s army but to the viability of the Ukrainian state itself? John Mearsheimer is professor of political science at the University of Chicago and the author of The Tragedy of Great Power Politics.

  7. Sep 16

    Is Ukraine winning the war? Lieven

    Is Ukraine really turning the tide against Russia? Western media coverage has increasingly focused on Ukraine’s drone strikes, Russia’s economic difficulties and mounting battlefield losses, prompting claims that Vladimir Putin is under growing pressure.  But what is actually happening on the battlefield? Who has the strategic advantage as the war enters its fifth year, and can Russia consolidate its hold over the Donbas? Is there a growing risk of a wider confrontation between Russia and the West? Has the war in Iran diverted American attention and depleted key weapons stocks needed by Ukraine? Is Moscow losing faith in Washington’s ability to honour any future agreement? And with Russian drones and aircraft increasingly testing NATO’s eastern flank, how dangerous is the present trajectory? Does the Western narrative of a Ukrainian turning point match the underlying strategic realities?  Anatol Lieven is a senior fellow and at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft based in Washington.

  8. Sep 13

    Robert Pape: Iran Is Escalating — Is Trump Losing Leverage?

    Iran is escalating its war with the United States — not only through direct attacks, but through its Shia allies and proxies across the Middle East. The Iran-backed Houthis have seized key territory on Yemen’s Red Sea coast, including the strategically important Perim Island at the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, giving them a growing ability to threaten shipping and Saudi oil exports. At the same time, an attack launched from Iraqi territory has forced Saudi Arabia to shut down its crucial East-West oil pipeline, a key alternative route for exporting oil around the Strait of Hormuz. What is Iran trying to achieve? Are Tehran and its allies successfully shifting the balance of power in their favour? And can this strategy force Donald Trump to reconsider the war? Oil prices have already surged as the conflict disrupts key energy routes. But will prices continue to rise? And what does this mean for the argument that a prolonged crisis over the Strait of Hormuz would trigger a global economic crisis and force Washington to back down? Robert Pape is professor of political science at the University of Chicago.

See All (56)

Ratings & Reviews

4
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

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

Information

  • Creator
    Tom Switzer
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    56
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2025 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Switzerland with Tom Switzer

You Might Also Like