Switzerland with Tom Switzer

Bolton & Izadi on the US-Iran Memo 19.06.2026 32min

President Trump’s memorandum of understanding with Iran has been hailed by supporters as a diplomatic breakthrough and denounced by critics as a strategic retreat. But what does the agreement actually achieve, and who, if anyone, emerges stronger from months of conflict? Tom Switzer speaks with two guests with profoundly different perspectives: former U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton, one of Washington’s most prominent foreign-policy thinkers, and Professor Foad Izadi, Associate Professor of American Studies at the University of Tehran and a leading Iranian commentator on U.S.-Iran relations. Together they offer sharply contrasting assessments of the agreement, its implications for the Middle East, and whether it brings the region any closer to a durable peace.

Trump's Iran Deal | Trita Parsi 15.06.2026 10min

The U.S. and Iran have agreed to a peace deal on Sunday June 14. Washington will lift the naval blockade while Tehran opens the Strait of Hormuz. Will it hold? Will Israel and Washington hardliners try to sabotage the agreement? Will the Iranian hardliners try to scuttle the deal? Trita Parsi is executive director of the Quincy Institute. 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.

John Mearsheimer takes your questions 12.06.2026 42min

This week on Switzerland, Tom Switzer is joined by Professor John Mearsheimer from the University of Chicago who takes questions from viewers during our live chat. Subjects include Iran, Israel, Lebanon, Ukraine as well as other topical current affairs. If Trump does not enter the war, will he be accused of abandoning Israel? But if Trump enters the war, will that mean Israel has an effective veto on the negotiations to end the Iran crisis? According to Professor Sachs, Trump should work to extricate the US from the Israeli-Iranian rivalry.

Trump and the new Iran-Israel war | Professor Jeffrey Sachs 08.06.2026 33min

This week on Switzerland, Tom Switzer is joined by Professor Jeffrey Sachs from Columbia University. Subjects include Iran’s military response to Israel’s consistent attacks in Lebanon and the tense relationship between Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu. If Trump does not enter the war, will he be accused of abandoning Israel? But if Trump enters the war, will that mean Israel has an effective veto on the negotiations to end the Iran crisis? According to Professor Sachs, Trump should work to extricate the US from the Israeli-Iranian rivalry.

The mirage of peace | Professor Robert Pape 29.05.2026 47min

This week on Switzerland, Tom Switzer is joined by Professor Robert Pape from the University of Chicago for a discussion on the US-Iran negotiations to reach peace. This week U.S. forces conducted new military strikes against Iran after Tehran launched drones at commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz even as both sides are trying to reach a peace deal. What’s going on? Has the crisis exposed very serious limits on US power in an increasingly more multipolar world? And is America, at home, more polarised and divided than at any point since the Civil War of the 1860s? 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.

A new Iran deal? | John Mearsheimer 25.05.2026 30min

This week on Switzerland, Tom Switzer is joined by U.S. political scientist John Mearsheimer for a a discussion on the US-Iran negotiations to reach peace. According to leaks, a peace deal could comprise of a 60-day ceasefire, opening the Strait of Hormuz, easing sanctions and dealing with the nuclear issue later. But is it a done deal? John Mearsheimer is professor of political science at the University of Chicago and author of The Tragedy of Great Power Politics. 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.

China, Iran, Russia, Cuba | John Mearsheimer 18.05.2026 44min

This week on Switzerland, Tom Switzer is joined by U.S. political scientist John Mearsheimer for a wide-ranging discussion on the intensifying rivalry between the United States and China. From Trump’s dealings with Xi Jinping and the Iran crisis to Taiwan, Russia and the future of American power, the conversation explores whether the world is entering a new era of great-power competition, and whether Washington and Beijing can avoid the “Thucydides Trap” that has historically driven rising and established powers toward conflict. Other subjects addressed include Iran, Russia and Ukraine and Cuba. John Mearsheimer is professor of political science at the University of Chicago and author of The Tragedy of Great Power Politics. 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.

Britain in crisis | Simon Heffer 15.05.2026 36min

Westminster is once again consumed by speculation about whether the Prime Minister can survive. The turmoil surrounds Labour’s Keir Starmer, the man elected in a landslide less than two years ago on a promise to restore stability after years of chaos. Today, his leadership is on life support. Dozens of Labour MPs have turned against him, ministers have resigned, enemies are circling and questions are growing about the future of a government — and a country — confronting deep political divisions and serious economic headwinds. Simon Heffer is professor of modern history at the University of Buckingham, a columnist at the UK Daily and Sunday Telegraph and the author of numerous acclaimed books on British politics and history.

The Thomas Massie Primary | Dan McCarthy & James Antle 12.05.2026 37min

The war in Iran has exposed visible strains within President Trump’s MAGA coalition. Prominent voices associated with the movement -- including Joe Rogan, Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly and Marjorie Taylor Greene -- have sharply criticised Trump’s decision to wage war on Tehran. So, too, has Republican Congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky. Now Massie faces a May 19 primary challenge backed by President Trump as well as pro-Israel and Trump-aligned Super PACs. The contest has become a test case for the future of the Republican Party: is MAGA a coherent foreign-policy worldview rooted in restraint and “America First” principles -- or is it ultimately a coalition held together by loyalty to Trump himself? What does the Massie fight reveal about the future of Republican foreign policy, the politics of the U.S.-Israel alliance, and the balance of power inside the conservative movement? Guests: Dan McCarthy, distinguished fellow in conservative thought at the Heritage Foundation. James Antle, executive editor of the Washington Examiner magazine. 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.

Will Trump’s new ploy work? | John Mearsheimer & Trita Parsi 05.05.2026 49min

The exchange of missiles and bombs may have paused, at least temporarily, but the struggle between the United States and Iran is not over. The Strait of Hormuz remains closed, U.S. sanctions are still in place, the US naval blockade continues, which is aimed to squeeze Iran’s oil output and exacerbate Iran’s deep economic crisis. Bilateral negotiations have made no meaningful headway, and the gap between them remains wide. What if the U.S. resumes military strikes against Iran? Could they bring Tehran to heel? Will Trump’s plan to guide stranded strips through the Strait of Hormuz work? Guests are Trita Parsi, co-founder and vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, and John Mearsheimer, professor of political science from the University of Chicago. 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.

A watershed moment? Sir Max Hastings and John Mearsheimer 24.04.2026 58min

Historians reserve the term “watershed” for those rare moments when events do not merely shock the established order but upend it. Think of the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, which hastened the end of the Cold War and ushered in an era of American unipolarity. Or the September 11, 2001, attacks in the US, which ignited the global war on terror and culminated in the long, costly entanglements of the so-called forever wars. In each case, those living through the moment could sense they were witnessing events whose consequences would extend far beyond the immediate crisis. The question now is whether the Iran war belongs in that category. On the world stage, many allies and partners increasingly worry that the United States as a friend is shrinking with extraordinary rapidity. If this is true, what does this mean for international affairs after the Iran war? Guests are Sir Max Hastings, the British military historian, columnist and former newspaper editor, and John Mearsheimer, professor of political science from the University of Chicago.

Has Trump Misread Iran? | Patrick Cockburn & Sahar Razavi 20.04.2026 35min

President Trump insists the U.S. naval blockade is working -- that Washington’s pressure will force Tehran to return to the bargaining table, with concessions likely to follow. Will Trump get a peace deal with Iran on US terms? Or, with the Strait of Hormuz closed again, could Tehran emerge from this conflict with a blueprint to keep adversaries at bay -- regardless of any restrictions of its nuclear program? Is the US debacle in Iran akin to a “Suez moment” in 1956, that the crisis leads to the end of empire. Is Trump in deep trouble? Guests are Patrick Cockburn, veteran Middle East commentator for The Independent in Britain, and associate professor Sahar Razavi, director of Persian and Middle Eastern Studies at California State University, Sacramento. 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.

Will Trump’s Naval Blockade of the Strait of Hormuz Work? | John Mearsheimer and Joshua Landis 13.04.2026 42min

In Islamabad, U.S. and Iranian negotiators have failed to reach even the outline of a peace deal. What now? President Trump has announced a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz for ships using Iranian ports and could launch a new wave of strikes on Iran. How will Tehran respond? By going up the escalator ladder, is there now a real danger of an all-out regional war and global recession? At the same time, widening differences between Israel and Washington may force Benjamin Netanyahu to scale back his ambitions -- whether to crush Hezbollah in Lebanon or to bring down Iran’s battered clerical regime -- in order to preserve relations with the White House. Guests are John Mearsheimer from the University of Chicago and Joshua Landis from the University of Oklahoma. 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.

Reopen Strait of Hormuz … or else! | Rosemary Kelanic & Trita Parsi 07.04.2026 30min

President Trump threatens to destroy all of Iran’s power plants if the country’s leaders don’t agree to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. What if Tehran does not accept a deal on American terms? Why would Tehran negotiate in good faith when Iran was bombed during the last round of negotiations on February 28? Is the Persian Gulf on the cusp of “living hell,” as both the Americans and Iranians make threats? Does the Iran war mark a watershed moment in world history where we are witnessing the end of US global hegemony? Rosemary Kelanic from Defense Priorities and Trita Parsi from the Quincy Institute address the risks involved in an escalation of the Iran 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.

Is Israel Driving the Iran War? | John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt 02.04.2026 31min

Professors John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt examine Israel’s role in the Iran war and the wider regional crisis -- and revisit their most controversial argument in 2006 about the lobby shaping U.S. foreign policy. Did President Trump enter this war on his own terms, or under pressure from Israel and its allies in Washington? In a striking resignation letter, former U.S. counterterrorism official Joe Kent argued that Iran posed no imminent threat, and that the conflict was driven in part by external pressure. This raises a deeper question: if Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu helped draw the United States into the conflict, can he prevent Washington from stepping back? And what happens if Israel continues the war alone? At the same time, Israel faces mounting strain at home. With warnings from its own military leadership about manpower shortages, the longer-term sustainability of the war is increasingly in doubt. 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.

Iran: The Illusion of a Peace Deal | John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt 30.03.2026 34min

Professors John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt explain why U.S. and Iranian demands are fundamentally irreconcilable -- and why this crisis is far from over. Instead of bringing Tehran to terms, Washington now finds itself further from a diplomatic settlement than it was in May 2025. Iran has played a weak hand with discipline and patience. The United States, by contrast, risks stumbling into another major strategic failure in the Middle East. At the core of the impasse is a basic reality: both sides are demanding the impossible. Washington insists on the full dismantling of Iran’s nuclear and missile capabilities, while Tehran seeks sanctions relief, reparations, and long-term security guarantees. Neither side is prepared to yield. The result is not a pathway to peace, but a deepening stalemate -- with escalation, not resolution, the more likely outcome. 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.

The Political Cost of the Iran War | Doug Bandow & Henry Olsen 24.03.2026 32min

The war in Iran has entered its fourth week. What are the political costs for Donald Trump and the Republican party in the leadup to November’s congressional elections? The GOP was already expected to lose the House of Representatives, but could the Republicans also lose the Senate? Is it likely the President could be the lamest of lame ducks in 2027-28? Doug Bandow, a former adviser to President Ronald Reagan, is a veteran scholar at the Washington-based Cato Institute. Henry Olsen is a leading expert on US public opinion. 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.

IRAN: A war without end? | Professor John Mearsheimer 16.03.2026 48min

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.

Will the war with Iran defeat the Mullahs and the Islamic Republic? | Bret Stephens 10.03.2026 42min

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.

Iran After the Ayatollah: Stephen Walt on the Risks of Regime Collapse 02.03.2026 37min

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.