Switzerland with Tom Switzer

Whether the memorandum of understanding ultimately survives political opposition in Tehran, Washington and Jerusalem remains to be seen. What is clear is that the latest tensions over the Strait of Hormuz is a reminder of how fragile the situation remains in the Persian Gulf and how uncertain the prospects are for a durable peace. Will Donald Trump follow through on his threats that the United States could become the “guardian angel” of the Strait of Hormuz? Could recent White House criticism of the Jewish state mark the contours of an effort to de-specialise the US-Israel relationship? Such a stance no doubt causes panic in much of Washington, but will it resonate with Middle America, especially among younger demographics? Today’s guests are John Mearsheimer from the University of Chicago and Trita Parsi from the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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