Afleveringen
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In May 2021, the British weekly The Economist declared Taiwan to be "The Most Dangerous Place on Earth." While the advent of war in the Middle East and Ukraine suggest that the 2021 cover story was hyperbolic, the small island in the South China Sea is indeed at the center of a conflict that is repeatedly called "the New Cold War": Taiwan’s future is contingent on US-Chinese relations. And these also affect the rest of the world, not least export-driven economies such as Switzerland. How much has the situation of Taiwan been affected by changing US Administrations? What does Taiwan expect – or fear – from Donald J. Trump’s return to the White House? And what aspects of Chinese-US relations should we pay most attention to in Europe?
Professor Simona Grano is the right person to ask all that: a Senior Lecturer at the University of Zurich, her studies of Sinology at Ca’Foscari University of Venice quickly led her develop a regional expertise beyond the People’s Republic of China. In her research, she likewise addresses the challenges of Hong Kong and Taiwan. She regularly comments on developments in the region in the media.
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Die Idee, dass die Schweiz und die USA «Schwesterrepubliken» respektive «Sister Republics» sind, reicht bis ins 18. Jahrhundert zurück. Kurz nach der amerikanischen Unabhängigkeitserklärung schrieb der Berner Gelehrte Jean-Rodolphe Vautravers keinem geringeren als Benjamin Franklin: «Lasst uns vereint sein als Schwester-Republiken.» Anlässlich der 700-Jahr-Feier der Eidgenossenschaft 1991 beschwor auch die Library of Congress in Washington D.C. diese schwesterliche Bande. In einem Begleitband dazu hiess es: «Von 1776 an verliefen die politischen Entwicklungen in beiden Ländern oft parallel, und an geschichtlichen Wendepunkten diente die Verfassung des einen Landes derjenigen des anderen als Modell.»
Die Modellhaftigkeit der amerikanischen Verfassung ist vielen bekannt und sie ist augenfällig, wenn wir unser Zweikammersystem mit jenem der USA vergleichen. Aber inwiefern auch die Schweiz für Amerika Modell stand? Das beleuchten wir in dieser Folge mit Professor Stefan G. Schmid, der – nach Stationen in Zürich, Bern und Berkeley – seit 2019 an der Universität St.Gallen einen Lehrstuhl für Öffentliches Recht innehat. In seiner Habilitationsschrift widmet er sich einem besonderen Schweizer Exportgut: dem Referendum.
Gerade grosse Gliedstaaten wie Kalifornien mit seinen inzwischen rund 39 Millionen Einwohnerinnen und Einwohnern widerlegen den häufig gehörten Einwand, dass direkte Demokratie nur in kleinen und überschaubaren Verhältnissen möglich sei. – Stefan G. SchmidBuchnachweis:
Stefan G. Schmid. Das Referendum in den USA. Eine verfassungsgeschichtlich-staatsrechtliche Untersuchung unter besonderer Berücksichtigung historischer Bezüge zur Schweizer Referendumsdemokratie. DIKE/Nomos, 2022.
Zur Illustration:
Urheberrecht: public domain
Beschreibung in Stefans Buch, S.165: Die Schweiz bietet der Welt das Referendum an («Le Referendum en Suisse.») Unten von links: die Personifikationen der USA, des Deutschen Kaiserreichs, der Französischen Republik und des Vereinigten Königreichs Grossbritannien und Irland. Urheber: Daniel Carter Beard
Veröffentlicht im Magazin «Cosmpolitan» im Jahr 1893.
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Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
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Inaugural addresses serve several purposes: Presidents outline their agenda, they signal American citizens that they will serve all of them, irrespective of their background and beliefs, and they reassure America's allies of their ongoing support. While Donald J. Trump did indeed announce his agenda and his next steps, his second inaugural address was unusually partisan and combative.
Reading suggestion:
How to Hide an Empire: A Short History of the Greater United States by Daniel Immerwahr (DE: Das heimliche Imperium: Die USA als moderne Kolonialmacht)
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During his election campaign, Donald J. Trump promised to end Russia’s war against Ukraine within 24 hours. Ever since, pundits and scholars have debated the success rate of such an endeavor and, more generally, the implications of Trump 2.0 for Ukraine’s future. Yet to assess such scenarios, it is necessary to look back at the path that led Russia to war and how its relations with both the US, Ukraine, and the EU evolved in the past decades. This episode looks at this complicated history with Professor Michael Kimmage whose book Collisions: The Origins of the War in Ukraine and the New Global Instability was published in 2024 to critical and scholarly acclaim.
The read that Putin has of the U.S. is less Trump focused in 2019, 2020, 2021, when he is making the decision about the invasion. I think it's more about polarization in the U.S., that the U.S. is just not working very well. It's not very cohesive. It doesn't stick by its decisions: it invades Afghanistan and then it withdraws, and it invades Iraq and doesn't achieve its mission. Contempt - that's the word I would use about Putin and the United States: contempt. It's not fear of the United States, it's contempt that he has. – Michael KimmageMichael Kimmage has a truly transatlantic perspective on US-Russian relations: with a doctorate from Harvard and Bachelor degrees from both Oberlin College and Oxford University, he has spent several years teaching and doing research in Europe, for instance at LMU and Vilnius University. He was a professor of history at the Catholic University of America from 2005 until the end of 2024, and he will now start as the director of Wilson Center’s Kennan Institute. From 2014 until 2017, he served in the US State Department. He has written several books and his analysis is frequently published in, among many, Foreign Affairs.
And here are Michael Kimmage’s reading recommendations:
Margaret MacMillan: Paris 1919: Six Months that Changed the WorldRichard Pipes: The Russian Revolution (also available in German)Serhii Plokhy: The Russo-Ukrainian War and The Gates of Europe: A History of Ukraine
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‘tis the season to be merry! Every year, the First Lady gets to preside over the Christmas decorations at the White House and the president gets to spread festive cheer. This might sound very unpolitical, but every so often the choice of tinsel causes a stir. Join the host Claudia Brühwiler for a short walk down a seasonal walk down presidential memory lane.
Links
America’s Favorite Christmas Movies Ranked by State
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President Bill Clinton’s electoral slogan "It’s the Economy, Stupid!" has hardly been more popular than now: according to exit polls, the economy was the number 1 reason for voters to support Donald J. Trump. But how can that be the case when the US economy is – according to "The Economist" – "the envy of the world"? Was Bidenomics as bad as its reputation? And how much can presidents actually influence the course of the economy?
Let’s ask an economist: Dr. Stefan Legge will help us separate facts from (electoral) fiction. He is an award-winning teacher and lecturer who is currently head of tax and trade policy at the Institute of Law and Economics (ILE-HSG).
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What helps us understand – and, for some, to cope with – the outcome of the US elections? Of course, exit polls and analyses of seasoned observers, scholars, and political players are a necessary first step to grasp the situation. But there are other avenues that help us make sense of the current American moment, as host Claudia Brühwiler suggests: reading books that do not address the present specifically, but teach us more enduring lessons.
The books mentioned are:
"Exit Ghost" by Philipp Roth"The Politics of Rage" by Dan T. Carter"They Called Us Enemy" by George Takei
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How dangerous is Trump 2.0 – and is the incoming president a danger at all? Prof. Christoph Frei joins the host, Claudia Brühwiler, to discuss the outcome of the US presidential elections and the possible impact of a second Trump presidency on US democratic institutions. Together, they assess the strengths of the famous “checks and balances,” the importance of the federalism, and other veto players who might limit Donald J. Trump’s ability to implement his agenda.
Prof. Christoph Frei teaches history of political thought, international governance, and world politics at the University of St.Gallen. An award-winning researcher and lecturer, he spent formative research years in the United States and has maintained strong ties to the States throughout his career.
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What a roller-coaster of an election year this has been! The term "historic" tends to be over-used, but 2024 has definitely earned its place in the history books:
The first election with a convicted felon running for president who gets nearly shot not once but twice! The first election in which a woman of color gets nominated by a major party – but only after the incumbent is forced to drop out of the race. And yes, this is also set to have been the most expensive election year in American history.But what now? What happens next – and how will it affect us here in Europe, particularly here in Switzerland?
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!
