Shows
Grüezi Amerika. Views from the Sister RepublicEpisode 25 – Migration beyond Myths & PolemicsWe already seem to have forgotten it, but it has only been weeks that President Donald J. Trump federalized the National Guard to re-establish order in the city of Los Angeles amidst protests against deportations of undocumented immigrants. What L.A. mayor Karen Bass and California’s Governor Gavin Newsom condemned as a presidential abuse of power, Republican lawmakers in California considered a necessary step to prevent further escalation. Few issues are as divisive in US politics as immigration – and on few issues do voters see so little progress and true reform. What is the situation at the border real...2025-07-2141 min
Grüezi Amerika. Views from the Sister RepublicEpisode 24 – Happy Fourth of July!Today, Americans celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 - or do they? As you can suspect from such a rhetorical question, the answer is "not quite." In fact, the Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776, but it was only signed later, on August 2, 1776. In this very short episode, we take a look at the history of Independence Day.Further reading: The Declaration of Independence2025-07-0409 min
Durchblick – der tägliche WissenschaftspodcastAusnahmezustand in L.A. - Wie lange kann Trump noch seine Grenzen austesten?Durchblick - der Wissenspodcast
Trump hat versprochen, in der Migrationspolitik «aufzuräumen» und dafür scheint ihm jedes Mittel Recht. Zuerst schickte er die Nationalgarde gegen den Willen des Gouverneurs nach LA und nun sogar Marine-Soldaten. Grenze um Grenze lotet der US-Präsident aus, doch was ist sein «Masterplan»? US-Expertin Claudia Franziska Brühwiler erklärt den Kontext der aktuellen Ausschreitungen und wieso viele Amerikaner davon nicht wirklich überrascht sind.2025-06-1026 min
Grüezi Amerika. Views from the Sister RepublicEpisode 23 – An Insider’s Guide to the Senate by Jason ThielmanIt’s one of America’s most popular political myths: the idea that George Washington considered the Senate necessary as a “legislative cooling saucer.” Just as tea or coffee had to be poured on the saucer to get its temperature down, the Senate was needed to reflect on legislation and be the wiser of the chambers. The idea seems more appealing today than ever, but one wonders how much the Senate still lives up to its wise reputation. With 53 seats, the Republicans are the majority, making a net gain of four seats in the 2024 election. We are in luck that one...2025-06-1043 min
Grüezi Amerika. Views from the Sister RepublicEpisode 22 – New Glarus: A Swiss Founding in WisconsinSince the early 18th Century, an estimated 300,000 Swiss emigrated across the Atlantic and settled in the United States. Thus, more than a million American citizens claim Swiss roots. There’s hardly a place that more proudly celebrates its Swiss ancestry than a small town in Wisconsin: New Glarus. Founded in 1845, the town was founded by emigrants from the Canton of Glarus with which it maintains a close bond. If you are craving for Rösti or the – so we are told – best beer of the region, New Glarus is the place that serves it all! Bekah Stauffacher helps p...2025-05-2626 min
Grüezi Amerika. Views from the Sister RepublicEpisode 21 – A Transatlantic Divorce? America’s Anti-European Foreign PolicyIt was a watershed moment: Vice President JD Vance’s speech at this year’s Munich Security Conference shook European observers. Instead of reaffirming transatlantic ties, the Vice President scolded European governments for what he perceived as the marginalization of dissident voices. The Oval Office confrontation between Presidents Zelenskyj and Trump further fanned fears that the United States might abandon its long-time commitment to European security. And, most recently, a Signal chat between Cabinet members further revealed a disconcerting level of disdain for Europe. While anti-American reflexes are nothing new in transatlantic relations, many observers consider anti-Europeanism as a new...2025-05-1956 min
Grüezi Amerika. Views from the Sister RepublicEpisode 20 – Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me, It’s Katherine Maher!For Europeans, they are a staple of their media habits: public media. Whether it’s the grand old lady BBC in the United Kingdom, or the many different stations run by Switzerland’s SRG/SSR, many Europeans rely on public broadcasting for news and entertainment. According to the EU, 48% of its citizens select public TV and radio stations as a news source they trust most. While funding cuts are not unknown to European public broadcasters, few are subject to constant political battles as seen in the United States: since they went on air in the 1970s, Public Broadcasting Service (PBS...2025-05-1237 min
Grüezi Amerika. Views from the Sister RepublicEpisode 19 – Ryan Enos on the State of the Union – and of the DemocratsFew Harvard professors have been as outspoken against the Trump Administration’s attack against their University as he has: Ryan Enos has spoken at rallies, given interviews, and written in defense of academic freedom. This isn’t a new quest for him, as he was critical of Harvard’s leadership in the wake of October 7. We take Professor Enos’s attendance of the St.Gallen Symposium as an opportunity to discuss the state of the union, and of the Democratic Party in particular.Professor Enos’ research is situated at the intersection of psychology, geography, and politics in the United...2025-05-0742 min
Grüezi Amerika. Views from the Sister RepublicEpisode 18 – Hollywood in Times of Political DivisionDisney turned its beloved Snow White into a live action movie – and no one seems happy: some criticize the casting with a Latina star whose skin is not “white as snow,” while others take issue that the color of skin is a topic of controversy at all. And then there’s the problem of the seven dwarves who are, this time around, not dwarves at all which, again, doesn’t please anyone either. The list goes on, and it is exemplary of the way some movies get caught up in the U.S. culture wars. But is this an entirely n...2025-04-2837 min
Grüezi Amerika. Views from the Sister RepublicEpisode 17 – Rollercoaster Economics 101 with Simon EvenettMany tried to predict what Donald J. Trump’s first 100 days in office would amount to. The best advice stemmed from Karl Rove, long-time Republican strategist and political legend: “Buckle up, buttercup!” And yes, a wild ride it has been, particularly since “liberation day” which brought tariffs for America’s friends and foes alike, even uninhabited islands. While some have dismissed Trump’s economic agenda as sheer madness, others claim to detect method and believe it all part of a larger plan to plunge the US into recession. But is there any truth to these claims? What to make of the economi...2025-04-2250 min
Grüezi Amerika. Views from the Sister RepublicEpisode 16 – It Happened Here – or Did It?“But – it can’t happen here!” many Americans asserted in light of the Nazi takeover in Germany. Novelist and muckraker Sinclair Lewis ran with this line and sentiment, outlining a scenario in It Can’t Happen Here (1935) in which it did happen: an authoritarian turn in the United States. Similarly, Philip Roth imagined The Plot against America (2004) in which Franklin Delano Roosevelt would lose the election to “America First Committee” candidate Charles Lindbergh. Scholars and journalists now claim that it has indeed happened here and the plot against America was successful. The “coup from within” succeeded in ringing in “technofascist” age...2025-04-1639 min
Grüezi Amerika. Views from the Sister RepublicEpisode 15 – Emil Frey: Vom US-Bürgerkrieg in den BundesratEmil Frey (1838-1922) war bislang nicht nur der einzige Bundesrat aus dem Kanton Basel-Land, sondern auch – laut der NZZ – «der abenteuerlichste Bundesrat, den die Schweiz je hatte»: Ausgerechnet im amerikanischen Schicksalsjahr 1860 reiste er gemeinsam mit seinem Cousin in die USA, ursprünglich, um sich als Agronom weiterzubilden. Letztlich blieb er fünf Jahre, um im Bürgerkrieg für die Nordstaaten zu kämpfen. Bei Gettysburg geriet er als Major in Kriegsgefangenschaft. Ein Stoff, der in den USA verfilmt würde – in der Schweiz wurde er zum Roman: «Der Amerikaner im Bundesrat. Stationen im Leben des Emil Frey» von Markus Wüest, mi...2025-04-0739 min
Grüezi Amerika. Views from the Sister RepublicEpisode 14 – Poland Leading the European Way under Trump 2.0?"Si vis pacem, para bellum" – "If you want peace, prepare for war." This could become the new motto of Europe under the second Trump Administration: it had been well-known that President Trump asks European states to strengthen their armies and expand their defense budgets. But it has only been in the wake of Vice President JD Vance’s talk at the 61st Munich Security Conference and the disastrous press conference with President Zelenskyi that all European states are starting to take Trump seriously. Poland is decidedly ahead of the curve: in 2024, it spent 4.12% of its GDP on defense. Ho...2025-03-3134 min
Grüezi Amerika. Views from the Sister RepublicEpisode 13 – Trump in the Ivory Tower: Academic Freedom under Assault?Scientific freedom under assault? The headlines and numbers are worrisome: amidst federal funding cuts, even the wealthiest research universities have been forced to cut PhD positions and research projects, putting careers and scientific progress in jeopardy. Researchers abroad are likewise affected if and when they collaborate with US colleagues in federally funded projects. What is the significance of these federal funds for public and private institutions of higher educations? Why have some colleges opted out of federal funding in the first place? And what is the aim of the Trump Administration’s attack against science? Is it simply backlash ag...2025-03-2646 min
Grüezi Amerika. Views from the Sister RepublicEpisode 12 – Law & OrderVon amerikanischen Krimi- und Gerichtsserien bis zu True Crime-Podcasts und Dokumentationen: Viele von uns tauchen immer wieder einmal in die US-(Verbrechens)Welt ein. Obschon sie uns durch Film und Audio bekannt ist, bleibt vieles fremd: die Rolle von Staatsanwälten, die teils absurd anmutenden Strafmasse oder das Festhalten an der Todesstrafe. Im Gespräch mit Prof. Nora Markwalder gehen wir dem, was uns so befremdet, auf den Grund. Prof. Nora Markwalder ist Ordinaria für Strafrecht an der Universität St.Gallen, hat in Lausanne studiert und in Zürich promoviert. Zudem führten sie zwei längere...2025-03-1633 min
Grüezi Amerika. Views from the Sister RepublicEpisode 11 – The 2nd Certainty in Life – Taxes!53% of Americans are "very bothered" by the complexity of the US tax system – rightly so, explains Prof. Peter Hongler in this episode of "Views from the Sister Republic". While it bears some similarities to the Swiss one, it differs in many important aspects, such as the lack of a value-added tax (VAT). What are the reasons for these differences? What should we make of Donald J. Trump’s ideas? And what changes would an expert prioritize?Prof. Peter Hongler dives into these questions and shows that taxes can be quite fun to discuss! Peter joined the University of S...2025-03-0939 min
radio klassik StephansdomFrauenstimmen_Wann gibt es die erste US-Präsidentin?Wir fragen Claudia Franziska Brühwiler, Professorin für Amerika-Studien an der Universität St. Gallen.2025-03-0604 min
Grüezi Amerika. Views from the Sister RepublicEpisode 10 – Mit Peter Hossli am Puls AmerikasSeit Donald J. Trump wieder im Amt ist scheinen die USA und die Welt in fieberhafter Erregung. Nie wurde so minutiös über jede Amtshandlung eines Präsidenten berichtet, wie dies bei Trump der Fall ist. Dabei überbieten sich die Medien in dystopischen Zukunftsszenarien. Doch wie viel ist auf die Prognosen jener zu geben, die einen Wahlsieg Kamala Harris’ vorausgesagt haben? Auch deutschsprachige Medien tun sich schwer damit, Amerika den Puls zu nehmen und der Öffentlichkeit zu vermitteln, wie (unterschiedlich) das Land tickt. Warum das so ist, diskutieren wir in dieser Folge mit Peter Hossli. Mit 29 Jahren zog Pete...2025-03-0237 min
Grüezi Amerika. Views from the Sister RepublicEpisode 9 – The Dismantling of the Administrative State?Already in his first run for the presidency, Donald J. Trump promised voters to "drain the swamp" and reign in the administrative state. To this end, the new administration created the temporary Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) which – under the controversial guidance of Elon Musk – intends to save the federal state one to two trillion US Dollars. For the past few weeks, various measures by DOGE have led some to claim that we are currently witnessing an "administrative coup" or a "coup from within". But is that indeed the case? And how revolutionary are the measures pursued by DOGE?2025-02-2352 min
Grüezi Amerika. Views from the Sister RepublicEpisode 8 – Taiwan: the Most Dangerous Place on Earth in the age of Trump 2.0In 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 ex...2025-02-0936 min
Grüezi Amerika. Views from the Sister RepublicEpisode 7 – Wie die «Swiss Miss» den USA das Referendum brachteDie 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 amerikani...2025-01-2638 min
Grüezi Amerika. Views from the Sister RepublicEpisode 6 – God and Growth: Donald J. Trump's 2nd Inaugural AddressInaugural 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)2025-01-2116 min
Grüezi Amerika. Views from the Sister RepublicEpisode 5 – US-Russian Relations and the War against UkraineDuring 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...2025-01-121h 00
Grüezi Amerika. Views from the Sister RepublicEpisode 4 – Bonus: Santa at the White House‘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.LinksAmerica’s Favorite Christmas Movies Ranked by State2024-12-2206 min
Grüezi Amerika. Views from the Sister RepublicEpisode 3 – Is It the Economy, Stupid?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 w...2024-12-1840 min
Grüezi Amerika. Views from the Sister RepublicEpisode 2 – Making Sense of the ElectionWhat 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...2024-12-1511 min
Grüezi Amerika. Views from the Sister RepublicEpisode 1 – Who's afraid of Donald Trump?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...2024-12-1143 min
Grüezi Amerika. Views from the Sister RepublicGrüezi Amerika. Views from the Sister Republic – TrailerWhat 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...2024-12-0602 min
DemokratzerEp. 30 - US-Wahlen 2024: Was ist zu erwarten?
Am 5. November 2024 finden in den USA die 60. Präsidentschafts- und Kongresswahlen statt. Das Rennen zwischen den beiden Kandidierenden Kamala Harris und Donald Trump ist laut Umfragen noch offen und die Kandidierenden könnten nicht unterschiedlicher sein: Wie ist die aktuelle Stimmung in den USA? Wie verlief der bisherige Wahlkampf und was wird für den Wahltag erwartet? Wie steht es mit dem Vertrauen der Bevölkerung in die Kandidierenden? Welche Auswirkungen hätte die Wahl von Kamala Harris als erste Präsidentin der USA? Was wäre von einer erneuten Trump-Präsidentschaft zu erwarten und würde er eine Nichtwahl...2024-10-311h 26
AKTIV RADIOINTERVIEW - Prof. Dr. Claudia Franziska Brühwiler - 27.05.2024INTERVIEW - Prof. Dr. Claudia Franziska Brühwiler - 27.05.20242024-05-2759 min
Studio Schweizer MonatMacher und Denker #3: Sara Hürlimann und Claudia Franziska BrühwilerSara Hürlimann, Mit-Gründerin von zahnarztzentrum.ch, und Claudia Franziska Brühwiler, Staatswissenschafterin und Dozentin für Amerika-Studien an der Uni St. Gallen, sprechen über Unternehmertum in der Schweiz und den USA, Antisemitismus und über die Autorin Ayn Rand.
Diese Folge wurde in unserer Redaktion in Zürich am 12. März 2024 aufgenommen.2024-04-0547 min
1776 - Der USA-PodcastWas ist los an amerikanischen Universitäten?
Ein Gespräch mit HSG-Professorin und USA-Expertin Claudia Franziska Brühwiler über Antisemitismus, freie Meinungsäusserung und die Krise der Geisteswissenschaften in Amerika.2023-12-2424 min
Dirty Deeds Done WellEpisode 59: 1on1 mit Prof. Claudia Franziska Brühwiler, Expertin für amerikanische Kultur und PolitikBud Light - Culture War in den USA | Wahlwerbung - Präsidentschaftswahlkampf 2024
In den USA tobt ein «Culture War», in den immer mehr Unternehmen und Marken hineingezogen werden. Es scheint Verlierer - wie BUD LIGHT - und Gewinner - wie NIKE - zu geben. Wie sollten Marken in diesem Kontext positioniert werden?
Auf über zehn Milliarden US-Dollar wird das kumulierte Werbebudget für den amerikanischen Präsidentschaftswahlkampf 2024 geschätzt. Bei den Republikanern geht es schon jetzt in den Primaries hart zur Sache. Um sich gegen Donald Trump in Stellung zu bringen, fluten Kandidaten, wie Ron DeSantis, oder Kandida...2023-12-2127 min
Literaturclub: Zwei mit BuchNell Zink: «Avalon» - Wie steht es um den amerikanischen Traum?Nell Zink zeigt mit ihrem neuen Roman verschiedene Aspekte des American Dream. Erzählt mit beissendem Humor, einer Liebe zu skurrilen Figuren und mythischen Motiven. Nicola Steiner spricht mit Franziska Hirsbrunner über das Buch und mit Claudia Brühwiler über die Idee des American Dream.
Die Jugendliche Bran hat schon früh Vater und Mutter verloren und wächst unter prekären Verhältnissen auf einer Farm in Torrance an der Ostküste der USA auf. Mit einer Clique aus kuriosen Freunden schafft sie die Highschool, aber anstatt aufs College zu gehen, muss sie sich anschliessend mit Gelegenheitsjobs durchschlagen. Eines Tages ler...2023-08-1126 min
StadTalkStadTalk mit Claudia BrühwilerTrump, Abtreibungsverbot, Waffengesetz und Weltpolitik: Demokraten und Republikaner liegen sich in den Haaren. Mit der USA-Expertin und HSG-Dozentin Claudia Franziska Brühwiler sprechen wir über die Lage in den USA und wie die Gesellschaft dort auseinanderdriftet. Wie viel Spielraum wird Joe Biden in seiner zweiten Amtshälfte noch haben?
Moderation: Christian Huggenberg2023-02-241h 22
HSG StartWoche PodcastSeason 1 Episode 2 - Interview mit Amerika Expertin Frau Dr. BrühwilerDie StartWochen-Fallstudie dreht sich dieses Jahr rund um das Thema Polarisierung und wie jedes Jahr wurden Experten und Expertinnen zur Diskussion eingeladen, um die neueintretenden Studierenden zu inspirieren und bei der Entwicklung einer Depolarisierungsstrategie zu unterstützen. Das Media Team hatte die Möglichkeit ein Interview mit einer der Expertinnen, Frau Dr. Claudia Franziska Brühwiler, Privatdozentin an der Universität St. Gallen (HSG) und Amerika Expertin zu führen. So konnten Fragen zur Verschärfung der Polarisierung in der Gesellschaft, aber auch zu ihrem Aufenthalt in der USA und früheren Studium an der HSG selbst gestellt werden.2022-09-1515 min
Studio Schweizer MonatStudio Libero #26 mit Claudia Franziska BrühwilerDie promovierte Politikwissenschaftlerin Claudia Franziska Brühwiler erklärt, warum man das Werk der russisch-amerikanischen Schriftstellerin Ayn Rand Pflichtlektüre für alle jene ist, die von sich behaupten, etwas von amerikanischer Politik und Kultur zu verstehen. Moderation: Vojin Saša Vukadinović, Redaktor «Schweizer Monat».2021-11-1932 min