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PODCAST

Grüezi Amerika. Views from the Sister Republic

Claudia Franziska Brühwiler

Since January 20, 2025, we are officially in the era of Trump 2.0. But is it, will it be any different from Trump 1.0? And what do the events across the Atlantic mean for us in Europe? 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,

society & culture social sciences

All Episodes

36:35

Episode 32 – Making a Home in America

Grüezi Amerika. Views from the Sister Republic ·

2025/10/26

Owning a home, surrounded by a white picket fence – that’s what many consider part of the proverbial American dream. However, Americans are increasingly pessimistic that they will ever become homeowners - they are aware that significantly more people are looking for houses than the market has on offer: there is a shortage of over 4.7 million homes. In addition, nearly a third of American households are “cost burdenend,” meaning that they need to spend at least 30% of their incomes on housing. In

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45:07

Episode 31 – «The Business of Human Emotion». Ins...

Grüezi Amerika. Views from the Sister Republic ·

2025/10/08

«I’m in the business of human emotion,» erklärte sie letztens im Podcast ihres Verlobten – ein Business, das sie beherrscht wie niemand zuvor: Taylor Swift ist die erste Person, die mit ihrer Musik allein eine Milliarde Dollar verdient hat; kein Musiker hat mehr American Music Awards gewonnen; als einzige durfte sie viermal einen Grammy für das Album des Jahres entgegennehmen; kein Song auf Platz 1 der US-Charts war länger als das zehnminütige «All Too Well»; und selbst die Podcastepisode mit ihrem

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44:09

Episode 30 – «This is not who we are». Gewalt in Amerika

Grüezi Amerika. Views from the Sister Republic ·

2025/09/28

«This is not who we are – we are good people», war nicht nur Präsident Joe Bidens Reaktion auf Auswüchse politischer Gewalt, sondern ist ein vielgehörter Satz, wann immer es in den USA zu Massenschiessereien oder politischen Attentaten kommt. Seit der Ermordung des Politaktivisten Charlie Kirk dominiert jedoch die Angst vor zunehmender Gewaltbereitschaft: Zwar lehnen in beiden politischen Lager eine überdeutliche Mehrheit der Amerikanerinnen und Amerikaner politisch motivierte Gewalt ab, doch

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52:11

Episode 29 – Ordnung and Gemee. The Amish and Their...

Grüezi Amerika. Views from the Sister Republic ·

2025/09/14

2025 is a special year in the history Christianity. Not only is it a holy year for Roman Catholics, it also marks the 500th anniversary of a movement that has its roots in Switzerland. While many took note of the Reformationsjahr 2017, the 500 year-celebration of the reformation, few are aware of the 2.1 million people worldwide who are celebrating an event that took place in Zurich: on January 21st in 1525, people witnessed the first adult baptism, or re-baptism. This marked the beginnings of the

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48:15

Episode 28 – Mit Trumps Washington verhandeln. Ein...

Grüezi Amerika. Views from the Sister Republic ·

2025/09/02

39 Prozent. Ausgerechnet am Vorabend des Schweizer Nationalfeiertags verkündete die Regierung Donald J. Trumps, dass die Schweiz seinen «Zollhammer» zu spüren bekommt und nur vier andere Länder mit noch höheren Zöllen auf Exporte in die USA konfrontiert sind. Die Tageszeitung «Blick» färbte die Titelseite schwarz, es hagelte Anschuldigungen gegen Bundespräsidentin Karin Keller-Sutter und ihr Verhandlungsteam, man habe zu wenig keck und mutig verhandelt, privatwirtschaftliche Netzwerke ungenügend

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50:47

Episode 27 – Gewisper in Washington. Amerika hinter...

Grüezi Amerika. Views from the Sister Republic ·

2025/08/17

Schlagzeilen über Amerikas Politik und Gesellschaft sind meist laut und schrill, besonders seit Donald J. Trumps zweitem Amtsantritt. Und sie sind paradoxerweise lauter und schriller diesseits des Atlantiks, wie auch der freie Journalist und Autor Marc Neumann bemerkt. In seinen Beiträgen, u.a. für die Neue Zürcher Zeitung und seinen LinkedIn-Blog Neumanns Whisper, fokussiert er stattdessen auf die Realität hinter den vereinfachenden Erzählungen und horcht auf die Zwischentöne. Im Gespräch mit

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51:44

Episode 26 – American Compass and the New Conservatives

Grüezi Amerika. Views from the Sister Republic ·

2025/07/28

American Compass is, at 5 years, a relatively young think tank, but it has already become well-known for mapping an alternative to right-wing economic orthodoxy. Its founder, Oren Cass, has tirelessly explained the reason why American Compass believes the US economy – and, above all, US workers, will benefit from an overall tariff of 10 percent and why the initial pains will be rewarded with substantial gains. Vice President JD Vance has embraced the course of American Compass, Secretary of State

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41:40

Episode 25 – Migration beyond Myths & Polemics

Grüezi Amerika. Views from the Sister Republic ·

2025/07/20

We 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 –

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09:45

Episode 24 – Happy Fourth of July!

Grüezi Amerika. Views from the Sister Republic ·

2025/07/03

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 Independence

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43:56

Episode 23 – An Insider’s Guide to the Senate by...

Grüezi Amerika. Views from the Sister Republic ·

2025/06/09

It’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

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26:50

Episode 22 – New Glarus: A Swiss Founding in Wisconsin

Grüezi Amerika. Views from the Sister Republic ·

2025/05/25

Since 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

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56:26

Episode 21 – A Transatlantic Divorce? America’s...

Grüezi Amerika. Views from the Sister Republic ·

2025/05/18

It 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

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37:00

Episode 20 – Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me, It’s Katherine...

Grüezi Amerika. Views from the Sister Republic ·

2025/05/11

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

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42:43

Episode 19 – Ryan Enos on the State of the Union –...

Grüezi Amerika. Views from the Sister Republic ·

2025/05/06

Few 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

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37:03

Episode 18 – Hollywood in Times of Political Division

Grüezi Amerika. Views from the Sister Republic ·

2025/04/27

Disney 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

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50:40

Episode 17 – Rollercoaster Economics 101 with Simon...

Grüezi Amerika. Views from the Sister Republic ·

2025/04/21

Many 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

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39:12

Episode 16 – It Happened Here – or Did It?

Grüezi Amerika. Views from the Sister Republic ·

2025/04/15

“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

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39:26

Episode 15 – Emil Frey: Vom US-Bürgerkrieg in den...

Grüezi Amerika. Views from the Sister Republic ·

2025/04/06

Emil 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

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34:43

Episode 14 – Poland Leading the European Way under...

Grüezi Amerika. Views from the Sister Republic ·

2025/03/30

"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

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46:12

Episode 13 – Trump in the Ivory Tower: Academic...

Grüezi Amerika. Views from the Sister Republic ·

2025/03/26

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

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