Show Notes
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.
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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.
More from Switzerland with Tom Switzer
Kylie Moore-Gilbert spent 804 days in an Iranian prison. Now she is receiving death threats again -- from supporters of the man many hope will replace the regime. She tells Tom Switzer why the Shah’s son is no messiah, whether Trump botched the chance for regime change, and who would actually rule Iran if the Islamic Republic falls.
Rioting, looting and arson have exposed something deeper than youthful discontent in France. Simon Heffer on the collapse of the centre, the rise of Le Pen and Mélenchon, and the possibility that a National Rally victory would intensify the country’s divisions rather than settle them.
John Mearsheimer on why Ukraine cannot win, and why Trump’s pressure on Kyiv is a step towards ending the war. Plus: nearly 50 days after Economic D-Day, is Washington’s campaign against Iran working -- and will Tehran spring an October surprise before the midterms?
The Houthis have survived years of Saudi intervention and an intense American bombing campaign, and now threaten Saudi oil infrastructure and shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb. Elisabeth Kendall on the movement’s origins, its real relationship with Tehran, and whether Riyadh can defend itself without Washington.
Trump has called for Zelensky to be replaced and struck a diesel deal with Moscow weeks out from the midterms. John Mearsheimer and Aaron Maté on what this says about Washington’s commitment to Ukraine -- and on Iran’s attempt to regain the initiative as Gulf attacks send oil prices sharply higher.