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 of four seats in the 2024 election. We are in luck that one of the key architects of the victorious campaign is a guest at this year’s St.Gallen Symposium and can take us behind the scenes of the US Senate: Jason Thielman.

Jason Thielman is the Principal Founder of S2R Public Affairs. He previously served as Chief of Staff to Senator Steve Daines, a member of the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. During the 2024 election cycle, he was Executive Director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), where he played a pivotal role in securing the Republican Senate majority.

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 is the place that serves it all!

Bekah Stauffacher helps preserve the Swiss spirit of New Glarus: an archeologist by training and a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, she is the president and CEO of The Swiss Center of North America, a nonprofit organization located in New Glarus, Wisconsin, that shares the stories of the Swiss in America and Canada through its museum and archives.

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 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 phenomenon. But is that true? What might be historical precursors of Trump’s foreign policy? And are we indeed witnessing a transatlantic divorce?

Jack Thompson is the perfect person to the current changes in foreign policy as his career not only crisscrosses the Atlantic but also practice and academia: prior to joining the University of Amsterdam as a Lecturer in American Studies, he worked as a Team Head and Senior Researcher at the Center for Security Studies, ETH Zurich, Senior Strategic Analyst at The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies, and Lecturer at The Clinton Institute, University College Dublin. His first monograph, Great Power Rising: Theodore Roosevelt and the Politics of U.S. Foreign Policy (Oxford University Press), won the 2020 Theodore Roosevelt Association Book Prize. He also co-edited three books, including Progressivism in America: Past, Present, and Future (Oxford University Press). He holds a Ph.D. in history from the University of Cambridge and a M.A. in American Foreign Policy and International Economics from The Johns Hopkins University SAIS.

Links to recommended podcasts:

• The Ezra Klein Show, ‘The Ezra Klein Show’ - The New York Times
• Know Your Enemy, Know Your Enemy Archives - Dissent Magazine
• Ross Douthat, "Interesting Times," Opinion | Introducing ‘Interesting Times’ - The New York Times
• The Joe Rogan Experience, JRE - 10 Years in Review
• Theo Von, This Past Weekend, Theo Von - YouTube
• Steve Bannon's War Room, „Bannon`s War Room“-Podcast –Apple Podcasts