The McKay Interview

In this episode, I sit down with Alexandre Fasel , Switzerland’s State Secretary for Foreign Affairs , at the Federal Palace in Bern on 25th November 2024 . With the world in flux, we discuss Switzerland’s evolving role in global diplomacy, security, and multilateralism. We explore: The war in Ukraine and European security: How Switzerland is engaging diplomatically amid rising geopolitical tensio...

In this episode, I sit down once again with Dame Stephanie Shirley, the remarkable IT pioneer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, whose extraordinary life journey—from a Kindertransport refugee to one of Britain’s most influential businesswomen—has inspired many. We discuss: From war refugee to tech trailblazer : How Dame Steve arrived in the UK as a child and went on to build a pioneering software...

In this episode, recorded on the 6th June 2024, I sit down with Jean Ayoub, Secretary General and CEO of International Social Services (ISS) , to uncover the remarkable century-long history of this little-known yet crucial organization. While the Red Cross and Geneva Conventions are globally recognized, ISS has been quietly working across borders for 100 years, handling individual social cases tha...

In this episode, recorded on the 16th June 2024, I sit down with James Fleming, critically acclaimed author and nephew of Ian Fleming, the legendary creator of James Bond. From the picturesque French countryside near Geneva, we discuss Ian Fleming’s literary and personal legacy, the origins of 007 , and the enduring appeal of Bond in both literature and film. We discuss: Ian Fleming’s Swiss connec...

In this episode, I sit down with Maggie Jackson, an award-winning American author and journalist, to explore insights from her latest book, Uncertain: The Wisdom and Wonder of Being Unsure . Jackson challenges our conventional aversion to uncertainty and presents it as a vital skill for creativity, resilience, and adaptability in today's fast-changing world. We discuss: The nature of uncertain...

In this episode, I sit down with David Moran, a seasoned diplomat with extensive experience in Central Asia, the South Caucasus, and Europe. Moran shares his deep insights into the geopolitical complexities of Eurasia, drawing from his time as UK ambassador to countries such as Switzerland and Kazakhstan. Together, we explore a wide range of topics that highlight the historical, cultural, and poli...

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Daniel Warner to analyze Donald Trump's historic victory over Kamala Harris in the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election, held on November 5th. As Trump returns to the White House, becoming both the forty-fifth and forty-seventh president, Dr. Warner provides an in-depth assessment of what Trump did right and where Harris fell short. The interview was recorded on th...

I discuss the imminent, US Presidential Election with Ed Flaherty, an American/Swiss attorney of long experience, based in Geneva, and who is also Legal Counsel to Republicans Overseas Switzerland. We cover the following topics: His prediction of the result His views on the campaigns of Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, and why the votes of the Electoral College are so vitally important The continui...

In this  McKay Interview  I ask Charles Adams To explain if he thought the bundling of President Joe Biden out of running for a second term was unseemly for a head of state What he thought of Kamala Harris, as very few of us seem to know anything about her Whether he thought the attempted assassination of Donald Trump was a piece of theatre or real. Of course, we talked about many other things too...

Insights into the success of managing the most connected airport in the world. In this episode we discuss: -The reasons for his new airport's success -His plans for the future -How he manages the risks and "unknowns" of such a large and dynamic airport.

My discussion with Professor Dubuis centres around food and nutrition, and vaccine and food security. In this episode we discuss: -What functional food is and its place in the diet of a healthy population. -Whether the poor of the world are badly served by the relatively rich north, which appears to pamper itself. -What Switzerland needs to do to ensure security of the supply of vaccines in the ev...

Over a career in finance spanning almost 50 years, Clive Thompson watches, among other things, growing levels of government debt, especially in the USA, and worries about it. In this episode we discuss -Why growing government debt is a problem, especially for the USA. -What happens when government debt becomes intolerable. -As we both live in Switzerland, we spend a little time talking about gover...

As André Schneider's mandate comes to an end after 8 years as CEO, he talks openly to me about the airport, air travel and business. We also discuss his achievements and disappointments; and to what extent air travel has returned to pre-Covid levels. In this episode we discuss: -How the airport makes money -The present day realities of decarbonisation -The airport's exciting plans for futu...

Our topic in this McKay Interview is Tax and Taxation. We discuss the following points: We go back to the very beginning and talk about the origins of Tax, and what Tax was used for -The turbulent history of public consent to pay taxes -The difference between Avoidance and Evasion; the politics of Taxation -The Swiss way of Taxation -Supra-national organizations like the OECD trying to muscle in o...

He is "at home" on 3 continents, having been born in  Madagascar and lived many years in Africa. He studied in the USA, and has his home in Switzerland. Stories of his driving experiences to the ends of the Earth, the vehicle he has chosen, the people he has met, and above all his personal motivation, make fascinating listening! In this episode we discuss: -A sense of the scale of his pl...

Twice President of the Swiss Confederation, and thirteen years a Federal Councillor, Adolf Ogi, one of Switzerland's most admired and popular leaders in modern times shares his personal reflections and some of his guiding principles with me. In this episode we discuss: -The importance of good leadership, and clear and repeated communication to persuade and understand people. -One particular ex...

My wide-ranging interview with Dr Hughes takes place in the year of the 100th anniversary of the International School of Geneva - ISG (1924-2024). In this episode we discuss: -His career journey to one of the top jobs in international education. -How the ISG/Ecolint started and why. -What he and his colleagues are teaching their young charges. -His views on the place of the school, the teacher and...

Professor Julian Lindley-French is Chairman of the Alphen Group in the Netherlands and an expert analyst focussing on security and defence strategy and policy. In this episode we discuss: -Is the world is a safer place than in 2014 when I first interviewed him. -Whether the West is still strong. Also, I put it to him that, perhaps, the West played its good hand badly after the dissolution of the U...

Dr Nadia Sikorsky, a Russian/Swiss dual national, is Co-founder and Editor of NashaGazeta.ch, the first Russian-language online newspaper in Switzerland. In this episode we discuss: -Given what she writes about, whether it is safe for her to visit Russia -What mistakes the West made in dealing with the Russia post-Gorbachev -What it will take for matters to improve for the Russian people.

Just over a year since our last radio conversation, I ask General Hodges -For his assessment of the progress of the war in Ukraine against Russia's illegal invasion -How long he thinks the war will continue -What the West needs to do to support Ukraine better -The interplay between politics and warfare, especially from the perspective of the USA in a Presidential Election year.

ID Quantique has been a Geneva success story for the past 20 years in the area of quantum and cybersecurity. We talk about current developments and where the future may take us in this exciting area. In this episode we discuss: -What is the big picture regarding developments in quantum? -What are the dangers? -What, if anything, should we fear about the direction we are travelling?

This is the second part of my radio conversation with Bru Pearce, started at Eastertime 2023. We discuss in greater detail how to repair the badly damaged biosphere. Restore it to life again. And who pays! It is a complex topic. In this episode we discuss: -How to repair the badly damaged biosphere -Who will pay for it

Insights into the evolution of the Geneva Observatory and its long history; what use Astronomy serves; and Geneva's contribution to the science of Astronomy in the larger frame of research worldwide. In this episode we discuss: -The significant advances in Astronomy during his career. -In a world of bewildering acronyms, what do XRIM, GAIA and EUCLID mean? -I ask Professor Pepe if it is diffic...

General Richards discusses with me matters of war and grand strategy. In this episode we discuss: -The war in Ukraine -His view that Russia has lost the war already, strategically -Whether NATO wants Ukraine to "win" but does not want Russia to "lose" -His lament on the dearth of statesmen and the death of "grand strategy".

Avivah and I discuss the implications of living longer and working longer; what it means for pensions, for younger colleagues in the workplace and for families. We cover the following topic: -Isn't Longevity just a first-world problem? You might be surprised by Avivah's answer. And how will younger people adjust to having work colleagues around them the age of their grandparents!