CSS Annual Report 2024
In the CSS Annual Report 2024, you can read more about the main focuses and activities of CSS in a year in which an already profound geopolitical shift became more marked – with serious implications for global security.
2024 was a year in which an already profound geopolitical shift became more marked – with serious implications for global security. We are seeing a trend toward power politics at the expense of multilateralism and international law, and a fragmentation of geopolitics and the global economy. The election of Donald Trump to the White House in November reflects this trend, and will likely accelerate it. As a result, Switzerland’s security environment is also changing rapidly. This is shown, among other things, by the Federal Council’s decision to draw up a security policy strategy for the first time in Switzerland’s history. The State Secretariat for Security Policy (SEPOS), which was set up in 2024, has been tasked with leading this process.
“Our mark of distinction: Linking academia and political consultancy.”Prof. Andreas Wenger
The Mission Statement of the Center for Security Studies has never been more relevant given the current global upheaval. As the Swiss center of excellence for security policy issues based at ETH Zurich, we promote understanding of current security policy challenges, contexts and connections by building a bridge between academia and security policy practice. We do this in close collaboration with our strategic partners – the Federal Department of Defense, Civil Protection and Sport (DDPS) and the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA). But we do more than just support Swiss and international security policy and peace promotion by providing academic expertise, we also help people understand complex aspects of security policy through our teaching activities, and provide insight-driven and politically independent analyses for the wider public.
In light of the global tectonic shifts taking place and the growing importance of hybrid threats, a comprehensive concept of security is crucial to us here at the CSS. We work at the intersection of defense, foreign security policy and domestic security. And we do so in the knowledge that a joined-up approach combining national resilience, civil-military defense and international security cooperation – including peace promotion – is vital if we want to tackle the current security policy challenges successfully.
In this report I’m delighted to show you how we at the CSS worked toward our vision in 2024, with our highly qualified team involved in research, teaching and think tank activities.