Bulletin 2013 on Swiss Security Policy

The 'Bulletin on Swiss Security Policy' ('Bulletin zur schweizerischen Sicherheitspolitik') has been published annually since 1991. For the 2013 issue, in addition to the longer main articles and short descriptions of CSS projects - this year, focusing on the CSS’s think tank activities and a project on the role of religion in mediation processes - two new features were introduced: interviews and external contributions. Ueli Maurer, who was serving as Switzerland’s federal president until the end of 2013, discussed the Security Policy Report 2014/2015 with special attention to future wars and the implications of Switzerland’s changed geostrategic environment for the country’s security policy. Federal Councilor Burkhalter, who in 2014 serves as foreign minister and as federal president, but also as OSCE chairman-inoffice, discussed the Swiss OSCE presidency and reveals his expectations for concrete progress particularly in the Western Balkans. The new category of 'External Contribution' invites input from voices outside the CSS: In the 2013 edition, two members of the 'foraus' foreign-policy think tank debate the issue of free movement, which is certain to make waves in Switzerland in 2014. The first contribution in this year’s Bulletin questions the accepted wisdom about the supposed crisis of the OSCE and weighs the risks of Switzerland’s chairmanship against the opportunities for Swiss foreign policy. The second contribution is a critical investigation of the Swiss-Russian strategic partnership. At the end of 2013 - three years after the outbreak of revolutions in various Arab countries - it’s been time for a sober analysis of Switzerland’s North African policy. As the third contribution shows, Switzerland fundamentally reshaped its policy vis-à-vis Egypt, Libya, and Tunisia in March 2011. The fourth article is dedicated to the question of security in public space.