Center for Security Studies

No. 20: Swiss Neutrality

No. 20: Swiss Neutrality

Author(s): Daniel Möckli
Editor(s): Daniel Möckli
Series: CSS Analyses in Security Policy
Issue: 20
Publisher(s): Center for Security Studies (CSS), ETH Zurich
Publication Year: 2007

The interpretation of Swiss neutrality is subject of a controversial debate between Swiss traditionalists and advocates of a more active foreign policy. The rhetorical omnipresence of neutrality in domestic politics obscures the fact that its relevance in foreign and security policy has strongly decreased. At the same time, it prevents a substantial discussion of the underlying irreconcilable visions of Switzerland's role in the world that are inhibiting the country's capacity to act. There is a need for a strategy process to both identify the core foreign and security policy interests of Switzerland and derive mandates for appropriate instruments.

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