From Armed Neutrality to External Dependence: Swiss Security in the 21^stCentury

Abstract

Historically, Swiss identity was founded on beliefs in federalism, direct democracy and armed neutrality. Given continued popular support for autonomous self-defense in an era of transnational threats, it is worth examining whether a small economically interdependent state, such as Switzerland, is single-handedly capable of providing for its own security. To preview our conclusions, every facet of Switzerland's security, whether against military threats, terrorism or natural disasters, today benefits from substantial international inputs. At base, Switzerland's increasing security dependence has been driven by the following dynamics: 1) the general development of institutionalized international cooperation; 2) the evolving nature of the threats Switzerland faces; and 3) political efforts to ''securitize'' issues not hitherto considered as security problems. Because Swiss security dependence owes more to broad structural factors than deliberate choices, policymakers would be better off embracing this reality by proactively using international organizations to address transnational challenges.

Permanent Neutrality and the UN Security Council

“…During the time of the League of Nations in the inter-war period, economic sanctions were widely seen as problematic for states adhering to peacetime neutrality, 36 whereas writers such as Lauterpacht theorised that the Council could mandate individual states to wage war. 37 Enjoying the luxuries of its geographic position and having emerged from the Second World War with its neutrality, and territorial integrity, entirely intact, 38 Switzerland elected to remain aloof from the UN, opting to avoid even 'formal' conflicts between its neutrality and express international legal obligations. 39 Faced with these possibilities, and cognisant of the position of their Swiss neighbours, Austrian writers put forward numerous variations of a solution based on the law of state responsibility-in essence, accepting that the Security Council's Chapter VII powers could be used to frustrate, or perhaps override, Austria's neutral rights; the argument was instead made that the individual members of the Council were not permitted to support or compel the production of such a resolution due to their bilateral commitments to Austria.…”

Stalna neutralnost u Zapadnoj Evropi i strateška kultura

“…Карш затим прави дистинкцију две међузависне компоненте оперативне димензије неутралности: позитивне, која се састоји од политичког деловања којим се зараћене стране убеђују у корисност одржања неутралног статуса држава, и негативне, која је заснована на одвраћању и којом ће се предочити "диспропорционални трошкови" за државе које се одлуче да угрозе тај статус 3 . Карш заговара комбинацију два приступа за коју сматра да је, пре свега, условљена "свешћу о властитом окружењу и капацитету да реагују ефективно и флексибилно у односу на промене и развој спољног окружења" 4 . У истом раду разматрао је и сваку од стално неутралних држава током периода хладног рата, које су понаособ развијале свој специфичан баланс између позитивне и негативне компоненте.…”

The Programmatic and Institutional (Re‐)Configuration of the Swiss National Security Field

“…; Trachsler ), there have been only few social scientific investigations into the Swiss security domain. In the Swiss Political Science Review, a mere two related articles appeared between 1995 and 2017 (DeVore and Stähli ; Wichmann ) . Indeed, the premier Swiss political science journal published more articles on Scandinavian countries’ foreign and security policy than on Swiss security affairs.…”