As the war in Ukraine still rages, attention has been growing on the role taken by Switzerland.
Despite being a major arms manufacturer, it cited its traditional policy of neutrality
to block NATO members from sending Swiss equipment and ammunition to Ukrainian forces.
And yet, at the same time, the country followed the United States, the European Union,
and other western countries and imposed sanctions on Russia.
So, how does Switzerland justify these seemingly contradictory positions?
And more to the point, what does Swiss neutrality really mean in the modern world.
Hello and welcome. If you're new to the channel, my name is James Ker-Lindsay and
here I take an informed look at international relations, conflict, security, and statehood.
Neutrality is one of the most interesting concepts in international relations.
At its simplest, it refers to a country's decision to avoid
taking sides in a conflict - a policy that carries certain rights and responsibilities,
such as ensuring that its territory isn't used for military operations.
However, neutrality can also be understood more broadly
as a policy of avoiding entanglements in any conflicts and avoiding joining military alliances.
Today, there are in fact around 20 countries around the world
that either have a formal constitutional requirement for neutrality or else have
a long-standing political commitment to the principle.
These include places such as Austria, Costa Rica, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, Moldova, Singapore
Turkmenistan and, until recently, Sweden - which has just applied to join NATO.
However,
no country has come to be more closely associated with the concept of neutrality than Switzerland.
And yet the country's neutral status has been thrown into question by the war in Ukraine.
While it cited its neutrality to block efforts by Denmark, Poland and Germany to send Swiss-made
armoured cars, tanks and ammunition to Ukraine, at the same time the country has joined the European
Union in imposing wide-ranging sanctions on Russia and its close partner, Belarus.
So, what does Swiss neutrality really mean in the modern world?
The Swiss Confederation lies at the heart of Europe.
To its north is Germany and to its east is Austria and Liechtenstein.
Italy lies along its southern border and France is to its west.
At 42,000 square kilometres,
or 16,000 square miles, it is the 132nd largest member of the United Nations.
Its population is around 8.6 million
This is divided among four main language communities.
The largest are german speakers at just over 60 percent.
French speakers make up about a quarter of the country and Italian and Romansch
speakers amount to eight percent and half of one percent respectively.
At present, its per capita GDP stands at around US$87,000,
making it the fourth richest country in the world after Liechtenstein, Luxembourg and Monaco.
Switzerland is one of the world's oldest and most unusual countries.
Its history is usually traced back to 1291, when three communities - now known
as cantons - formed a defensive alliance within the Habsburg Holy Roman Empire.
In the centuries that followed more, communities joined the group.
But rather than creating a single state, they were
better thought of as a loose collection - or confederation - of sovereign entities.
As the confederation grew and broke free of Habsburg control,
they increasingly found themselves at odds with neighbouring France.
This came to a head in 1515,
when the Swiss suffered a crushing defeat against French forces in northern Italy.
In a move that would lay the foundations for the country's eventual neutrality,
both sides agreed not to provide support to each other's enemies in future/
This proto-neutrality was further strengthened a century later under the 1648 Treaty of Westphalia.
However, the true origins of modern Swiss neutrality
can be traced back to the turn of the 19th century.
In 1798, the country - which was increasingly divided by political and religious factionalism -
was invaded by Napoleonic France, which set up a client state: the Helvetic Republic.
Following Napoleon's defeat in 1815, the victorious European powers decided that the
reconstituted Swiss Confederation, now made up of 22 cantons, would be "perpetually neutral".
Essentially, it became a buffer between France and Austria.
While Switzerland's neutrality was originally externally imposed,
over the course of the next century its commitment to the principle gre.
Following the introduction of a new constitution, in 1848, which forms the basis of the modern
Swiss state, the country became a leader in the development of humanitarian law,
which covers the conduct of war and armed conflict.
And, in 1863, the international committee of the red cross was established in Switzerland.
By the turn of the 20th century, Swiss neutrality had taken such
deep roots that it was even able to avoid involvement in both world wars.
Although it must be mentioned that questions have since been raised about its ties to Nazi Germany
and, in 1945, it was so firmly entrenched in its neutrality that it even decided to
opt out of joining the newly established United Nations, despite the fact that the
body's European headquarters was based in Geneva, the country's second largest city.
Although Switzerland stuck to its neutrality during the Cold War, despite being broadly
seen as part of the West, the collapse of the Soviet Union saw the first signs of change.
Perhaps the most significant step came in 2002, when it finally decided to join the UN;
becoming the organisation's 190th member.
But it wasn't an easy decision.
A hard-fought referendum campaign saw the country only narrowly vote in favour of membership
as opponents insisted that joining the UN would undermine the country's sovereignty and neutrality
by making Switzerland subject to security council resolutions.
But there were also other important, but less noticed signs of change,.
In 1996, Switzerland followed the lead of two other European neutral
states - Sweden and Austria - and joined NATO's partnership for peace programme.
Since then, Switzerland has in fact developed strong cooperation with the
alliance working with it across a range of areas, including overseas peace support operations.
Although Swiss military personnel are banned from taking part in combat overseas,
a small Swiss contingent participated in the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan.
And, even now around 200 still serve with the NATO peacekeeping force in Kosovo.
Meanwhile, and contrary to the widespread - but nevertheless mistaken - view
that Switzerland's neutrality is based on some sort of pacifist objection to war,
the country has in fact built a major arms industry.
Indeed, Switzerland is now one of the largest arms exporters in the world;
producing everything from handguns, military vehicles, and air defence systems.
And, here again, it has built close ties to NATO; supplying arms to many members,
including the United States.
And it's this that's become the focus of the latest debate about Swiss neutrality.
To many in Switzerland, the decision to prevent the re-export of Swiss-made weapons to Ukraine
under the terms of the country's War Material Act is fully consistent with the country's
neutral status - especially as officials note that Switzerland has also imposed a ban
on any goods that could help to strengthen Russia militarily.
But all this has raised important questions
in a country where there have long been calls for a halt to arms exports,
especially as Swiss weapons often end up in war zones or in the hands of authoritarian regimes.
The decision to prevent the export of arms to Ukraine could be seen
as opportunistic, or even immoral.
With NATO members announcing major increases in defence spending,
Swiss arms companies have already ramped up their production.
But while Switzerland is happy to profit from the insecurity of the Ukraine war, critics
argue that it won't in fact allow those same weapons to be used by Ukraine to defend itself.
But even if the ban on weapons exports is in line with the country's neutrality,
what about the wider decision to impose sanctions on Russia.
Speaking after the country joined the European Union in imposing these sanctions, Ignazio Cassis,
the Swiss president, who also serves as foreign minister, openly condemned the Russian attack.
While insisting that Switzerland maintains its neutrality, he nevertheless noted that
it faced an "extraordinary situation" and that the country stood on the side of western values.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum, in Davos,
he insisted that it wasn't possible to be neutral on matters of international law.
Understandably, this makes it even harder to reconcile the two positions.
Switzerland clearly sees Russia as an aggressor and has lined
up behind its European and other western partners to punish Moscow.
But in the name of neutrality it then denies Ukraine - the victim
of the situation - the right to defend itself.
Even within the country, the contradiction is clear.
Already, the leader of the country's Centre party has called on the government to bypass
the ban on arms exports to Ukraine on the grounds of national interest.
Interestingly,
all this seems to be feeding a wider debate about Swiss neutrality in the modern world.
While the idea may have meant something when the country was a buffer in the
Europe of competing great powers in the 21st century, it seems oddly out of place
after all the countries at buffered are now united in the European Union.
Even in wider security terms, it no longer makes sense.
The only conceivable way that Switzerland would be
at risk from attack is if its NATO and EU neighbours were under threat as well.
This has led some to argue that Switzerland is in fact
free riding on NATO security and maybe it's time for it to take a more active role.
While the country appears to remain broadly against NATO membership,
support is nevertheless rising - especially with Ukraine war.
Recent polling showed a third now support full membership, up from a fifth before.
But, short of joining, a majority of Swiss now see the value of greater cooperation with NATO
Of course, some argue that neutrality serves other useful purposes.
For example, it allows the country to play a mediating role in international conflicts.
But this argument isn't as strong as it may seem.
Having imposed sanctions on Moscow, Switzerland certainly can't be neutral
in discussions between Russia and the West.
And beyond that, its neutrality is probably of marginal value.
For instance, NATO member Norway has forged an excellent reputation
as a trusted peacemaker around the world, despite its membership of the alliance.
For all these reasons,
some have argued that neutrality has ceased to be about national survival.
Instead, it's become a convenient cover it allows Switzerland to avoid having
to take positions on difficult political and moral questions.
Interestingly, this all appears to be getting through.
Already, one senior official has indicated that
the very understanding of the idea of neutrality may well be reinterpreted.
As noted, neutrality was never meant to be an objective.
It was merely intended to increase Swiss security.
In this regard, President Cassis has suggested that Switzerland
might now look to develop the concept of cooperative neutrality.
In the meantime, Switzerland's neutrality will now also be challenged in another way.
On 9 June, the country was elected to serve on the UN Security Council
for two years, starting in January 2023.
This will be its first time on the Council since joining the UN 20 years ago.
With this, Switzerland will be expected to take positions on key
international issues, including Ukraine.
While President Cassis has been quick to point out that this doesn't in fact run against its
long-standing policy of neutrality, many will be watching to see how Switzerland responds.
Constant abstentions in the name of neutrality will make its place
on the Council all but pointless.
For all these reasons, Switzerland's originally imposed neutrality - the product of a very
different age in international history, when it was a buffer between warring European states
that are now united - is looking ever more out of touch in the modern world.
And while one could argue that a new Cold War is emerging,
Switzerland has already made it clear where it stands for all practical purposes.
While Switzerland formally remains neutral, the moral,
political, and even strategic, arguments for this neutrality look increasingly uncertain.
I hope you found that useful. If so, here are some more videos that you might find interesting.
Thanks so much for watching and see you in the next video.