Switzerland In The World: Which Attitudes And Sanctions Contradict Neutrality?

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Switzerland covers just 0.008% of the Earth's surface. This makes it all the more astonishing that it is a regular talking point in the world. This is not only due to the more than 800,000 Swiss nationals living abroad. Switzerland is also closely linked to the world economically and through its many international organisations.

What a crazy story : In October 2019, gold bars worth around CHF200,000 ($225,000) were found on a train going from St Gallen to Lucerne. Because the packaging was labelled“ICRC consignment” and the owner could not be traced, the gold was recently handed over to the ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross).

For the ICRC, however, this is just a drop in the ocean. Despite unprecedented cuts to staff and branches, a funding gap of CHF400 millionExternal link remains for this year. The United States, Germany, Switzerland, the European Union and the United Kingdom are expected to help cover this shortfall.

The Swiss federal railways was not only in the international media because of the gold bars. A train derailed on the important north-south axis for Europe. And because the damage in the Gotthard Base Tunnel is greater than first suspected, this restriction is likely to be a talking point for some time to come.

The situation at the Kunsthaus Zurich is also in disarray. Despite a new director , the handling of the valuable art collection of the arms dealer Emil Bührle remains controversial. This raises questions that could not be more topical: what legacy of trade and assets does neutrality create?

In Switzerland, however, there is also a more pragmatic approach to the provenance of artworks. The Federal Office of Culture handed over five artefacts to the Chinese embassy in Bern that originated from criminal proceedings and whose provenance could not be determined.

Are there really tourists, for example from China, who visit Sweden because they mistake the country in northern Europe for Switzerland? Hardly. Nevertheless, this confusion goes viral every few year . What both countries have to contend with, however, is mass tourism – at least in certain hot spots, such as Lauterbrunnen in the Bernese Oberland .

Following the Hamas attacks in Israel, Switzerland plans to ban the militant Palestinian group.

We asked Middle East expert Riccardo Bocco how this would be perceived internationally and what it could mean for Switzerland.

• 'Declaring Hamas a terrorist organisation contradicts Switzerland's neutrality'

Switzerland will probably import more cheese than it exports for the first time this year, reports the US news portal BloombergExternal link . Its analysis:“After the demise of Credit Suisse and the loss of the exclusive naming rights to Emmental, another blow to Switzerland's self-image is now coming.”

In our analysis of the same topic, Boris Beuret, president of the umbrella organisation of milk producers (Swissmilk), says he was even contacted by a Swiss Abroad from Las Vegas who was upset.

• Why Swiss dairy culture is under threatExternal link

As an important global hub for commodities trading and assets, Switzerland is often in the spotlight. In particular, this currently concerns commodities and assets from Russia, which are subject to international sanctions. Where does official Switzerland stand? What influence does it have and how is its behaviour commented on internationally?

Already included in the previous overview of Swiss topics in the world:

• Investigating Swiss traders' links to murky world of Russian oil
• Switzerland's secrecy blind spot hinders sanctions enforcement
• 'We didn't believe we weren't being transparent'
• Despite criticism, the Swiss say they're model enforcers of Russia sanctionsExternal link
• Switzerland has to 'go above and beyond' to implement sanctions

New additions to this article series since then:

• Russia-Iran: how the wheat trade is flourishing despite sanctions
• Russian gold trail leads to SwitzerlandExternal link
• Sanctions: a headache for humanitarian action
• The impact of Russia sanctions on Swiss banks
• Ukraine war: former Estonian president urges Switzerland to lift ban on arms exportsExternal link

Our coverage of the Swiss federal elections met with a great response. The main article alone was cited by almost 50 news sites in ten languages. In addition to Vietnamese and English, it was picked up above all in Spanish, Russian and Ukrainian-language articles.

• Elections 2023: Swiss parliament shifts to the rightExternal link

👉 copeExternal link (Spanish; plus 20 articles with the same title on other news sites)
👉 actualidadrtExternal link (Spanish)
👉 beltaExternal link (Russian)
👉 baothanhhoaExternal link (Vietnamese)
👉 vietnamplusExternal link (Vietnamese)
👉 eurasiareviewExternal link (English)
👉 wykopExternal link (Polish)
👉 pravdiveExternal link (Czech)
👉 hromadskeExternal link (Russian)
👉 hromadskeExternal link (Ukrainian)
👉 espresotvExternal link (Ukrainian)
👉 emanoticiasExternal link (Spanish)
👉 euractivExternal link (Polish)
👉 imagExternal link (Russian)
👉 obozrevatelExternal link (Russian)
👉 obozrevatelExternal link (Ukrainian)
👉 obozrevatelExternal link (English)
👉 nvExternal link (Ukrainian)
👉 europereloadedExternal link (English)
👉 ukrinformExternal link (Ukrainian)
👉 eurointegrationExternal link (Ukrainian)
👉 eurointegrationExternal link (Russian)
👉 epohaExternal link (Croatian)
👉 thebfdExternal link (English)
👉 binExternal link (Ukrainian)
👉 aktualityExternal link (Slovakian)

In the past, Switzerland has been accused of being too hesitant in prosecuting crimes committed abroad. The conviction of a Liberian military commander for crimes against humanity last summer now paves the way for further proceedings of this kind.

Yuri Harauski, who describes himself as a former member of a hit squad under Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, was acquitted by a Swiss regional court at the end of September. The mere fact that Harauski stood trial in Switzerland is an indication that this type of jurisdiction could become the new normal.

• Universal jurisdiction gains ground in Switzerland

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