Swiss look back on one of the darkest years on record

The accident in the Gotthard tunnel on October 24 was one of the major disasters in Switzerland this year Keystone Archive

2001 was one of the darkest years in recent Swiss history, and raised awareness that the country is not very different to other nations.

In the wake of the terrorist attacks in the United States on September 11, Switzerland was hit by an unprecedented series of disasters and the biggest corporate failure in its history.

On September 27, a lone gunman walked into a parliament building in the town of Zug in central Switzerland and killed 14 people before committing suicide. The attack by a disgruntled citizen was one of the worst bloodbaths Switzerland had witnessed.

Less than a month later, on October 24, a fire in the country’s main road tunnel through the Alps – the Gotthard – killed 11 people, and forced the tunnel’s closure for nearly two months. The move led to traffic disruptions inside Switzerland and affected European road transport passing through Switzerland on their way between Germany and Italy.

Another month on came yet another disaster: a plane of the regional airline, Crossair, crashed while approaching Switzerland’s main airport near Zurich. Twenty-four passengers and crew were killed, while nine others survived.

Swissair collapse

In the midst of these disasters, the debt-ridden national airline, Swissair, finally fell apart when revenues dried up in the wake of the September 11 attacks. The airline’s and the country’s reputation for reliability took a knock when Swissair was forced to temporarily ground its entire fleet in October, leaving thousands of passengers stranded.

Following a public outcry over the demise of the once proud flag carrier, the Swiss government and industry jointly agreed a huge financial rescue package. The collapse of Swissair threatened tens of thousands of jobs and prompted the biggest state intervention in the Swiss economy in decades.

Fredy Gsteiger, a political analyst and former editor in chief of the weekly newspaper “Weltwoche” says the events have made Switzerland realise that it is a “normal” place after all.

“The country has had to realise that it is no longer very different from other countries. It has started at last, with a delay of many years, to consider itself just one among other smaller nations in Europe.”

Changed perceptions

He says the disasters changed the perception of the country both at home and abroad. “Until now Switzerland was considered a kind of a clockwork country – very precise, very proper, working well.”

Gsteiger, who worked as a journalist in France for many years, says Switzerland was considered a “special” case, with its low unemployment, low interest rates, lack of crime rates and high average incomes.

And the Swiss, too, thought their country was one of a kind, according to Gsteiger. “Many people in this country almost expected to have a right to safety, to be well off and rich. But this perception has now changed.”

September 11

September 11 marked a turning point for the Swiss who thought the world, and their own country, would change dramatically in the wake of the attacks, Gsteiger told swissinfo.

“Many Swiss analysts and journalists expected Switzerland to be an entirely different country after September 11. But three and a half months on, nothing much has changed,” Gsteiger said.

“We have not seen, so far, the end of the world, nor the beginning of a new world, nor an entirely different world. And this goes for Switzerland, too,” he added.

Island in the heart of Europe

Gsteiger believes the events of the past year will, in the long-term, lead to Switzerland opening up more towards the world. “But that could take many, many more years”, he said.

In the short term, however, he expects two opposing political tendencies to win support among the Swiss.

There will be an increasing number of people who believe Switzerland should seek closer ties with Europe both on a political and economic level, according to Gsteiger.

On the other, he says, the series of disasters could in the short term also boost a more defensive and inward looking Switzerland, and encourage a traditional view of Switzerland as an island in the heart of Europe.

These two opposing views will be put to a test next March when voters are due to decide on Swiss membership of the United Nations.

by Urs Geiser