Democracy Newsletter – May

Dear readers,

It was nothing short of stunning – the 193 member states of the United Nations General Assembly suddenly remembered the nature of their responsibility for this world. They passed a unanimous resolution last month that requires the five permanent members of the UN Security Council to explain to the General Assembly their justification for using their veto power.

It was a first small step towards a more democratic UN. And it’s thanks to small states like Liechtenstein, which put forward what became known as the “veto initiative”. Switzerland had also been helping to lay the groundwork over a period of several years and now – right in the middle of Russia’s war of aggression on neighbouring Ukraine that flouts international law – this represents a ray of hope for democracy. But it is not the only one.

Another is the increasing willingness of some states to listen to their own citizens as they implement their foreign policy – which means they are going in the opposite direction to the Russian leader, who matches brutal war-making beyond his borders with repressive rule at home.

This is the second edition of our Democracy Newsletter in ten languages. Following the focus on neutrality in April – you can still contribute to the discussion on our website – we look now at democracy in world politics. Or more precisely, at Switzerland’s chance as a small democratic state to have a say on the world stage, as voting in the General Assembly on its candidacy for a non-permanent seat on the Security Council nears. For a country like Switzerland to become active in this way a full two decades after joining the UN should not be very surprising, yet it remains a subject of controversy.

I want to invite you, dear readers, to get involved. Join the discussion in our democracy debates in any of our ten languages – or you can write to me directly (check my bio link above for my email). I look forward to your participation.

Best wishes,

Bruno Kaufmann

Global democracy correspondent and coordinator of the SWI democracy beat