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How much should Switzerland help people from Afghanistan?

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After some years in the regional print and broadcast media in French Switzerland, in 2000 I joined Radio Swiss International, which then became swissinfo.ch. Since then I have been writing (and producing short videos) on a variety of subjects, from politics to business, and including culture and science.

After the Taliban’s victory, images of planes stormed by desperate people at Kabul airport shocked the world. In your opinion, what kind of aid should Switzerland provide to Afghans who manage to flee their country, which has turned into an Islamic emirate?

From the article Switzerland divided on taking Afghan refugees

From the article More than 200 Afghanistan evacuees touch down in Zurich

From the article Afghanistan: aid agencies are staying

From the article ‘Pakistan holds the key to Afghanistan’


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曠野洋一
曠野洋一
The following contribution has been automatically translated from JA.

There are limits to what one country can handle.
We cannot accept all refugees.
That is why we need to strengthen the influence of the UN.
I think that putting Ukraine under UN control would set a precedent.
If your country might be managed by the UN, wouldn't you start to take domestic issues more seriously?
It would also help the people of Afghanistan.

一つの国で対応するのには限界があります。
すべての難民を受け入れることはできません。
だからこそ、国連の影響力を強くする必要があるのではないでしょうか？
ウクライナを国連の管理にすることが、その前例になると思います。
自国が国連に管理されるかもしれないとなれば、国内の問題を真剣に考えるようになるのではないでしょうか？
アフガニスタンの人々を救うことにもなります。

Кира Труф
Кира Труф
The following contribution has been automatically translated from RU.

By letting in refugees from Muslim countries, Switzerland jeopardizes its peaceful domestic existence. It's like letting extremists into your home. A time bomb.

Впуская к себе беженцев из мусульманских стран, Швейцария ставит под угрозу свое мирное существование внутри страны. Это все равно что впустить экстремистов к себе домой. Бомба замедленного действия.

Ernie
Ernie
The following contribution has been automatically translated from DE.

No, Switzerland is not neutral! When the Hungarians and Czechs came to Switzerland in the last century, they were welcomed with open arms, but not the Chileans in the 70s...... Why? The answer is superfluous. When I studied at the University of Zurich and participated in the demonstrations, I heard older gentlemen say: go to Russia, you communist. Ergo: only refugees from the "right camp" are welcome.

Nein, die Schweiz ist nicht neutral! Als die Ungaren und Tschechen im letzten Jahrhundert in die Schweiz kamen, hat man sie mit offenen Armen empfangen, nicht aber die Chilenen in den 70jahren...... Warum? Die Antwort ist überflüssig. Als ich an der Uni ZH studierte und bei den Demonstrationen teilnahm hörte ich älteren Herren sagen: geh doch nach Russland, du Kommunist. Ergo: willkommen sind nur Flüchtlinge aus dem "richtigen Lager"

PäduMS
PäduMS
The following contribution has been automatically translated from DE.

In order to answer this question concretely and unbiasedly, it should be shown transparently and in detail, which aid has already been provided by CH for years, how and for the benefit of whom!

Um diese Frage konkret und unvoreingenommen zu beantworten sollte transparent und detailliert aufgezeigt werden, welche Hilfen von der CH seit Jahren bereits, wie und zu Gunsten von wem, geleistet wurden/werden!

Pascal62
Pascal62
The following contribution has been automatically translated from FR.

It can and it must. But all countries must, not just Switzerland, and especially Russia and the USA. That is the real problem.

Elle le peut et elle le doit. Mais tous les pays le doivent, pas seulement la Suisse, et plus particulièrement la Russie et les USA. Il est là le vrai problème.

3omar
3omar
The following contribution has been automatically translated from AR.

According to the ability of the state in the first place, and secondly: Yes, provide all the assistance required to them. They are human beings and we are human beings: Yes, for humanitarian service!

على حسب مقدرة الدولة في المقام الاول، وثانيا: نعم تقديم جميع المساعدات المطلوبة إليهم. هم بشر ونحن بشر: نعم، للخدمة الانسانية!

Bashkim1977
Bashkim1977

Switzerland government should help without any doubt people of Afghanistan because this people fight the terrorist activities to save the world and they need the world help,
Not just Switzerland but any country start from Kosovo the new independent country in the world, personally i have a news that my small country Kosovo Welcomed already 2500 refugees from Afghanistan, proud of my country Kosovo!!

caw
caw

I’d honestly think no more or no less than any other refugee and within those parameters only in view of the fact of the tremendous effort, money and sacrifice put into the country in the last 20 years. If opportunities for growth both personal and economic didn’t take root then it is a clear sign that people must help themselves and do whatever it takes to change.

LoL
LoL
@caw

Sadly you are right in my opinion, if things which were build over 20 years can collapse in 1 month and revert to middle ages... well it says help from the side is useless

serge196
serge196
The following contribution has been automatically translated from FR.

Has Afghanistan asked us to help? If so, let's help!

Est-ce que l'Afghanistan nous a demandé de l'aider? si oui, aidons! sinon, pourquoi nous prendre la tête?

marco brenni
marco brenni
The following contribution has been automatically translated from IT.

We know that Pakistan has always played a double game, helping the Taliban at every turn. And if they are so much friends of the Taliban-Afghanis, who are even hosted on their territory from which the Taliban terrorist movement (!) itself started, then they should think about it themselves in the front line to provide aid to the Afghan people, devastated primarily through their fault. As long as there is a Taliban/Pakistani government in Afghanistan, I will not help anyone in that autocratic country. If anything, I can only help Afghans taking refuge abroad.

Si sa che il Pakistan ha sempre fatto il doppio gioco, aiutando i talebani a ogni piè sospinto. E se sono tanto amici dei talebani-afghani, che vengono pure ospitati sul loro territorio da cui partì lo stesso movimento terrorista talebano (!) che allora ci pensino in prima linea loro stessi a fornire aiuto alle popolazioni afghane, disastrate in primis per colpa loro. Fino a quando ci sarà il governo talebano/pakistano in Afghanistan, non aiuterò proprio nessuno in quel paese autocrate. Semmai posso aiutare solo gli afghani che si rifugiano all'estero.

Rafiq Tschannen
Rafiq Tschannen

which would mean that we should have interfered in USA before they attack Afghanistan and Iraq and and and ...

LynxVegas
LynxVegas

No country should interfere in another country's affairs, unless it's to stop another Hitler or Stalin starting wars with other countries / the world. No funding or other financial aid, no safe haven for so-called refugees looking for a quick way to a better life, no sale of weapons and bombs, etc, etc. Let them develop at their own pace. How many poor countries helped by rich countries have bitten us in the rear end afterwards? How many have sent terrorists to rich countries to force us to accept their ways or die?

Rafiq Tschannen
Rafiq Tschannen
@LynxVegas

which would mean that we should have interfered in USA before they attack Afghanistan and Iraq and and and ...

LynxVegas
LynxVegas
@Rafiq Tschannen

No, no one should interfere anywhere. The planet was set up wrong. There should have been no countries, no nations, no borders, no religion, no capitalism, no rich, no poor, no weapons, etc. We'd be flying around the universe by now, Star Trek style, if we were not trying to destroy each other.

Ramy
Ramy
The following contribution has been automatically translated from AR.

The Swiss Embassy in Tunisia has sufficient and real experience with this subject, you can refer to them and consult them and you will get the right result. What is important is that an asylum seeker through diplomacy must have a real international file and be a special case. However, if an asylum seeker has a right to international protection, the Swiss government will not hesitate to do good. If he does not have any of this, leave the way for those who are entitled to this law, especially those who are internationally wrongfully and have not been involved in blood to understand the facts. Also political asylum is not a game, money or a coveted... It is an international law that protects those who helped and worked in their country and protected it and did not escape from the beginning of the war, but in the latter, 20 years later, his name was stained with a class or sect, and he was innocent, he did not get involved in blood, lost everything of his life and became surrounded locally and internationally. also those who have helped the international community in their country with international organizations, but in the latter also call it a client. This deserves asylum and international protection.

السفارة السويسرية بتونس لديها خبرة كافية وحقيقية مع هذا الموضوع، تستطيعون الرجوع إليهم واستشارتهم وسوف تحصلون على النتيجة الصحيحة. و المهم هو أن طالب اللجوء عن طريق الدبلوماسية يجب أن يكون لديه ملف دولي حقيقي وأن يكون حالة خاصة. مع ذلك، إذا كان لدى طالب اللجوء حق في الحماية الدولية سوف لن تتردد الحكومة السويسرية في فعل الخير أما إذا كان لا يملك شيئا من هذا فليترك الطريق أمام المستحقين لهذا القانون وخاصة المطلوبين دوليا بالباطل ولم يتورطوا في الدماء لنفهم الحقائق. أيضا اللجوء السياسي ليس لعبة أو أموالا أو طمعا... هو قانون دولي يحمي الذين ساعدوا و عملوا في بلدهم و حموها ولم يهربوا من بداية الحرب ولكن في الأخير و بعد 20 سنة تلطخ اسمه مع فئة أو طائفة وهو بريء ولم يتورط في الدماء وخسر كل شيء من حياته و أصبح مُحاصرا محليا ودوليا. أيضا الذين ساعدوا المجتمع الدولي في بلدهم مع منظمات دولية و لكن في الأخير ينعتوه بالعميل أيضا هذا يستحق اللجوء و الحماية الدولية.

Daniela-11
Daniela-11
The following contribution has been automatically translated from DE.

Nothing at all! I got into financial hardship as a result of Covid-19 and applied for social assistance at the CH embassy.
It was rejected. I'm in shock when I see that 33 million are donated and there's not a single franc for me. Someone should explain this logic to me...

Gar nichts! Ich bin infolge Covid-19 in finanzielle Not geraten und habe bei der CH-Botschaft Sozialhilfe beantragt.
Wurde abgelehnt. Hab grad einen Schock wenn ich sehe, dass 33 Mio. gespendet werden und für mich gibt's keinen Franken. Soll mir mal einer diese Logik erklären...

SensibleMike
SensibleMike

Religion should remain a private matter, and yes people should be allowed to pray to whatever god they want, but in private (only). It should never be part of governance, jobs, business, laws, education, healthcare, etc.

Religion is the root cause of many conflicts for 1000s of years and we have killed 100s of millions of people in the name of a specific god/cult/religion; but humans never learn.

When we poke our noses in other people's business, we will only lose; history proves that, but again, we never learn. We should mind our own business; and let them mind their own, in their own manner. 

LynxVegas
LynxVegas
@SensibleMike

For once, I agree with you. But I would go even further and ban all religions. Or create one, for those who need to believe in something other than themselves.

yerver
yerver
@SensibleMike

Ya sea por la fe en algo divino o religión , para el común que no tiene acceso a las mismas oportunidades. Ha servido cómo una contención y actuar moderado, a pesar de la falta de las necesidades básicas. Ya que antes del cristianismo, en culturas hiperdesarrolladas y dominantes, se era muy cruel con los civiles.
Lo de los excesos, dentro de nuestros distintos contextos de la vida diaria. Se origina entre otras cosas del desgaste de nuestros liderazgos, a lo que debemos entregar tiempo y voluntad para resolverlo.

snowman
snowman

Swiss government shall refrain from giving away taxpayers money to foreign countries.

LoL
LoL
The following contribution has been automatically translated from DE.

If living in america is bad in your opinion, I only imagine your reaction with all the problems other countries outside EU have. Trust me America is still a good place to escape from many countries

If living in america is bad in your opinion, I only imagine your reaction with all the problems other countries outside EU have. Trust me America is still a good place to escape from many countries

Seppli
Seppli
The following contribution has been automatically translated from DE.

No, those who support this should emigrate to Afghanistan.
This culture does not fit into Europe.
And in a religion where homosexuality is the death penalty, and women are worthless, and young girls are not even allowed
are not allowed to go out on the street alone.
In Austria this has already cost 15 girls their lives this year.

Keinen ,die wo das Befürworten sollen nach Afghanistan Auswandern.
Diese Kultur passt nicht nach Europa.
Und in eine Religion wo Homosexuell die Tote Strafe bedeutet, und Frauen nichts Wert sind, und Junge Mädchen nicht mal
allein auf die Strasse dürfen.
In Österreich hat das schon 15 Mädchen dieses Jahr das Leben gekostet.

LoL
LoL
The following contribution has been automatically translated from DE.

This gap could be closed by widening the quote for permits to non EU people.

This gap could be closed by widening the quote for permits to non EU people.

Jack53
Jack53
The following contribution has been automatically translated from IT.

The main point in my opinion is this: why should Switzerland provide aid, if it did not participate in the war that took place? Who should provide aid, are the nations that in alliance with the US were in the war. There is always this bizarre idea that Europeans or wealthy, Western nations should act as voluntary associations, regardless of whether or not they had anything to do with what happened.
Why don't Arab or neighbouring nations help and nobody says anything?
Switzerland already helps with money, certain developing nations, and statistically already has many migrants.
A nation is no longer a nation if it can not determine who can come to live or not on its territory, and if it has no borders. So in my opinion it should not help. Accepting migrants into our country also represents an additional risk to our security.

Il punto principale secondo me è questo: perchè la Svizzera dovrebbe fornire aiuti, se non ha partecipato alla guerra che c'è stata? Chi dovrebbe fornire aiuti, sono le nazioni che in alleanza con gli Usa erano in guerra. C'è sempre questa idea bizzarra che gli europei o le nazioni benestanti ed occidentali debbano agire come associazioni di volontariato, indipendentemente se c'entrano o meno con ciò che è successo.
Perchè le nazioni arabe o vicine, non aiutano e nessuno dice nulla?
La Svizzera già aiuta con denaro, determinate nazioni in via di sviluppo, e a livello statistico attualmente ha già tanti migranti.
Una nazione non è più tale se non può determinare chi può venire ad abitare o meno sul proprio territorio, e se non ha frontiere. Per cui secondo me non deve aiutare. Accettare migranti nel nostro paese rappresenta inoltre, un rischio in più per la nostra sicurezza.

LoL
LoL
The following contribution has been automatically translated from IT.
@Jack53

So a migrant and a refugees is the same thing for you? I mean migrants are people who went through all the paper processes and have to prove they have sufficient income.

So a migrant and a refugees is the same thing for you? I mean migrants are people who went through all the paper processes and have to prove they have sufficient income.

Jack53
Jack53
The following contribution has been automatically translated from IT.
@LoL

They are not the same thing, in this case they would be refugees, and they pose a security risk.
But even when it comes to migrants, it is up to the country and its citizens who host them to decide who can live on its territory or not. The problem is not only if they have a job, but it is also a problem of integration and attitude. Even if a foreign person has a job, it doesn't mean that he is integrated, if on a cultural level he doesn't adapt to the laws and ways of doing things that we have in Switzerland.

Non sono la stessa cosa, in questo caso sarebbero rifugiati, e rappresentano un rischio di sicurezza.
Ma anche per quel che riguarda migranti, spetta al paese ed i suoi cittadini che li ospita, decidere chi può vivere sul suo territorio o meno. Il problema non è solo se hanno un lavoro, ma è anche un problema di integrazione e d'attitudine. Anche se una persona straniera ha un lavoro, non significa che è integrata, se a livello culturale non si adegua alle leggi e ai modi di fare che abbiamo in Svizzera.

Olivier Wilhem
Olivier Wilhem
The following contribution has been automatically translated from IT.
@Jack53

One could still "partially" agree with your point of view, if Switzerland had not sold any weapons, directly, or indirectly via the US, among others.

And let's not talk about the financing by Swiss banks of this whole business of death and other mines, both anti-personnel and commodity extraction. But it is true that money only smells as good as it looks.

Once again, Switzerland plays with its "neutral" character to avoid its responsibilities, and even if I can understand that Switzerland already has a large foreign population and that with a quarter, it is close to saturation!

On pourrait encore adhérer "partiellement" à votre point de vue, si la Suisse n'avait vendu aucune arme, directement, ou indirectement via les US, entre autres.

Et ne parlons pas des financements par des banques suisses de tout ce business de mort et autres mines, autant anti-personnel qu'extraction de commodities. Mais il est vrai que l'argent n'a que l'odeur qu'on lui reconnait.

Une fois de plus, la Suisse joue de son caractère "neutre" pour se défrauder de ses responsabilités, et même si je puis comprendre que la Suisse a déjà une nombreuse population étrangère et qu'avec un quart, elle est proche de la saturation!

Jack53
Jack53
The following contribution has been automatically translated from IT.
@Olivier Wilhem

The fact that Switzerland sold arms, even though I don't necessarily agree with that either, doesn't justify the fact that it should help Afghanistan. And in any case an agreement is concluded between two parties, so it's not just Switzerland's fault if certain countries buy arms. In any case you have to see exactly which countries have bought weapons from our country. And in any case if they don't buy weapons from us, they would buy them from other countries, so the problem is not who they buy weapons from, but the fact that they can.

Il fatto che la Svizzera abbia venduto armi, anche se pure io non sono necessariamente d'accordo con quello, non giustifica il fatto che debba aiutare l'Afghanistan. E in ogni caso un accordo si conclude tra due parti, per cui non è solo colpa della Svizzera se determinati paesi acquistano armi. In ogni caso bisogna vedere esattamente quali paesi hanno acquistato armi dal nostro paese. E comunque se non acquistano armi da noi, lo farebbero con altri paesi, per cui il problema non è da chi comprano armi, ma il fatto che lo possono fare.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR