Swiss municipal assemblies: democracy on your doorstep
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In many Swiss municipalities, voters gather in local assemblies to decide on community matters themselves instead of leaving them to parliaments of elected officials.
Taiwan is voting to restart a nuclear power plant – what’s at stake?
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Votes on nuclear energy are always about long-term risk assessment. In Taiwan, they are also about the risk posed by China.
E-collecting brings new lease of life to Italian democracy
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An e-ID and a state-run platform for collecting digital signatures have boosted the paths to participation in Italy – but it’s not all plain sailing towards digital democracy.
Africa’s relevance is growing – and everyone wants in
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Africa is the future – by 2100, one in three people will live there. As the African Union’s clout grows, Switzerland is stepping up engagement.
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Climate change threatens tourism in Switzerland - and is partly caused by it. How can the industry become more sustainable?
Renewed controversy in Switzerland over US fighter jets – explained
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The Swiss defence ministry has repeatedly insisted that 36 American-made F-35A fighter jets would be delivered at a fixed price of CHF6 billion. Now the US is demanding hundreds of millions more,
Swiss parliamentary session sets stage for noisy national debates
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The summer session of parliament drew to a close last week. What's clear is that political debate in Switzerland is picking up again. Parliamentarians focused on several key upcoming people’s initiatives.
Swiss climate scientist: CO2 removal is tricky but essential
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Initiatives to remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air are faltering – not because they don’t work, but because we fail to see opportunities and lack vision, says Swiss climate scientist Cyril Brunner.
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International backing for peace in Colombia must not falter, says a human rights lawyer who has played a key role in the country’s peace process.
What role should Switzerland play in international peacebuilding?
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To play a meaningful role, Switzerland must earn acceptance from the parties involved in a conflict, says Laurent Goetschel.
Habteab Yemane: high court judge in Eritrea, refugee in Switzerland
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Habteab Yemane became a lawyer because he believed in a constitutional state, but his journey led him somewhere else entirely.
How Switzerland, Scotland and Norway seized children from itinerant families
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In the 20th century, Yenish children in Switzerland were placed in institutions as part of a state-backed effort to destroy their way of life. Similar practices existed in Norway and Scotland.
Promoting democracy in authoritarian Tajikistan – is Switzerland making a difference?
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While the government of Tajikistan’s long-standing ruler grows more repressive, Switzerland continues to support human rights – a delicate balancing act.
