UN opponents fly the flag for neutrality

Christoph Blocher says UN membership will force Switzerland to do the bidding of the Security Council Keystone

Opponents of United Nations membership say that Switzerland would forsake its cherished neutrality if voters decide to join the world body.

Those campaigning for a “no” vote deny they are isolationist. They say Swiss neutrality – strictly interpreted – cannot survive UN membership because, by joining the organisation, Switzerland will inevitably lose its power to determine its relations with the rest of the world.

“Switzerland’s strength lies in its independence and its openness to the outside world… But we do not want to be subjected to the rule of another country or organisation, such as the UN Security Council.”

That’s the message of the leading figure of the no campaign, the rightwing populist politician, Christoph Blocher. He represents the Swiss People’s Party in parliament, and is arguably the country’s best-known political figure.

Blocher has also warned of rising costs for Switzerland if it decides to become a UN member: “We will have to contribute towards UN peace keeping missions and for development aid. It is a bottomless pit.”

Go it alone

Many Swiss seem to agree – the latest opinion poll shows that 37 per cent are against joining the UN.

“A small country like Switzerland does not have to be a member of every organisation around the world. The country has run up huge debts and we have to put a halt to the government throwing money out,” says Fritz Aegerter, who attended one of Blocher’s campaign meetings in the run-up to the vote.

“We have always been accepted as a neutral country in the heart of Europe. This will not change if we decide against joining the UN,” he adds.

Blocher and his movement say their main goal is to preserve “the independence, the neutrality and the security of the Confederation. We will fight for a government foreign policy which respects our integral and traditional neutrality.”

The group also pledges to prevent “activism in foreign politics” and what it calls “unnecessary involvement in international affairs”.

Myth of neutrality

Johann Aeschlimann, political correspondent for the Bern-based newspaper ” Der Bund” says one should not underestimate how deeply neutrality is engrained in the Swiss psyche.

“Neutrality in Switzerland means a myth…. What feeds into the myth is that until about 15 years ago this mythological view of Switzerland as a completely neutral and independent country was what the government professed, what we learned at school.

“[Blocher’s supporters] are just proclaiming what they were taught. Now the world has changed, the government says it has to change its policies, but they aren’t ready to follow suit.”

Aeschlimann adds that the perception that opponents of UN membership are mainly rightwing and drawn from the ranks of the elderly is misplaced.

“There are many younger people among Blocher’s supporters. They are willing to go a long way to fight for their principles…. and in doing that they are breaking with Swiss traditions, which always have been very moderate.”

Appeal to the emotions

The success of the no campaign in the run-up to the 1986 vote was largely down to its appeal to the emotions, says an Italian-speaking historian, Marco Marcacci.

“Supporters of membership conducted a lifeless campaign, based on diplomatic disquisitions and an analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of joining,” he says. “Whereas their opponents put forward emotional arguments relating to identity, tapping values deeply rooted in the Swiss psyche.”

They may be less successful now, Marcacci adds, because “Switzerland’s isolation on the international stage seems to be more of a handicap than an advantage”.

The last opinion poll before the vote, conducted by the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation in the middle of February showed that 54 per cent of Swiss were planning to vote in favour of UN membership, with 37 per cent against and nine undecided.

by Urs Geiser