Swiss Vote on Neutrality Revives Debate Over National Identity
(Bloomberg) — For Swiss billionaire Christoph Blocher, there’s always one more fight.
The 85-year-old built his business reputation at manufacturer EMS-Chemie, then turned his political party into the country’s biggest by pushing a nationalist and anti-immigration message. He’s stepped back somewhat in recent years, but never sits on the sidelines. With the country about to vote on its longstanding neutrality this month, he’s in full campaign mode.
The proposal on the ballot wants to change the constitution, eliminating any flexibility in how neutrality is applied. At the root of the campaign is Switzerland’s shock 2022 decision to adopt European Union sanctions against Russia, which Blocher and the Swiss People’s Party have opposed.
The debate reflects bigger questions about where the country sees itself in a world of increasingly fractured international relations. For many on the right, it’s lost much of what made it special, and can’t afford to let neutrality be weakened.
It’s a head-to-head between two competing visions. One points to sovereignty, neutrality and distance from larger powers — particularly the EU — as the foundations of Switzerland’s success. The second sees international cooperation as essential for a small economy which can steer its own fate only so far.
“Swiss neutrality — not just any neutrality, but Swiss neutrality — is part of the Swiss identity,” Blocher told Bloomberg. He’s put 2 million francs ($2.5 million) of his own money into a media blitz ahead of the vote on Sep. 27.
Supporters of the constitutional change say a strict interpretation of neutrality is indispensable to make sure Switzerland isn’t pulled into wars. Posters across the country have pushed that message, with the slogan: “No War. Yes to Swiss Neutrality.”
The government supports staying neutral, but wants some flexibility, and rejects the amendment as unnecessary. Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis says neutrality works and “we don’t need to reinvent it.”
But for many conservative voters, leaders of recent years have stripped away the country’s identity bit by bit.
That feeling covers everything from Swiss banking secrecy, which was dismantled under US pressure, to anger over immigration, to a recent set of treaties with the EU that opponents say constitutes “subordination” to the bloc. Watering down neutrality is perceived as another retreat from traditions.
“Since the end of the Cold War, Switzerland has been gradually giving up the things that make it unique — and thereby ultimately its identity,” said Rene Roca, a high school teacher and historian from Oberrohrdorf-Staretschwil in the canton of Aargau, about half-way between Zurich and Basel.
Frustration
While polls put support for the neutrality campaign at about 40% — so it may not get over the line — broader frustration is a recurring issue that won’t go away.
The country held a plebiscite earlier this year to cap its population (it fell short at 45%), and is set to vote as soon as next year on the contentious EU deal.
On neutrality, the government argues that it’s best to be pragmatic rather than dogmatic, and can point to the economy’s successes as part of its case. Switzerland benefits from close ties to the EU while maintaining independence. That allows it to strike its own trade deals, as it did with China last month. It earned its exporters near-universal tariff-free access, something the EU lacks.
Other European nations have been prompted by Russia’s aggression to rethink non-alignment. Both Finland and Sweden shed their longstanding positions and joined NATO.
But Switzerland’s attachment runs deep because the country lacks many of the markers that hold other countries together. It has four national languages and strong regional identities, while political power is dispersed among 26 cantons.
“Historically, neutrality served as a safeguard against external threats, but it also played an integrative role internally,” said Lucas Renaud, a researcher at ETH Zurich’s Center for Security Studies. “Switzerland is no nation-state like Germany, France or Italy, it’s a nation by will.”
What Bloomberg Economics Says…
“One of the advantages of Switzerland’s current neutrality policy is that it has given successive governments enough flexibility to adapt to changes in the international environment. The initiative would significantly reduce that room for maneuver precisely when a rapidly changing geopolitical environment may require greater agility than ever.”
— Antonio Barroso, senior geoeconomics analyst. For more, click here
A key reference point for right-wing supporters of tightening the doctrine is the World Wars, during which Switzerland managed to escape hostilities. Its record during World War II is controversial, however, with Switzerland helping Nazi Germany with financing for weapons while turning away thousands of Jewish refugees.
The Kremlin recently cited this when it got involved in the campaign, saying Switzerland no longer adheres to neutrality. That prompted opponents to call the proposal a “pro-Putin initiative” because it would force the country to scrap its Russia sanctions.
Despite the dispute over interpretation, broad domestic support for neutrality remains strong. A survey by ETH Zurich recently showed 85% of the population back it.
For Blocher and his peers, that’s not enough, because of the perceived threats to peaceful Switzerland.
“It was able to sidestep every war for some 200 years,” Blocher said. “Because it has broken its neutrality, Switzerland has today essentially become a belligerent against the nuclear power Russia.”
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