In favour of an autonomous and independent Swiss security policy – yes to the neutrality initiative!

Switzerland should finally formulate an independent and autonomous security policy. This has been necessary for some time, but has been put on the back burner. Increasing integration into NATO (e.g. Sky Shield) is obviously more important.

Constitutional mandate
and necessary supplement

The Federal Constitution of the Swiss Confederation very clearly describes the political responsibilities for a realistic security policy, which includes a clear commitment to neutrality and the militia army. The preamble states, among other things, that “The Swiss people and the Cantons, [...] conscious of their common achievements and their responsibility towards future generations”, adopt this constitution. One of these achievements is neutrality. With the current dismantling of neutrality, where is the responsibility towards future generations?
  With regard to the militia army, the Constitution clearly states (Art. 58 BV)

 “1 Switzerland shall have armed forces. In principle, the armed forces shall be organised as a militia.
 2 The armed forces serve to prevent war and to maintain peace; they defend the country and its population.”

At the moment, our army is completely incapable of fulfilling this mission. The DDPS [Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport] is in such disarray that only the revision of Army 21 and all subsequent reform steps can remedy the situation. The newly elected head of the DDPS, Martin Pfister, has a Herculean task ahead of him in this respect.
  The duties and powers of the Federal Assembly are also clearly set out in the Federal Constitution (Art. 173 BV):

“1 The Federal Assembly has the following additional duties and powers:
 a. Taking measures to safeguard external security and the independence and neutrality of Switzerland.”

The same applies to the Federal Council (Art. 185). The question arises as to why our elected representatives – all “servants of the people” – no longer fulfil this clear constitutional mandate. Like all NATO countries, Switzerland is now a well-behaved vicarious agent and vassal of the USA. In this sense, our country is becoming more and more integrated into the supranational structures of the European Union (EU) through the planned Framework Agreement 2.0 on the one hand, and into the military war alliance of NATO on the other. The Neutrality Initiative was launched because of this continued blatant disregard for the Swiss Federal Constitution – and not just because of the war in Ukraine. It is intended to clearly establish the constitutional status of Swiss neutrality in order to ensure a comprehensive peace policy and the strengthening of humanitarian traditions (ICRC). The Federal Council in particular needs guidelines for its foreign policy so that the endless manoeuvring can stop and its sometimes-unbearable silence can be broken. The new article on Swiss neutrality should not remain a dead letter following the adoption of the initiative, but is a clear mandate for the Federal Council and Parliament!
  Following the submission of the initiative last year, it is now being discussed intensively in the parliamentary committees. A direct counter-proposal to remove important parts of the initiative text is within the realms of possibility. The vote is expected to take place on 8 March 2026.

Switzerland is
practising in endless ingratiation

Instead of drawing up a long-term strategy for its national security, the DDPS department commissioned 21 people to draw up a report as a “Security Policy Study Commission”. Most of the members of the commission, apart from a few token politicians, were hand-picked by the Amherd department, which led to a very one-sided focus. The results were foreseeable. The report makes statements without providing the necessary historical context. For example, page 22 of the report states: “Only if the West succeeds in restoring the territorial integrity of Ukraine will a rules-based order be maintained in which international law is enforced and rule-breakers are punished. Otherwise, this order will remain tarnished and Europe will remain under threat, particularly from Russia.”
  “Territorial integrity” is correct in itself, but a “rules-based order” in Europe, if it ever existed to some extent, no longer exists since the Kosovo war in 1999. This NATO war was illegal under international law, the rule-breakers were not punished and Serbia’s territorial integrity has still not been restored. The uranium ammunition that was used continues to emit radiation and is a health disaster. And the NATO countries called this a “humanitarian intervention”. Switzerland had nothing better to do than to support the nonsensical KFOR exercise with its own soldiers to this day.
  The fact that Europe is threatened by Russia, as the quote goes on to say, is simply absurd, but is now triggering an unleashed military build-up. The global industrial-military complex is laughing up its sleeve. However, armament and the formation of blocs as well as a forced alliance policy inevitably point the way to war, just as they did before the First World War. The “Neue Zürcher Zeitung” is already contemplating a “modern Triple Entente” (see “Neue Zürcher Zeitung” of 10 March 25), a special kind of warmongering from the transatlantic echo chamber.
  The Federal Council’s dispatch on the neutrality initiative is now also available. As expected, it is proposing its rejection. According to the Federal Council, the initiative would enshrine a “rigid understanding of neutrality” in the constitution and restrict its foreign policy room for manoeuvre too much. However, this is precisely what is now required and very important. The Federal Council wants to retain its “flexibility” in the application of neutrality. However, a country that applies its neutrality flexibly can no longer be relied upon at all. Such relativism is nothing more than cherry-picking, and the credibility of such a country, as we are now seeing, is dwindling dramatically. A second argument of the Federal Council against the initiative is that it wants to continue to impose sanctions against belligerent states outside the UN. However, studies clearly show that such sanctions are useless (see Russia today), affect the innocent civilian population and lead to a situation where normal dialogue is no longer possible for a long time.

Switzerland as the architect
of a new European security policy

Particularly in today’s delicate global political situation, the great opportunity for neutrals and non-aligned states lies in promoting peace and cooperation as self-confident nation states. Switzerland’s perpetual, armed neutrality, strengthened by the new constitutional article, could create the basis for engaging in dialogue with everyone and building a new European security architecture by establishing the most autonomous self-defence possible. Switzerland must act as an architect together with other peace-loving countries. The CSCE process, which Switzerland actively promoted and which ultimately ended the Cold War, should be remembered in this context. For the USA, neutrality has always been something “immoral”. That need not concern us. Switzerland was a “great diplomatic power” for a certain period during and after the Second World War. It must pick up where it left off and use its good offices to consistently serve peace again. •

* René Roca is a secondary school teacher and holds a doctorate in history. He founded and heads the Research Institute for Direct Democracy (www.fidd.ch). He is a member of the Neutrality Initiative Committee.