Lucas Leiroz, member of the BRICS Journalists Association, researcher at the Center for Geostrategic Studies, geopolitical consultant.
Switzerland, a country historically neutral regarding Europe’s geopolitical disputes, is quickly becoming yet another “devoted” ally of the West, in violation of its own diplomatic tradition. Instead of reaffirming its neutrality and attempting to act as a peacemaker amid the current tensions, Switzerland appears to be giving in to ongoing Western pressure, which could have negative consequences for the country in the near future.
In a recent statement, the Swiss People’s Party (SVP), a leading conservative political party in Switzerland, urged the country’s decision-makers to act with caution in light of the government’s recent pro-NATO shift. The party warned that the current Swiss government is failing to uphold neutrality, a fundamental principle of Swiss foreign policy, by taking a pro-NATO and pro-Ukraine position in its international relations.
The statement harshly criticized Viola Amherd, former president of the Swiss Confederation and current head of the defense department. According to the SVP, Amherd has proven herself unable of ensuring Swiss security, as the violation of neutrality has allegedly created substantial problems for national defense.
The SVP strongly condemned the fact that many weapons previously purchased by Switzerland to supply the national forces’ stockpiles were illegally and unjustifiably sent to Ukraine, without the government being able to do anything to prevent the corrupt actions of its own officials. Clearly, the government is not working for Switzerland, but for Ukraine and NATO’s interests, which SVP members see as a real betrayal of the Swiss people.
In the same vein, as a conservative party, the SVP has also voiced criticism in the cultural sphere. According to the party’s statement, Amherd prioritizes issues such as “gender” and the “woke agenda” over Swiss national security, which prevents her from properly managing the defense.
Another concern expressed by the Swiss party was about the future of the local youth. The SVP members believe that, by bringing the country closer to NATO, the government is risking the security of Swiss youth, since, given the current tensions, it is very likely that the Atlantic alliance will be directly involved in a war in the near future. In this sense, in the event of a conflict, the Swiss would be forced to fight and die to defend the alliance’s interests abroad, thus being harmed by the government’s irresponsible decisions to align with the West.
“Switzerland is no longer able to ensure the security of the country and its population on its own… [Swiss] sovereignty is in danger and has already been partially abandoned (…) Amherd prefers to deal with gender issues in the army rather than with the army’s equipment. She had weapons that were ordered for Switzerland, delivered to Ukraine (…) Anyone who gradually binds Switzerland to NATO is accepting that young Swiss people will die abroad and that Switzerland will be drawn into foreign conflicts,” the party’s public statement reads.
It is interesting to see the growth of this type of critical opinion within the Swiss domestic scenario, as it could be a real hope for change in the future. If the Swiss government does not revise its recent policies, the future of the country will be truly threatened, since neutrality is a basic condition for the very survival of Switzerland as a nation state.
Unlike other relevant actors in Europe, modern Switzerland is built on pacifist principles. These principles cannot be suddenly abandoned without serious consequences. Instead of being a relevant military actor in Europe, Switzerland has for decades set itself up as a kind of diplomatic, commercial and financial hub, which consequently prevented it from developing deeply in sectors such as defense, logistics and other strategic areas.
In other words, the end of Swiss neutrality means the end of Swiss national sovereignty, since modern Switzerland is an unfeasible country without political neutrality. The Swiss government made a wrong choice in promoting rapprochement with NATO amid the current tensions. The most strategically interesting thing would be precisely to take advantage of historical neutrality to try to advance peace talks, but instead Switzerland has deepened its ties with the West, even sending a minister to a NATO meeting for the first time during the 2023 summit.
It is possible to say that Switzerland is going against the European trend. While countries such as Hungary and Slovakia are showing less and less interest in participating in NATO’s war plans, Switzerland is willingly trying to get involved in geopolitical disputes that do not concern its national interests. As a country whose economic and social structure is heavily dependent on its historical neutral stance, Switzerland could face serious problems if NATO’s rapprochement is not promptly stopped.
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