NZZ: “Die Schweiz im hybriden Krieg” a very good article about Switzerland in an increasingly hostile international context
NZZ: “Die Schweiz im hybriden Krieg” a very good article about Switzerland in an increasingly hostile international context
4 comments
For me one of the key points is this sentence:
>Es geht weniger um die harten Fakten als vielmehr um ein Narrativ, das
sich aufbaut: Es ist die Erzählung eines reichen, egoistischen und im
Kern unsolidarischen Landes, das nur profitieren will.
>
>[It’s less about the hard facts and more about a narrative that is being constructed: It’s the tale of a rich, egoistical country which at it’s core is lacking solidarity, and who only wants to profit] (rough Translation by me)
It’s something I’ve been thinking about myself: The increasing tendency to frame politics, both domestic and international, in moralistic terms is extremely dangerous. You can talk and come to terms with someone who has different viewpoints, you can’t do so with someone who’s moral compass is “wrong” ie. misaligned with yours. Add to that that morals are frequently absolute, if either side mistakes a political issue for a moral one it becomes near impossible to find a compromise. Democracy dies when morality is brought to the table.
Leaving domestic issues to the side and focusing on international relations for now: The build up of narratives questioning Switzerland, it’s neutrality and it’s integral part in the international community, which has also been noted on this sub, is therefore an extreme danger to all of these points. In the coming conflicts the narratives that are being told about you will be of extreme importance, currently Switzerland is loosing.
Link to the article without paywall: https://12ft.io/proxy?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nzz.ch%2Fschweiz%2Fhybrider-krieg-druck-auf-die-schweiz-ld.1710969%3Freduced%3Dtrue
I’d like to read it but I don’t speak german that well and google isn’t translating the page, for some reason. Is there an English version somewhere?
this is absolutely nothing new. It happened when the euro was introduced and there were people saying if Switzerland doesn t adapt to it, there will be an economic disaster. It happened when Switzerland voted yes for the “Masseneinwanderungsinitiative” people said,this will break all political channels with the UE.
What this article actually shows me is that Switzerland is much stronger than it thinks of itself. The energy crisis might be an issue short term,but will be solved without issues in mid to long term. Switzerland should use this strong points to defend itself. If even Hungary which doesn t give a sh.. about UE laws, discrimination etc. survives without problem, why are people so afraid about Switzerland being jeopardized.