The secular neutrality of Switzerland may no longer be suitable for the modern world. According to the experts, it no longer protects the nation – which has just been brutally hit by the shutters of the tariff war imposed by Donald Trump.
Switzerland, which has long been considered a bastion of permanent neutrality, faces challenges fundamental to its international position as a result of the tariffs imposed by the United States under the Trump administration, says.
The principle of neutrality is, since the nineteenth century, the central foundation of Switzerland’s foreign policy. In 1815, at the Vienna Congress, the great European powers officially recognized the perpetual neutrality of the country – that guaranteed its independence and security and has removed it from the two world wars.
Nonetheless, The world has changed.
On August 7, the United States imposed an unprecedented rate of 39% about Swiss productsone of the highest tariffs in the world. These rates directly reach the Main Exports of Switzerland – including your famous Watches, chocolate, pharmacists and machinery.
Compared, the member states of the European Union benefit, under the recently established, a reduced rate of 15%which leaves the Swiss companies with a much heavier burden.
In response, some Swiss companies are considering shift production for countries with lower American tariffs.
Experts say the crisis shows that the traditional strategy of Switzerland, maintained for centuries in interstices among the great powers, may no longer function as a security network.
Switzerland obtained international recognition as a neutral state, guaranteeing Do not participate in wars – In exchange for guarantees of independence and territorial integrity.
Over time, Switzerland often took advantage of its neutrality to serve as non -official mediator Between great powers and conflict zones, strengthening their influence on international affairs. Recent changes in the global environment are testing this tradition.
“The era when Switzerland could navigate freely between the blocks of the great powers came to an end, ”says Jon deskVice president of the Swiss Social Democratic Party.
“A neutrality protecting us from all threats is a myth – It only works if the other countries to respect ”, note in turn Stefanie WalterProfessor of Political Science at the University of Zurich.
This It’s not the first time that Swiss neutrality is implemented. During Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022Switzerland faced international pressure and aligned with EU sanctions against Russiamoving away from its traditional political neutrality.
However, following the current tariff crisis, more and more voices appeal by Straighter ties with the EU.
“Although adhering to the EU remains difficult, small nations like our risk of be crushed“, it says Hans-Peter PortmannMember of the International Policy Commission of the Swiss Liberal Democratic Party. “This situation offers an opportunity to reassess geopolitical priorities“He concludes.
