and the United Nations

1. and theUnited Nations

2. Fun Facts Capital: Bern Monetary Unit: Swiss Franks Weights and Measures: Metric System Size: 15, 942 sq mi, or about twice the size of New Jersey Population: About 7 million people Official Languages: German, French, Italian, and Romansh Religion: There is no official religion, however there is an even divide between Catholics and Protestants with some Muslims as well Economy: Agriculture- 1.5% Industry- 26.3% Services- 64.5% GDP: $240.9 Billion Military expenditure: $1.1 billion Debt-external: $856 billion

3. A Brief History The Helveti, a Celtic tribe conquered by Julius Caesar in 58 B.C., were the first inhabitants of Switzerland (Helvetia) For 200 years it was a Roman province and became very prosperous under Roman rule In 250 A.D., Switzerland was occupied by a Germanic Tribe, the Alemanni. In 433 A.D., the Burgundians were in control of the territory The Frankish empire defeated these tribes in 496 and many of the present day cities like Zurich and Lausanne were reestablished and Christianity was introduced as well In 1032, some 200 years after Charlemagne, King of the Franks, Switzerland became apart of the Holy Roman Empire

4. In the 13th century, Switzerland was placed under the House of Habsburg. However harsh domination resulted in the rebellion of several cities and the formation of the “Eternal Alliance” • This alliance was between the three forest cantons of Schwyz, Uri, and Unterwalden, forming the first Swiss Confederation • The Habsburgs invaded the three provinces, but with their defeat at Morgarten Pass on Nov. 15, 1315, the Swiss secured their independence. • Complete independence was secured by the Treaty of Basel in 1499 with the Holy Roman Empire • The Helvetian Confederation continued to grow with an increasing number of cantons or communities joining

5. The Treaty of Westphalia in 1648 granted the Swiss Confederation formal recognition of independence by all European powers • In 1815, the Congress of Vienna reconstituted the independent Swiss Confederation with three additional cantons (for a total of 22) and recognized its official policy of neutrality • In 1848, a new federal constitution, quite similar to the United States was adopted. However it was revised in 1874 • Despite neutrality, Switzerland has cooperated wholeheartedly in various international organizations such as: the League of Nations, the Red Cross, and the UPU • However it did not join the United Nations until 2002, but maintained their permanent observer status

6. Government and Political Parties • The Swiss Confederation was a federal union governed, until 2000, under the constitution of 1874, which vested supreme authority in the federal assembly, the legislative body, and executive power in the Federal Council. • On January 1, 2000, a new federal constitution replaced the 1874 constitution • The New Constitution formally separated and codified four pillars of Swiss constitutional law: democracy; the rule of law; social well fare; and federalism.

7. There are four dominant parties, each sharing power with little animosity towards each other: • Social Democratic Party- advocates wider state participation in industry and strong social legislation • Radical Democratic Party- a progressive middle-class party favoring social welfare and a democratic federally structured government • Christian Democrats- oppose centralization of power • Center Democratic Union- formed in 1971 by farmers, traders, and citizens party, which favored agrarian reform, protective tariffs, and a stronger national defense plan

8. International Cooperation • Their policy since becoming a sovereign state has been absolute neutrality. They do not want to become apart of power politics • Their mission is to: • Promise non-aggression to neighboring States. No military incursions will be made by Switzerland • Protection of neighboring States in the sense that the Swiss promise to repel any attempt by a foreign army to reach that neighbor through Swiss territory • Non-participation in wars of other nations and non-participation in any system of alliance promising mutual military assistance

9. Their Neutrality has resulted in no invasions on their territory since the Hapsburgs trying to seize their territory • Due to their position of neutrality, many of the Swiss felt joining the UN would hinder their stance. The security council did not want Switzerland to become part of the charter and explicitly said so in the San Francisco charter • In 1986, Switzerland was turned down by the UN to be admitted mostly because of the Cold War policies in place • The UN has promoted the idea of collective security which most of the Swiss find to be against a position of Neutrality • It is hard to tell whether collective security or perpetual neutrality is better in the long run

10. “Missions” of Switzerland • These missions or permanent representations implement Swiss policy in the UN and other international organizations: • Represent the interests of Switzerland • Take part in negotiations and activities at the UN and other international organizations • Maintain relations with the Permanent Missions of other countries

11. Ironies of Switzerland and the UN • Although Switzerland did not become a member of the UN until 2002, the second (European) headquarters of the UN was established in Switzerland • Many of the summits and conferences of various UN organizations have been held in Switzerland, even before their admittance into the UN • Although the Swiss pride themselves on virtual neutrality, their armed forces have become an integral part of their government. The country has universal compulsory military service for males at age 19-20, followed by varied annual training requirements until age 42, with exemption only for physical disabilities

12. Swiss fighting men were world famous during the 16th though the 19th century where some 2 million Swiss served as mercenaries in foreign armies • However only about 1.0% of their GDP, or 2.5 Billion, goes toward the armed forces and military spending. • Switzerland became an integral part of the final talks and deliberations for the United States during the Korean conflict

13. Switzerland's Commitment • After joining the UN, they have established themselves as a member that plays a practical, constructive part in the quest for world solutions • They have a credibility among the international community because they do not participate in power politics and do not pursue covert objectives • Although there are some ironies to their position of neutrality, for the most part, their position is unwavering • Becoming a part of the UN allows them to debate and vote on UN reforms and put forth ideas for pragmatic solutions • For instance, the creation of the UN Humans Rights Council originated from an idea put forth by Switzerland

14. Not all of Switzerland was on the “join the UN bandwagon” • Wealthy businessman Christopher Blocher directed a campaign against joining the UN. He argued that Switzerland would lose neutrality and freedom joining the UN membership • However, Francosi Nordmann, Swiss ambassador to the UN said, “Now that the Cold War is over, there is no reason that Switzerland should not vote yes to UN membership” • Some thought the Security Council has all the power and Switzerland would simply be “swallowed up” • The fact remains that Switzerland has a great deal of power, due to their “mediator” status, which provides the UN with alternative measures. • Membership with the UN insured a positive image for Switzerland and most likely neutrality will still be upheld to a large extent