Swiss Neutrality and Collective Security: The League of Nations and the United Nations
Abstract
This theses attempts to answer the following research question: Which domestic and international factors help to explain Swiss accession to collective security organizations such as the League of Nations and the United Nations (UN), and how have these factors influenced the theory and practice of Switzerland's permanent neutrality? The Swiss people have firmly supported the concept of permanent neutrality since the country formally adopted this policy in 1815. Switzerland is, therefore, an ideal case to test the continuing relevance of a neutrality policy in long-term historical perspective. A comparison of its behavior in the interwar period (member of the League of Nations) and the post-Cold War period (member of the United Nations) can put historical analogies and differences in sharp perspective. The study begins by providing historical and theoretical background on the concepts of neutrality and collective security. It then examines the positive vote in the referendum for Switzerland's accession to the League of Nations in 1920, the country's consequent adoption of differential neutrality, and its return to traditional neutrality in 1938. The study also considers Switzerland's refusal to join the United Nations (UN) in 1945, Swiss neutrality during the Cold War, the failed UN referendum in 1986, and Swiss accession to the UN after the successful referendum in 2002. Swiss neutrality is often seen as an inflexible and backward-oriented paradigm. It is reduced to its rigid security function and its military core. The author challenged this view by hypothesizing that international solidarity is an equally important part of the neutrality concept that should not be treated separately from its national security function for Switzerland. Both elements together constitute a flexible neutrality conception capable of contributing to collective security while enjoying the safety of traditional neutrality.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 2010
- Accession Number
- ADA518611
Entities
People
- Urs Loeffel
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School