Swiss neutrality is at the heart of a new think tank in Geneva and the subject of an upcoming referendum. In a world marked by increasing fragmentation, the Swiss remain deeply attached to it.

For many, neutrality is the unshakeable bulwark that protected Switzerland from the two world wars; for others, it is merely an opportunistic fig leaf that has allowed the country to conduct business, even with the most sinister regimes.

Far from the idealized image, Switzerland's status has always been a matter of room for maneuver and realpolitik. More than simply an absence of participation in war, Swiss neutrality is in fact a legal and political framework, simultaneously perpetual, armed, and nuanced. Swiss policy interprets its framework flexibly, placing it at the service of good offices and humanitarian aid. But in a world where the lines of conflict are increasingly blurred, is this distinction between law and politics still tenable?...

It is in the midst of this current situation that the Geneva Center for Neutrality was born. Former ambassador Jean-Daniel Ruch, its co-founder, explains its purpose: "Switzerland's soft power in the world is deeply rooted in neutrality... We need to try to enhance its value," - he urges.
Full version of the article is here: https://www.letemps.ch/suisse/la-souplesse-de-la-neutralite-suisse-est-plus-que-jamais-remise-en-question