Switzerland and Europe’s Security Architecture: The Rocky Road from Isolation to Cooperation

Abstract

Located in the heart of Europe, Switzerland has traditionally pursued a security policy based on the idea that the country is surrounded by enemies instead of friends. Until the early 1990s, army planners and security experts adhered to Mearsheimer’s “back to the future” scenario and prepared for a European continent falling apart. Now, at the end of the century, we know that things look brighter. The magistrates in Bern realize that they are loosing ground, especially with respect to the former Communist countries now eagerly applying for membership in the European Union (EU) and in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). They risk being caught in what can be called the neutrality trap: Because of the favorable European security environment the political elite is not willing to discuss the use of neutrality in post-Cold War Europe. But it is exactly the lack of that discussion that makes it impossible for Switzerland to fully benefit from the favorable environment. The outcome is a dilemma: NATO membership is possible, but not desirable. EU membership is desirable, but not possible.