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by Guy Mettan,* Geneva
(21 March 2025) Having failed to reach a consensus, Switzerland had to give up organising the humanitarian summit on Palestine. When will it finally understand that international Geneva and Switzerland’s role as a mediator cannot be saved by jumping around shouting “Multilateralism! Multilateralism!” and pulling a few million out of your pocket to save reckless NGOs?
by Daniel Funk, “Transition News”
(21 March 2025) The “Movement for Neutrality” was founded on 9 March. The new organisation’s first goal is to help the cross-party neutrality initiative to succeed in getting neutrality enshrined in the Federal Constitution.
by Wolfgang Bittner,* Germany
(21 March 2025) On 11 March, I read about war preparations in my local newspaper over breakfast and I almost choke on my food. “We are a hub for NATO”, it says. “In the event of defence, Lower Saxony would be a centre for the logistics of the Bundeswehr”, and with the “Germany Operation Plan”, the country is preparing for a “possible military conflict”.
by Karin Leukefeld,* Germany/Syria
(14 March 2025) (CH-S) Since his inauguration on 20 January 2025, US President Donald Trump’s activities in European countries have been observed and commented on with hope, horror or confusion. The development of the Ukrainian drama is currently at the centre of attention: even more war, destruction and death or a ceasefire, talks and peace.
by Professor Jeffrey D. Sachs,* USA
(14 March 2025)(CH-S) In a much-acclaimed speech to EU parliamentarians at the invitation of MEP and German ex-diplomat Michael von der Schulenburg,** world-renowned economist Professor Jeffrey D. Sachs characterised the development of the war in Ukraine as a product of US foreign policy. He calls on the Europeans to emancipate themselves today and to shape an independent policy towards peace and economic prosperity. The “Swiss Standpoint” documents the full text of the speech on its homepage – in three languages.
by Rudolf Strahm*
(7 March 2025) (CH-S) In the spring session (3–21 March 2025), new legislation is to be introduced to regulate state aid for large, systemically important banks. Since 2008, there has been no effective legal regulation in place to protect taxpayers from the enormous financial consequences of a bank collapse. There is still no talk of a clear separation between speculative and business activities.
In a guest article, former federal price supervisor and former SP National Councillor Rudolf Strahm explains the problems with the current legislative proposal. What measures are planned, and how should the new statutory liquidity guarantee of the federal government work with the so-called “Public Liquidity Backstop” (PLB)?