Swiss Foreign Policy 2009: Crises and Challenges

Abstract

The foreign-policy crises of the past months raise questions as to Switzerland’s international positioning and the government’s institutional capacity to act. The framework conditions for Swiss niche strategies in the fields of financial and European policy have deteriorated. On both the global and the European stages, it is becoming increasingly difficult to preserve national interests without the support of a strong network of partner states. Given the Federal Council’s decision to revisit the question of EU accession and the renewed attempt at institutional reforms, controversial but necessary debates lie ahead.