200 Global News Post 2
delahanty9
The article: “Waffen und russische Gelder – als Nein-Sagerin manövriert sich die Schweiz ins Abseits” is an article with a title that roughly translates to “Weapons and Russian money, Switzerland maneuvers itself into the sidelines.” The article comes from the popular Swiss newspaper, Neue Zürcher Zeitung, and discusses how Bern is being put under pressure to aid in the war between Ukraine and France despite Switzerland wanting to maintain their neutral status and reputation.
This article makes a point of highlighting the responses to action by both Ukraine and Switzerland, and it begins by discussing how the invasion of Ukraine caught both Switzerland and the Switzerland’s head of foreign affairs, Ignazio Cassis, off guard. Cassis was forced to make difficult decisions regarding how Switzerland would respond to this surge of events, and he found it particularly difficult considering Switzerland’s neutral standpoint in global politics. In an attempt to redefine neutrality and support Ukraine, Cassis has pushed to adjust laws that would allow Switzerland to supply Ukraine with weapons and ammunition while continuing to provide refuge to Ukrainian citizens fleeing their home country. This decision has been faced with some scrutiny as Ukraine now has high expectations, evidenced by Andriy Yermak’s twitter post thanking Bern for their help in the war. However, in order to export these goods, Switzerland’s parliament must come to a decision which will eat up a lot of valuable time and most importantly, is not guaranteed.
This article utilizes a variety of evidence, most notably actions that have been taken by Switzerland’s foreign minister Cassis and the Ukrainian government, but also social media posts and quotes from councils and government officials. The article closes with the author’s perspective, stating that Switzerland’s situation is difficult but that it should prioritize taking action soon to put themselves in a better position for the future.
Della Valle, A. (2019). [Ammunition Made in Switzerland]. Keystone. https://img.nzz.ch/2021/9/13/b70acf12-7eda-4d11-b999-227c5c03ed0e.jpeg? width=1331&height=867&fit=bounds&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=2003,1335,x0,y0
Link to Article: https://www.nzz.ch/meinung/waffen-und-russische-gelder-als-nein-sagerin-manoevriert-sich-die-schweiz-ins-abseits-ld.1724247