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Annoyed at Switzerland being neutral?

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If Switzerland wasn't neutral you wouldn't have all the tweenieboppers going round with their "I am Switzerland" home-made t-shirts!

Seriously, though, it's not really a topic of conversation that often comes up with me

Reply 21

natty_d

Geneva was absolutely beautiful when I visited so no I don't. It's a really peaceful, lovely country. :yep:

Reply 22

Mr_K_Dilkington

natty_d

Geneva was absolutely beautiful when I visited so no I don't. It's a really peaceful, lovely country. :yep:

With a gun in every home. muhahaha :woo:

Reply 23

munn

i thought the reason nobody went to war with switzerland was because they consider themselves neutral, all the world banks are there and if anyone went to war with them they'd essentially be going to war with everyone

I like Switzerland

Jay Riall

With a gun in every home. muhahaha :woo:

You're a dream crusher.

Reply 26

tom1991

Hop Suisse!!! :smile:

Reply 27

Mad Vlad

WokSz

I've been living in the U.K. for the best part of a year now and I've met both some very nice people and some quite horrible ones too. As a proud Swiss national, I've heard many generalise the country and its people as being a Nazi loving, money obsessed nation that only cares about itself and nothing else. I've also heard many feel anger at the fact that Switzerland is neutral and refuses to get involved in military action with other countries.

I wanted to know what your opinions are on this matter?

People that think that clearly have never seen the Swiss stealth navy :ninja:

How dare they!

Hanoi

War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.

JS Mill

Did JS Mill volunteer for the armed forces during his lifetime? Or is it one of those "war, but not with my blood being spilt" views - George W Bush style.

Reply 30

Natasha_c

yodude888

Lol so Switzerland giving information to the British Army during WWII, as well as protecting escaped Jews... That was all to help the Nazis, wasn't it?

And Switzerland aren't being cowardly or isolationist. We are strongly involved in world politics, in fact mediating discussions between the USA and countries such as Iran, amongst other things.

I thought switzerland was notorius for being extremly heartless when it came to helping the jews?

Anyway it seems a bit unfair to judge them now on this

Reply 31

CyclopsRock

Hanoi

Whilst I agree with the sentiment, that's hardly applicable here. The Swiss don't have others right their wars for them - they just don't get involved.

Reply 32

FalmerGrad

neomilan

switzerland
liechtenstein {sp?}
cananda
new zealand

all countries i have high respect for

The {sp?} needs to be moved one row down!

Best thing I know about Schweiz/Svizzera/Suisse is they're quite happy living in a country where different languages exist in different parts of the country. The Belgians could learn a thing or two.

Reply 33

Hedgehunter

Yeah, I wonder why they don't fight either. Especially since the soldiers in their army keep (or used to till recently) their guns in their homes... :s-smilie:

Reply 34

L i b

Hanoi

This.

Neutrality is, to my mind, to completely reject the role of the international community in upholding peace and security.

callum9999

A load of rubbish in my opinion. Even if you live in a country that has wars, the average citizen doesn't get any exposure to it and the majority of Westerners aren't "miserable creatures with no chance of being free". If anything, war is more emotionally damaging than peace.

The vast majority of western countries do not remain neutral.

WokSz

But what about refusing to fight because it's immoral?

To me, that is a terrible morality. As the Mill quote suggested, you're then just freeloading.

CyclopsRock

Whilst I agree with the sentiment, that's hardly applicable here. The Swiss don't have others right their wars for them - they just don't get involved.

They advocate a political system which essentially relies on force, yet refuse to exercise it. That seems to me rather twisted.

Reply 35

MHSJunior

I respect Switzerland's neutrality. It shows wisdom a lot of western countries fail to grasp.

Reply 36

neomilan

FalmerGrad

oops!

Reply 37

callum9999

L i b

The vast majority of western countries do not remain neutral.

Irrelevant to my point. Although your country may not be neutral, the average citizen has no personal involvement in war - and they aren't worse off because of it.

Reply 38

Hylean

L i b

This.

Neutrality is, to my mind, to completely reject the role of the international community in upholding peace and security.

To me, that is a terrible morality. As the Mill quote suggested, you're then just freeloading.

They advocate a political system which essentially relies on force, yet refuse to exercise it. That seems to me rather twisted.

I'd argue the JS Mills quote isn't applicable here because Switzerland clearly thinks there are some things worth fighting for: their own land. They don't feel the need to fight for anything else because they are smart enough to know it'd likely be a losing battle due to overwhelming numbers against them. They do have an army, so clearly they are willing to fight if they have to.

The international community has no "peace-keeping role" except for the one it chooses to give itself. Besides, the international community should stay out of other countries' conflicts, it doesn't concern them and can often make the situation worse. Yugoslavia anyone?

There are plenty of neutral countries which don't get the flac Switzerland does, it's ********. People are just pissed off with Switzerland because they took money from the Jews and from the Nazis as per their neutral stance, but people don't see it like that. It's the old "either with us or against us" viewpoint poking through.

Reply 39

L i b

Hylean

The international community has no "peace-keeping role" except for the one it chooses to give itself.

Oh, but they do. They have a moral responsibility, if not one which should be compelled, to assist their fellow man. I don't see it as any different to walking on by whilst rapes and beatings are carried out in your own street.

Besides, the international community should stay out of other countries' conflicts, it doesn't concern them and can often make the situation worse. Yugoslavia anyone?

Nazi Germany anyone?

There are plenty of neutral countries which don't get the flac Switzerland does, it's ********.

I'm attacking the policy, not the country.

callum9999

Irrelevant to my point. Although your country may not be neutral, the average citizen has no personal involvement in war - and they aren't worse off because of it.