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“From War to Peace”

Symposium of the initiative “Democracy and Fundamental Rights”

by Marita Brune-Koch

(8 November 2024) Vienna. – Cruel wars in various parts of the world, politicians and the media inciting war and supposedly wanting to bring about peace with war and rearmament – that is what our world looks like today. Our Alpine republics Austria and Switzerland, which could refuse to take part in the war with their constitutionally enshrined neutrality, are increasingly arming themselves and wanting to be present at this dance of death. The symposium “From War to Peace” courageously countered this.

How Generation Z can save the world

by Mathias Müller,* canton Bern, Switzerland

(1 November 2024) Today’s youth is regarded to be oversensitive and lazy. But if you look closely, you can see that Gen Z is more resilient and freedom-loving than their self-righteous predecessors.

Is Switzerland mutating into a “city-state”?

Correcting blatant political misjudgement

by Hans Bieri, managing director of SVIL,* Zurich

(1 November 2024) (CH-S) On 9 October 2024, the consultation on the ordinance to the Spatial Planning Act 2 (SPA 2) adopted by the Federal Assembly ended. This ordinance decides what Switzerland will look like in the future outside the building zones and how its areas will be used. Was this a media topic? Hardly.

Does the “Sky Shield” protect Austria?

by General (retd.) DI Mag Günther Greindl,* Austria

(1 November 2024) (CH-S) Günther Greindl’s thoughts also affect Switzerland very directly. A new, multi-billion-dollar air defence system is to protect Europe from Russian missiles. But won’t the neutral states of Switzerland and Austria only make themselves a target for attack? And wouldn’t other systems be sufficient and more compatible with neutrality? General Greindl’s warnings for Austria are clear. The parallels with Switzerland cannot be overlooked. The editorial team’s contribution on the topic of “Sky Shield and Switzerland” will follow next week.

Kazan – the city of the BRICS summit

by René Zittlau, «Voice from Russia»*

(25 October 2024) (25 October 2024) The summit in Kazan is undoubtedly the political highlight for the BRICS countries in 2024. Hosts of such major political events think very carefully about where they will be held. Choosing the right location allows for the communication of unspoken messages beyond the actual event. The decision in favour of Kazan was well considered from this point of view.
Switzerland

E-ID marching through. Supposedly, it has nothing but advantages.

What risks need to be considered?

by Philipp Kruse, attorney-at-Law, LL.M., ABF Schweiz

(25 October 2024) “Switzerland wants and needs an E-ID card”. That was the general consensus in the Federal Palace. On 10 September 2024, the Council of States almost unanimously approved the E-ID law. “The E-ID enables people to prove their identity in the virtual world. It will be comparable to an ID card or passport in the physical world. However, the E-ID will not replace either of these two documents.” [...] It will “meet the highest data protection requirements.” This is what Federal Councillor Beat Jans said on 10 September 2024 in the Council of States. Critical dissenting voices are currently few and far between. Reason enough for “ABF Schweiz” to take a closer look.