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by Suzette Sandoz*, Lausanne
(27 June 2025) Could the cruel war between Israel and Palestine finally provide an opportunity to raise awareness of the role of universities? The rectorates are stammering and getting annoyed, students are demonstrating, the police are sometimes intervening – it’s a pitiful sight.
by Felix Abt*
(27 June 2025) Switzerland’s survival was no accident – it was a masterpiece of military deterrence and strategic manoeuvring. Switzerland’s survival during the Second World War was not by chance, but the result of a deliberate and calculated strategy of armed neutrality. While Hitler conquered most of Europe, Switzerland remained independent, unoccupied and defiantly neutral, despite being surrounded by hostile Axis powers.
by Prof. Dr. Eberhard Hamer,* Germany
(20 June 2025) By definition, “money” is an asset that we seek as a means of exchange and for the preservation of value.
This was indeed the case in the past, when precious metal coins made of gold, silver or copper not only had a monetary value, but also a tangible value – such as the Krugerrand made of gold or the 5-D-Mark pieces made of silver.
However, gold and silver are heavy and therefore often difficult to transport and secure in large sums.
The currency then became paper money through banknotes, which replaced the coins. They were easier to hold, transport and store than coins and yet were considered to have the same value in circulation as coins because they could be exchanged for the amount printed on them at any time. The guarantor of the value was the state or the state central bank, with the FED for the first time a private central bank.
by Michael Felten*, Germany
(20 June 2025) Optimism is something that the struggling education system could really do with right now. And Alfred Adler, the founder of individual psychology, would have a lot to offer in this respect. His experience-based thesis is that every child, no matter how troubled their background may be, can change their learning behaviour and social skills at school and develop them in a positive way. However, this requires steadfast and knowledgeable teachers who sensitively understand each child’s learning style, encourage and challenge them individually, and strengthen their attachment to a pro-social class community.
by Karin Leukefeld,* Germany/Syria
(20 June 2025) Flags are waved again in Syria. Shots of joy ring out through the cities – dancing people laugh at the cameras of international media, waving flags and clapping their hands. Syrians have waited more than ten years for the sanctions against their country to be lifted, and now the moment has finally arrived.
Event organised by “Swiss Standpoint”
(20 June 2025) (Own report) On 13 May 2025, in the well-attended rooms of “Swiss Standpoint” in Frauenfeld, Palestinian Dr Sumaya Farhat-Naser spoke about the situation in Gaza and the West Bank and her involvement there. The speaker gave a knowledgeable overview of the catastrophic humanitarian situation. At the same time, she impressed the audience with her level-headed, peaceful and egalitarian attitude towards the world.