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War against Yemen endangers Saudi crown prince’s position

by Moon of Alabama*

(23 October 2026) In the 1930s, during the formation of Saudi Arabia, three provinces were taken from Yemen. The Yemeni have always wanted them back. They are now in a position where they may eventually achieve that aim.

The western parts of Yemen are unlike the deserts of Saudi Arabia. The area is mountainous and gets a decent amount of precipitation. Some 80% of the 33 million Yemeni live in there. Agricultural production in the mountains is however difficult and Yemen has long been dependent on trade to acquire enough food to keep its people alive.
Swiss neutrality

The remaining challenges after the referendum

by Jean-Daniel Ruch,* former ambassador

(16 October 2026) Strictly speaking, the result of the referendum on 27 September is not particularly significant. The roots of the problem that is eroding the credibility of our foreign and security policy run deep. They have a name: foreign influence. These are well documented, particularly in the brand-new exposé by the German-Swiss journalist Rafaël Lutz.1

Rising energy prices: The European Union’s responsibility

by Pierre Lévy,* Paris

(16 October 2026) Energy prices in Europe are rising rapidly. Alongside the war in Iran and the consequences of the conflict in Ukraine, the EU is also contributing to this: its sanctions policy, its support for Kyiv and the rules governing the European electricity market are further exacerbating the strain.

Washington’s invisible military “kill switch”

US weapons are only partially operational

by Kamran Yeganegi*

(16 October 2026) Arab states have spent billions on US weapons, only to discover that the decisive layer of military power was never included in the sale.
On the Culture of Debate

The society of indignation and its friends

by Prof. Jan Roy Edlund*

(9 October 2026) (CH-S) The article on the culture of debate, published in June this year, remains highly topical. It analyses the now widespread fear of expressing one’s opinion in public and seeks a way back to the practice of free debate.

Stop Mad King Donald’s Iran War

The war with Iran is Trump’s folly but Congress’s disgrace for not stopping it

An Open Letter to Members of the US Congress by Jeffrey D. Sachs,* USA

Dear Members of Congress,

In truly deranged remarks to world leaders at the UN, Donald Trump1 declared that “I have a big decision to make,” whether to negotiate a deal with Iran or instead to “annihilate the Islamic Republic” and drive Iran “into hell with no chance of survival.”He posed it as his personal choice. The fact that the American people are dead set against Trump’s war means nothing. And as for the voters, he added that he gives “absolutely no credence” to the coming midterm elections2 in deciding on his actions and on Iran’s fate.