95
votes
Why did Switzerland de facto abandon their neutrality?
If they wanted to remain 100% neutral.
They don't.
They make it quite clear in your linked press release that they do not consider this to be a symmetric conflict in which both sides are equally ...
- 113k
64
votes
Why did Switzerland de facto abandon their neutrality?
First, the Swiss government differentiates between neutrality and impartiality (March 2022 white paper):
Neutrality is a behaviour in an international armed conflict, not a stance on specific issues. ...
54
votes
Accepted
How is Switzerland able to maintain low tax levels?
Comparing taxation across nations is not trivial, because different nations use different means of taxation; just because the VAT is low doesn't mean that the overall tax burden is.
Since you asked ...
- 3,617
40
votes
Accepted
What countries have several heads of state with equal power?
San Marino has two heads of state - Captains Regent - which are elected every six months by the parliament, the Grand and General Council. The positions are mainly symbolic, but include powers such as ...
CDJB♦
- 101k
21
votes
Accepted
How can Switzerland maintain a banking system which is almost unaccountable to the rest of the world?
It really was not all that long ago (1990's) that banks were not really connected to each other and while they had computers to help track and calculate balances, the paper trails were the way changes ...
- 8,791
20
votes
Accepted
Why did the US have a law that prohibited misusing the Swiss coat of arms?
I found historical diplomatic papers that may shed some light on this.
The Swiss Legation to the Department of State
On the other hand, attention should be called to the fact that in Article 28, ...
- 46.5k
17
votes
Accepted
Why didn't Silicon Valley Bank ask for a loan from the Fed as the lender of last resort?
Because that would be a bailout and the US government [regulators] said "no bailouts" in this case. Now the FDIC owns all of the banks assets (as a bridge bank) and is trying to sell them (...
- 133k
14
votes
Accepted
How does legislative oversight work in Switzerland when there is technically no "opposition" in parliament?
The fundamental thing to understand is that the Federal Council, as the collective government and the head of state of Switzerland, is collegial and bears collective responsibility similar to the ...
- 991
11
votes
Why did the US have a law that prohibited misusing the Swiss coat of arms?
It seems that this is about the Red Cross, and treaty obligations of the USA:
Art. 28. The Governments of the High Contracting Parties whose legislation is not at present adequate for the purpose, ...
- 113k
11
votes
How do you explain the change in population ratio of Germany vs. Switzerland since 1945?
Population change is a function of birth rate, death rate and net migration.
Birth rates have declined in both Germany and Switzerland (at almost identical rates), but Switzerland has had more ...
- 70.9k
10
votes
Would Switzerland's direct democracy survive EU membership?
As SJuan96 already pointed out in the comments, the EU does not forbid direct democracy. But of course there are certain rules that have to be obeyed when being a member of the EU - as is the case for ...
- 3,804
10
votes
Why didn't Silicon Valley Bank ask for a loan from the Fed as the lender of last resort?
The math on a loan from the Fed may not have worked out
A loan from the Fed would have to be paid back at current interest rates. Meantime, SVB is getting payments from long-dated bonds that it ...
- 1,598
9
votes
Why was Switzerland one of the last countries to give women the vote?
A few reasons:
Voting in the Swiss system is tied inextricably to military service: according to the 1848 constitution, paragraph 18, if you can vote, you must serve.
Bad timing. By the time the ...
- 17k
9
votes
Would Switzerland's direct democracy survive EU membership?
By joining the EU, the Swiss would agree to transfer legislative competence in certain areas to the European Parliament (in conjunction with the Council of the European Union). These areas are set out ...
- 3,617
8
votes
Are there any polls on the new Swiss immigration referendum question?
2nd EDIT: first polls give 2/3 rejection among population
There are no polls for the moment. But the fact that the initiative got enough signatures pretty fast (116139 in less than 7 months; ...
- 93
8
votes
How is Switzerland able to maintain low tax levels?
In the end, Switzerland is a very rich country and Swiss francs are fanatically strong as a currency. Even a lower rate can bring in more "purchasing power" (abusing the term here) for the ...
- 991
8
votes
Countries with nondemanding military?
Switzerland is more demanding than many countries in that it has conscription. By comparison, the UK ended conscription in 1960, in France in 1996 and Germany in 2011. In these and other countries ...
- 113k
8
votes
Accepted
Why did Switzerland's referendum about basic income proponents propose actual amounts?
Process 1:
Propose UBI without amount.
Voter like me (who isn't wholly opposed to low level UBI if done right) thinking:
If the proposal passes, chances are proponents will then work the system - ...
- 91.2k
8
votes
Why did Switzerland's referendum about basic income proponents propose actual amounts?
Because people asked or would ask.
If you don't propose amounts, then people arguing against it could pick their own levels. For example, they could set the basic income at the median or average ...
- 89.2k
8
votes
What countries have several heads of state with equal power?
Andorra’s heads of state are two co-princes, who are the Bishop of Urgell (in Spain) and the President of France. They have (in Andorra) equal powers, but since Andorra is a democratic constitutional ...
- 3,791
7
votes
Accepted
(When) did Switzerland tighten its neutrality law provisions regarding armaments and ammo post WW2?
The first change in Swiss law on arms exports came via a Federal Council decree of March 28th 1949. This decree doesn't appear to be available digitally, but is described by Sabine Widmer as follows:
...
CDJB♦
- 101k
7
votes
Why didn't Silicon Valley Bank ask for a loan from the Fed as the lender of last resort?
SVB was insolvent; its assets were less than its liabilities. Even if all its stuff was sold there wouldn't be enough money to pay all the depositors - even though it may have pretended there was, by ...
- 1,969
6
votes
How can Switzerland maintain a banking system which is almost unaccountable to the rest of the world?
Actually, Swiss banks are far from unaccountable nowadays, smart people started moving their money to places like Singapore 10 years ago.
Since the mid-1990s, the mood has changed and some provinces (...
- 30.4k
6
votes
Why does the Green party support immigration?
Because most green parties are left-wing parties. Environmentalism isn't their only political position. For that matter, few parties have only one political position, and some positions may (seemingly)...
- 34.9k
6
votes
Countries with nondemanding military?
I wouldn't call the Israeli army non-demanding, and yet...
Many soldiers serve 5 days a week, with free weekends (except when you're on guard duty). Mostly, these soldiers are not in combat units.
...
- 2,659
6
votes
What countries have several heads of state with equal power?
It is my understanding, that in all/most countries where the president isn't chosen directly and the government is formed by a coalition of parties, that the president/prime minister is not inherently ...
- 2,388
6
votes
What is the Austrian/Swiss rationale for maintaining weapons supply neutrality amidst Russian invasion?
Neutrality is not an on/off switch: there can be various grades/shades of grey of it. Condemning Russia is not inconsistent with not helping to fight it.
Compare it with an ordinary citizen having ...
- 1,522
6
votes
Accepted
What is the Austrian/Swiss rationale for maintaining weapons supply neutrality amidst Russian invasion?
Switzerland has a long tradition with a relatively strict interpretation of neutrality. The international community benefits from having Switzerland as a potential meeting place, with offices in ...
- 104k
6
votes
How does legislative oversight work in Switzerland when there is technically no "opposition" in parliament?
There are neither opposition parties nor government parties in the German/French/USA sense.
Legislative oversight is done by all parties, by organisations not represented in parliament and even by ...
- 1,255
5
votes
Accepted
How to prevent a "referendum spam"?
A highly polarized ("hyperpartisan") country with checks and balances has problems. These will happen whatever the checks and balances look like, and ar not particular to the possibility of ...
- 104k
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