Review article
SWITZERLAND’S NEUTRALITY AND ITS MEMBERSHIP IN THE UN
Gordan Grlić Radman
; Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of the Republic of Croatia, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
Switzerland’s major contribution to the shaping of neutrality as an international- law institute lies in its centuries-old practice and the international recognition. However, Swiss neutrality still conforms to the classical military/political conflict, since in the past it proved to be a successful security/political instrument in the protection of independence and territorial integrity. In the contemporary international/global constellation there is almost no room for a neutral stance due to the global interdependence within the international community and the collective security on the one hand and to the new threats and dangers lacking the classical military dimension on the other. All this is conducive to the solidarity and cooperation whose purpose is protection that requires international security/ political efforts in securing peace. The Swiss government is of the opinion that the participation in a collective security system such as UN does not run counter to its permanent neutrality, since the UN Charter forbids war and does not recognize it as a means of the international regulation of conflicts. Also, the UN Charter does not oblige the member-countries to participate in any coercive military measures. And finally, by the admittance of the permanently neutral Austria into the UN, the practice has proved that the neutrality and the collective security are compatible. On several occasions, the Swiss raised the issue of UN membership; in the 1986 referendum the Swiss citizens voted against this proposal, while on 3 March 2000 they voted in favour of it; the only other country besides Switzerland not in the UN is the Vatican.
Keywords
neutrality; international law; UN; international community; integration; globalization; collective security; referendum; Switzerland
Hrčak ID:
23706
URI
Publication date:
5.3.2003.
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