Umstrittene Schweizer Sicherheitspolitik ... - ETH Zürich

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regard to fragile states, state collapse and breeding grounds for extremist
movements – and a consistent engagement in some of those areas might
be useful ways to profile Swiss contributions.
Catrina Christian: One of the core issues you brought up was solidarity.
We would probably all agree that showing solidarity means in essence that
you cannot be absent from all places all of the time. However, that does
not mean that you have to be present in all places all of the time. In other
words, there has to be some picking and choosing – although we might
agree that it would be preferable to be present in more places – and that
is where the issue becomes interesting. I would like you to elaborate on
that issue with regard to Afghanistan, where we had a very small number
of people which we withdrew fourteen months ago. What would you
say: how far does one have to go? Should one also show solidarity with
someone being engaged in an unwise venture?
Krause Keith: I would never recommend solidarity in an unwise venture
– and we have seen unwise ventures. Many close allies of the United
States for example did not get involved in Iraq.
You are absolutely correct in saying that a state such as Switzerland
with limited resources and capabilities would have to pick and choose if
it comes to what kind of engagements it has. I do not see presently a clear
reflection in the sort of engagements Switzerland has at the moment that
leads me to believe that there is a sense of what the strategic direction
should be. If you look at where there has been a limited engagement under
Swissint, you see that it is a little bit of everywhere: there is something in
Burundi, something in Puntland, and Ghana is on the map, too. I am
not altogether sure what the strategic logic is. One may not necessarily
see what the level of engagement is if the engagement is dispersed and
does not have the necessary kind of leverage.
The best option of course is more engagement; the second best option
is better or more coherent engagement with existing resources. That is
a choice that will be made depending on resources and other political
considerations. However, some attempt to have a clear niche would be
appropriate.
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