Umstrittene Schweizer Sicherheitspolitik ... - ETH Zürich

Ausland
political refugees. A security policy must address this problem by bringing
together the different departments and levels of the Swiss Government in
an over-all approach that regulates the conditions of entry and stay for
immigrants within an integrated long-term vision of Switzerland’s future.
As I said, I spent many years in the United States. I have observed
that what the US does through both its immigration policies and its educational
system – its universities and research organisations – is to attract
the cream of the cream. This strategy works. I know that Europe has not
experienced the same thing as the US has, but I think we really ought to
expand our horizons with regard to all of these issues and benefit from
the success of other countries.
Additional problems that Switzerland would have to confront include
threats to energy security, organized crime, and the growing danger of
weapons of mass destruction falling into the hands of terrorists. Switzerland
sits at the heart of European communications and land routes. In
this respect, your strengths are also your vulnerabilities.
The fourth issue I want to touch is the role and mission of modern
armed forces. They are still the ultimate guardians of the independence
and the territorial integrity of their countries. However, we have to view
the mission and functions of the armed forces of a country like Switzerland
in a much broader context. Switzerland is under no imminent threat of
a territorial attack. However, this premise does not and should not lead
to the conclusion that you do away with a conventional army. There is a
lot of history, tradition and public psychology at work here. It is the same
in Turkey. Armed forces have a special and unique place in the political
culture and the historical consciousness of our country. Armies are here
to stay, even if the need for them may have altered in the contemporary
setting. That probably applies to Switzerland’s army, too. Swiss armed
forces are likely to assume more civilian functions at home, for example
in response to natural or man-made disasters. Today, in all countries the
civilian functions and activities of the armed forces are on the rise. The
more important role, however, should be the continued deployment of
Swiss forces abroad in appropriate missions consistent with Switzerland’s
neutrality and the meeting of legal and other requirements set by Swiss
laws and traditions. We live in an interdependent world and we must all
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