John Baird: Canada's freedom agenda - Diplomat Magazine

Arctic CircleDi spatches|MICROSTATESNorwegian SeaBarents SeaNorth SeaBalticSeaBöhringer FriedrichCitizens of Liechtenstein are the second highest per-capita earners in the world. Their government buildings in Vaduz are pictured above.5. LiechtensteinGermanyFranceLiechtensteinSwitzerlandAustriaItaly52Lodged between Switzerland andAustria, this principality of 160square kilometres bears the name ofwhat once was one of the most powerfulhouses in the aristocratic order of Austria,indeed, in all of continental Europe.Loyal to a fault, Liechtensteins served theHouse of Habsburg as political advisersand as military generals from the late 13thCentury until its collapse in 1918. Almostexactly 200 years earlier, Liechtensteinshad achieved one of their greatest ambitions,when the Austrian Crown grantedthem a princely possession — today’sLiechtenstein.With Napoleon’s dissolution of theHoly Roman Empire of German Nation,Liechtenstein became independent, astatus confirmed during the Congress ofVienna. Liechtenstein retained close tieswith the Austrian rump state after 1918until its forced Anschluss (annexation) toNazi Germany in 1938. Neutral duringthe Second World War and the Cold War,Liechtenstein has deepened its economicand monetary ties with Switzerland to thepoint that many Swiss consider it as the27th canton of their country.The similarities do not stop there. Likeits larger neighbour, Liechtenstein hasprospered as a picturesque but powerfulfinancial centre, whose banks manage thefortunes of the rich, the famous and perhapsthe infamous, with, shall we say, ahigh level of discreetness, which not all ofits larger neighbours have always appreciated,until recently. This said, it is hard toargue with success. The 35,000-plus residentsof Liechtenstein are the second highestper-capita earners in the world andconfront few, if any, major social problems.Black SeaWINTER 2012 | JAN-FEB-MAR