Switzerland's Neutrality

Paper Summary:

This paper focuses on Switzerland's foreign policy of armed neutrality during the 20th century. It details why the Swiss have remained neutral and why they have been successful in maintaining this policy when most countries were engaged in war. Switzerland remained neutral during both world wars in the 20th century because of their strong army, geographical advantages, strong will to enforce and protect their foreign policy and the benefits that their neutrality provides for other countries.

From the Paper:

"Switzerland has always turned to its army to protect its foreign policy and has one of the strongest armies considering its small size. Switzerland has more weapons per square mile than any other nation in Europe (Levy 66). Service in the military is universal and obligatory for all able-bodied male citizens (Milivojevic 25). Men from ages twenty to fifty must first attend initial training and then refresher training a few weeks per year (27). During peacetime, the army has 1500 regular troops, 18500 recruits, and 625,000 reserves (25). In addition to its large size, Switzerland is able to mobilize all of their troops in less than forty-eight hours (Meier 34)."

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