Donald Trump shock pushes neutral Swiss to seek closer defence ties

c/europe · u/misk@sopuli.xyz · 152 points

Archive: https://archive.is/2025.03.16-112421/https://www.ft.com/content/38de65f3-6ea1-4056-856c-601f71bb1cb3

Just two months ago, Switzerland’s new defence minister was seen as an outsider with little chance of securing a federal government post.

But Martin Pfister, an army colonel and cantonal minister who advocates for more defence co-operation with Natoand EU neighbours, is set to take office next month after defeating a more conservative rival earlier this week.

Comments

u/misk@sopuli.xyz · 3 points

The way I understood it that he’s outsider in his own circles, like you have people who aren’t necessarily team players but their other contributions merit keeping them close. The article doesn’t dwell on it and I lack local context so thank you for providing it.

u/Verdorrterpunkt@feddit.org · 2 points

Well, the other option was basically as close to the svp as possible. So Pfister is the better option regardless.

u/Syntha@sh.itjust.works · 0 points

You know perfectly well that purchasing power per dollar is much lower in Switzerland than any other European country

u/FundMECFSResearch@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 4 points

Comparing per GDP is misleading because switzerland’s GDP is massively artificially inflated by being a tax haven.

If you look at spending per capita, switzerland spends 738 USD equivalent per person per year on military spending. That’s actually higher than most european countries.

![](https://lemmy.blahaj.zone/pictrs/image/c22141d4-4f09-452e-9027-034b4a2a4c48.webp)

https://www.helgilibrary.com/charts/military-expenditure-per-capita-usd-fell-177-to-usd-700-in-switzerland-in-2022/

u/Syntha@sh.itjust.works · 3 points

Swiss military budget is 0.7% of GDP. Probably the smallest in Europe, except for Iceland and the micro-states.

u/FundMECFSResearch@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 13 points

Switzerland has armed neutrality.

Military service is mandatory for all men. We have a really high military budget. etc.

u/superkret@feddit.org · 1 points

Switzerland had been neutral for 300 years, and hadn't participated in any wars for 434 years, when NATO was founded.

u/HowRu68@lemmy.world · 10 points

This. We must keep that in mind.

u/trollercoaster@sh.itjust.works · 22 points

I suppose Swiss neutrality and its side effects radicalised the Swiss.

Remember when Germany tried to buy ammunition made in Switzerland for the Gepard self-propelled AA systems donated to Ukraine and got the sale denied due to neutrality? I'm sure pretty much every potential customer of the Swiss arms industry took notice of that. Now with a Trump induced European arms buying frenzy coming, Switzerland wants a piece of the cake after all.

u/jmcs@discuss.tchncs.de · 19 points

Putin started, his underling is just finishing the job.

u/DaveyRocket@lemmy.world · 8 points

Everyone gets to be neutral - right up to the point a fascist plants a flag on your land.

u/pastermil@sh.itjust.works · 38 points

D-did Trump just radicalized Swiss??

u/FundMECFSResearch@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 13 points

This is so weird. In all of the Swiss news everyone is saying Pfister is more conservative than expected and all leftists are angry. It’s weird that this article is trying to paint him as an outsider… He’s very much a figure of the conservative wing of the centrist party.

u/Diplomjodler@feddit.org · 1 points

Swiss neutrality was always based on hiding under NATO's coattails. Once that is no longer an option, they'll have to rethink their strategic position.