Word: swiss
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Some here say the country not only can stay out but should. The populist Swiss People's Party (SVP), a longtime proponent of isolationism that has a strong following in some rural areas, argues that U.N. membership would jeopardize Switzerland's cherished neutrality, sovereignty and democracy and turn it into a lackey of bigger, more powerful nations. As a member state, the party warns, Switzerland could be forced by the Security Council to take part in international sanctions and military actions. "We would also lose the right to have our own foreign policy and diplomatic relations," says Ulrich Schl...
Opponents also point out that as a U.N. member Switzerland would have to pay an additional $42 million in annual dues, on top of $290 million it already donates to international organizations. The Swiss government counters that the money is well spent, since U.N. agencies based in Geneva boost the local economy with an estimated $1.7 billion in annual spending...
...campaign has polarized the usually dispassionate Swiss, and the issue is fueling heated debates on street corners, in offices and on newspaper op-ed pages. "We have been so successful for so long, why join an ineffective organization?" one Geneva reader asks...
...Switzerland never joined before? When the organization first came to Geneva in 1946, postwar fear of communism was rife and the cautious Swiss decided to stay outside. In a 1986 referendum, 76% of voters rejected membership; distrust of the Soviets, as well as political squabbles between superpowers, was blamed for the defeat. Today, Nordmann says, "the international environment is different and the U.N is different. We can no longer hide behind the shield of neutrality...
...latest polls show U.N. supporters with a big lead. Last June voters approved a controversial initiative allowing Swiss troops on peacekeeping missions to carry weapons, despite SVP's cries that such a move would compromise the country's neutrality. The government is hoping the same open-minded attitude will lead to a "yes" vote on March 3. "If it doesn't," Nordmann says, "the world would not understand why we insist on keeping our head buried in the sand." Given Switzerland's geography, that is particularly hard...