The rocky path to a new Swiss peace policy. The development of Swiss civil peace promotion after the end of the Cold War

Abstract

This thesis investigates how Switzerland became an international peace promoter in the period between 1990 and 2011. The analysis focuses on the motives of the Swiss government and the adopted measures aiming to establish Switzerland as a relevant actor in the field of civil peace promotion. Furthermore, it highlights the internal and external factors that influenced this development. By means of governmental documents, interviews with diplomats and mediators as well as news articles, this thesis describes the difficult process of repositioning Switzerland in the increasingly crowded field of civil peace promotion during that period. Bogged down by discussions on neutrality and its own position in Europe, lengthy direct democratic processes and a rather risk-averse foreign policy, Switzerland struggled to establish itself in this field in the early stage. It was not until the turn of the millennium that we can talk of an institutionalized Swiss peace policy. The new, more professionalized approach was characterized by a strong focus on the provision of expertise, the reinforced engagement as a mediator and an increased cooperation with a wide range of actors. Alongside this development, Switzerland started to contribute more actively and visibly to peace processes. This thesis traces the redefinition of Swiss peace policy and shows how a politically small state has succeeded to establish itself as a relevant actor in the field of civil peace promotion.