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“Switzerland is the country that has best prepared for its seat on the UN Security Council”: Thomas Biersteker, Professor of International Relations at the IHEID in Geneva.
Camilla AlaborEditor Sunday view
Switzerland has been on the UN Security Council since the beginning of the year – and thus side by side with the great powers USA, China and Russia. In the run-up to the candidacy, there were concerns that the country was jeopardizing its neutrality. What does the UN expert say about this? A conversation with Thomas Biersteker (72), Professor of International Relations at the IHEID in Geneva.
Mr. Biersteker, is Switzerland risking its neutrality by becoming a member of the UN Security Council?
Thomas Biersteker: no When making decisions, Switzerland should be guided by its well-known positions: defense of human rights, respect for international law, mediation in conflict situations. This does not constitute a violation of neutrality. What is true, however, is that the UN Security Council is more politicized today than it was five or ten years ago. The great powers are more hostile to each other. That makes it harder to find solutions.
How come?
The increasing politicization began with the dispute over the intervention in Libya in 2011. The USA, Great Britain and France interpreted the UN mandate to protect the population as a free pass for regime change – with which Russia and China did not agree at all. Added to this were the sanctions against Russia after the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The relationship between the USA and China has also deteriorated in recent years. But all this does not mean that the big ones simply order the small ones around.
No?
The Swiss diplomats are very well prepared – I should know, I have trained a number of them and prepared them for the time on the UN Security Council (laughs). Several people I recently spoke to at the UN headquarters in New York said to me: Switzerland is the country that has best prepared for its seat on the UN Security Council.
Personal
Thomas Biersteker (72) is an honorary professor of international relations at the Institute for International Studies and Development (IHEID) in Geneva and a researcher at the Woodrow Wilson International Center in Washington, DC. In cooperation with the UN Security Council’s Sanctions Department, he also briefs diplomats from countries newly elected to the UN Security Council on the history and practice of current UN sanctions regulations. Biersteker lives with his family in a chalet in the Valais Alps and in Washington DC.
Thomas Biersteker (72) is an honorary professor of international relations at the Institute for International Studies and Development (IHEID) in Geneva and a researcher at the Woodrow Wilson International Center in Washington, DC. In cooperation with the UN Security Council’s Sanctions Department, he also briefs diplomats from countries newly elected to the UN Security Council on the history and practice of current UN sanctions regulations. Biersteker lives with his family in a chalet in the Valais Alps and in Washington DC.
Nevertheless, countries such as the USA or China are likely to try to put pressure on Switzerland.
Without a doubt. But there are. For example, when Switzerland initially did not want to accept the EU sanctions against Russia, there were calls from Brussels and Washington.
The USA put pressure on Switzerland to accept the sanctions?
Exactly. As you can see, great powers like the USA are already trying to exert pressure, precisely because of the important role played by the Swiss financial center. And what shouldn’t be forgotten: Switzerland is also gaining influence through its seat on the UN Security Council – because some of the major powers are dependent on Switzerland’s support. In addition, thanks to its many years of experience in conflict resolution, Switzerland has the opportunity to play an active role in the UN Security Council.
An example please.
Switzerland is expected to chair the committee on sanctions against North Korea. The dossier is complicated because China, Russia and the US disagree on how to proceed. Thanks in part to its relations with North Korea, Switzerland has the opportunity to propose a compromise solution. If any country can do that, it’s Switzerland.
So even small states can achieve successes?
Absolutely. I don’t think many Swiss are even aware of the important role their country has already played, for example in reforming the processes of the Security Council.
That sounds a bit abstract…
An example: Switzerland – together with other countries – has achieved that there is an ombudsperson for people who end up on a UN terror sanctions list. Before that, there was no way for those affected to be removed from the list. In addition, Switzerland launched a reform a few years ago, according to which two vetoes are required to block a resolution in the event of genocide or crimes against humanity. That would prevent major powers from protecting individual countries in which the regime is taking action against its own people. Like China with Myanmar, Russia with Syria or the USA with Israel.
Let me guess: the great powers have vetoed it.
In the UN General Assembly, a majority of states would have been in favour, but some of the veto powers were against. They then pressured the UN Secretary-General to insist that the amendment would require a two-thirds majority instead of a simple majority. Instead of putting the resolution to the vote – and risking failure – Switzerland withdrew it. Now France has picked up the ball and wants to raise the issue again. It’s small steps, but: Switzerland has been an important player in institutional reforms at the UN over the past 20 years.