Switzerland's attitude had served it pretty well so far. It probably wouldn't have been at peace since 1815 if it had not had enough defences to put off other countries from invading in WW1 and 2. It's refreshing that it's defence spending is actually for defence and not for attacking distant countries.
> It probably wouldn't have been at peace since 1815 if it had not had enough defences to put off other countries from invading in WW1 and 2.
This is a oft repeated myth. Switzerland would have been conquered within a day by any major power in ww1 or ww2. The reason why switzerland isn't conquered is because they serve as a money laundering/transfer center for every power. Swizterland's "defenses" are for show. Swizterland's shield is it's dependable position as banker for nations and the elites.
This is simply wrong. Conquering parts of the flat lands could have been pretty easy but the Swiss strategy was retreat into the mountain area.
And if you have ever looked at the modern american army in afganistan then you will know that you can't just show up with some people and resources and take everything over.
Effective defense is about causing more pain then it is worth conquering you.
Also lets remember that in WW1 Netherlands was not attacked either in WW1. Generally its just not worth attacking small neutral countries.
Banking is just one of many aspects, its simply false to claim that it is the major reasons.
> Conquering parts of the flat lands could have been pretty easy but the Swiss strategy was retreat into the mountain area.
That isn't a strategy. That's how you lose. So they hide in the mountains and starve?
> And if you have ever looked at the modern american army in afganistan then you will know that you can't just show up with some people and resources and take everything over.
Last I checked, we conquered afghanistan. And there are many countries with mountains. And they were all conquered pretty much.
You could argue that the swiss population wouldn't have been "subdued". But it's absurd to claim switzerland is some impregnable military power. They are not.
> Effective defense is about causing more pain then it is worth conquering you.
I know. That's my point. It's switzerland's money laundering role that made conquering switzerland pointless. Not the silly notion of switzerland's military prowess.
> Generally its just not worth attacking small neutral countries.
No. It's not worth attacking small neutral countries that serve a purpose.
> Banking is just one of many aspects, its simply false to claim that it is the major reasons.
Banking is the ONLY aspect.
After all, "switzerland" had been conquered MANY times in history. From the romans, hapsburgs, etc. Did switzerland get their mountains in the last 150 years?
Switzerland is a joke when it comes to the military. Their saving grace is their role in money laundering and banking.
Norwegian living in Switzerland here. Taxes vary from canton to canto but are much lower than both Sweden and Norway in general, you will be better off financially in Switzerland.
I will probably move back to Norway at some point though. The main reason being that you get a year parental leave in Norway but only 1 day in Switzerland. There is also the improved social security net, more focus on work/life balance and better equality between the sexes.
Nice article and great to see a reference to Nassim Taleb at the end of it. It is really true that the Swiss are extremely risk-averse and hence quite prepared for Black Swan events.
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[ 3.0 ms ] story [ 41.9 ms ] threadThat a lot of money, the Nazi stole from others, was stored on swiss banks could have helped also.
However the reality is that luck has more to do with it. The large scale European balance of power and geography made this possible.
Switzerland is bad for going North to South and if you move East to West its better to stick with the North European plain.
Comparing Belgium and Switzerland before WW1 shows this. Both were ready to defend their borders, and you couldn't just walk in.
However it just so happens that Germany was fighting France and Russia.
In the Napoleonic wars some action was happening in Switzerland (Russian armies in Switzerland) but even then it was limited.
This is a oft repeated myth. Switzerland would have been conquered within a day by any major power in ww1 or ww2. The reason why switzerland isn't conquered is because they serve as a money laundering/transfer center for every power. Swizterland's "defenses" are for show. Swizterland's shield is it's dependable position as banker for nations and the elites.
And if you have ever looked at the modern american army in afganistan then you will know that you can't just show up with some people and resources and take everything over.
Effective defense is about causing more pain then it is worth conquering you.
Also lets remember that in WW1 Netherlands was not attacked either in WW1. Generally its just not worth attacking small neutral countries.
Banking is just one of many aspects, its simply false to claim that it is the major reasons.
That isn't a strategy. That's how you lose. So they hide in the mountains and starve?
> And if you have ever looked at the modern american army in afganistan then you will know that you can't just show up with some people and resources and take everything over.
Last I checked, we conquered afghanistan. And there are many countries with mountains. And they were all conquered pretty much.
You could argue that the swiss population wouldn't have been "subdued". But it's absurd to claim switzerland is some impregnable military power. They are not.
> Effective defense is about causing more pain then it is worth conquering you.
I know. That's my point. It's switzerland's money laundering role that made conquering switzerland pointless. Not the silly notion of switzerland's military prowess.
> Generally its just not worth attacking small neutral countries.
No. It's not worth attacking small neutral countries that serve a purpose.
> Banking is just one of many aspects, its simply false to claim that it is the major reasons.
Banking is the ONLY aspect.
After all, "switzerland" had been conquered MANY times in history. From the romans, hapsburgs, etc. Did switzerland get their mountains in the last 150 years?
Switzerland is a joke when it comes to the military. Their saving grace is their role in money laundering and banking.
- people and services are usually more punctual
- community thoughtfulness is strongly enforced
- sensible gun ownership
- preppers
Is there still a church tax in some cantons?
How do taxes compare with say Norway or Sweden?
——
Q: Why are the Swiss so friendly?
A: No one can understand each other.
I will probably move back to Norway at some point though. The main reason being that you get a year parental leave in Norway but only 1 day in Switzerland. There is also the improved social security net, more focus on work/life balance and better equality between the sexes.
I moved to Zurich over three years ago and wrote a blogpost about this, most of it is still valid today: "8 reasons why I moved to Switzerland to work in tech" https://medium.com/@iwaninzurich/eight-reasons-why-i-moved-t...
If you think about moving here to work in tech, shoot me an e-mail -- you find my e-mail address in my HN profile.