Switzerland, Lessons in Statehood

On the way to class, we poked our noses into the auditorium and discovered this splendid stained glass illuminating an amphitheater whose podium proved too tempting for Peter.

Monday’s first presenter gave us the Swiss History for Dummies from the point of view of a geographer turned journalist. Joëlle Kuntz distilled the puzzle - how this disparate group of independent entities organized into what from the outside appears to be a nation – by telling us the story of a bridge.





The Gothard Pass, an Alpine peak, blocked the direct route from Italy to the Holy Roman Empire whose capital was at Aix-la-Chapelle, causing a 10 day detour around the mountain impasse. When in 1213 a little bridge was built (the Devil’s Bridge), the villagers realized what a gold mine they possessed. And possession was the key: three cantons made a pact in 1291 to defend their bridge over the Schooleren Gorge, allowing merchants to gather at fairs along the route. The association lasted 3 centuries, time enough to create attitude of independent states in federation for a mutually beneficial economic priority. And you wondered why the World Commerce Organization chose Geneva as its base in 1995.

The 26 Swiss cantons have repeatedly refused a central authority in their popular votes, turning down the idea of a national university in the 19th century, choosing to elect a parliament, which then elects a 7 member council to govern. No president. There was a time when the aristocracy in Europe foundered under the Terror in France, and in 2 weeks there were 40 republics in Switzerland. Napoleon’s invasion of Switzerland ironically did what no one had managed until then: it united the Swiss cantons, consolidated behind their fervent wish to be released from his yoke.

In 1848 the Swiss succeeded in a popular revolution, where France, Italy, Sweden, and Germany failed, creating both a federation of cantons, and a refuge for all of the disillusioned and defeated intellectuals of Europe. They still struggle with the issues of 26 education systems in a mobile society, with EU membership ( all EU laws are also Swiss laws), with the military service requirement, with rising immigration, and with the question of neutrality and what purpose it serves.

Bernard Schneuwly spoke at greater length about the various education system differences in a afternoon lecture, and Claudio Sfreddo addressed the question of the economic value of language. I will admit that the topic of economics in late afternoon in a warm, dim classroom sent me scuttling for more coffee, but really, it was a fascinating topic presented in an accessible manner. Remarkable.


After lunch, Lisa and I wandered down the shady side of the street, and landed right in front of the Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church. We stole in, enjoyed a quiet moment of contemplation, and studied the symbols of the evangelists, wondering which was the lion, the bull, the deer, and why the angel with the book was mixed in with them. Then on the way out, Lisa discovered this chapel with a stunning portrait of John baptizing Jesus and a modern Madonna with a compelling face. The classic painting of the communion in a distinctly different style drew us both.


















This stone commemorates the unintentional battle that erupted when raw army recruits faced down the extreme left and right political parties in a protest in 1932. Someone gave the order to fire and a number were killed. Think Concord or Kent State.














What did I learn in Econ class? Swiss studies show that salaries of bilingual workers go up 12-29% and trilingual employees earn double the increase – so 24-58% more than a monolingual person in the same job. The multilingual have greater choice of jobs and greater upward mobility. Countries as well as individuals reap economic benefits from a multilingual work force.

Probably the most stellar of the outstanding presentations was offered by Jacques Grinevald, a Renaissance man whose topic was International Organizations in Geneva, which in the course of the morning came repeatedly back to the issue of global warming and his work with various scientists and authors. Geneva hosts international societies in the field of politics, commerce, science, telecommunications, humanitarian and social issues, including the Red Cross and Crescent, environment, labor, transportation, sports, and religion.

I found it particularly interesting that the Organization for Conservation of Nature moved from Brussels to Geneva when the brutality of Leopold’s reign of terror in Congo became publicly known.

Dr. Grinevald left me with this memorable concept: we don’t live on earth, we live in it, and a lovely image: the oceans and the skies are fluid sides of the envelope in which we live. He also said that Switzerland doesn’t have an army, it is an army.

His book length bibliography of books recommended on the global warming issue will be printed in English in the next few years: I will recommend it as a vital reference. He clarified some puzzling aspects of that complex issue, among them the tendency to connect weather to warming. Planetary warming can be happening even when the spring is chillier than usual. Planetary warming is an average temperature, not a local weather pattern.

He also replied to the question of deep oscillations in the earth’s climate over the millions of years of planetary conditions that we can demonstrate from ice core sample studies. The profound changes in climate from the ice ages to the torrid heat of the dinosaurs never had a CO2 saturation above 180ppm. It remained stable during all that climate change. In the century since the industrial revolution, CO2 saturation has risen to 390ppm. It is the staggering acceleration of that change that must be addressed. The troubling muddling of the science by commercial interests has to go down as one of the most alarming forces of our era.

In what amounted to a terrific end to this lively session, we followed our intrepid guide, Massimo Patané walked us through the city, past the oldest marronier, the tree whose first leaf officially declares spring, and the world's longest park bench. On the way to the Cathedral (now temple) I had to stop to gawk at this Narnian spot. Saint Peter's Cathedral has ancient roots, Roman roots beneath it, but since the arrival of man whose plain, hard chair is enshrined here, the cathedral has become a temple of the reformation. All evidence of that divorce simply saddens me. We left the city behind for a jaunt out into the country to a wine tasting. Global warming discussions will drive you to drink. The young woman whose wines have won international acclaim runs the vineyard with her father. It is a small establishment in comparison to the French family vineyard that I toured last month, but it is a satisfying feeling to see the idyllic pastoral setting to a family whose roots go back 5 generations on the land.