There are times when a nation has to face up to reality
Switzerland has not signed a “declaration of intent”: it has accepted a disguised economic trusteeship.
Under Donald Trump, the United States does not negotiate: it imposes.
And in the absence of a coherent strategy, Switzerland finds itself accepting concessions that no sovereign state should have approved without firm quid pro quos.
As IMD professor Simon Evenett sums up:
«Switzerland and the EU are being held hostage by the United States.»
This “agreement” is not an agreement.
It is a raw balance of power, unilateral protectionism, a list of American demands presented as bilateral cooperation.
Asymmetrical trade: Washington lowers tariffs, Berne opens the dikes
In particular, the White House requires :
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200 billion of Swiss investment in the United States (an almost unattainable target).
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Elimination of the trade deficit by 2028 - an economically absurd objective.
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Increased opening of the Swiss market to US agricultural products (hormone-treated beef, chlorinated poultry).
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Accelerated recognition of FDA standards (without reciprocity).
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Abandonment of all Swiss digital taxes.
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Alignment with US sanctions, particularly against China.
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Indirect US control over foreign investment in Switzerland.
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Facilitation of US automobile standards, which are less protective of pedestrians.
And above all :
The United States alone decides whether Switzerland meets its commitments. In other words: judge and jury.
Evenett warns:
«The United States will set untenable targets, then accuse Switzerland of bad faith to justify a new round of taxes.»
Trump's strategy: sophisticated blackmail
Trump is applying the same mechanism to Switzerland as he did to the EU, Mexico and Japan:
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Set an unattainable target (zero deficit).
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Leave for a short time.
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Threatening a wave of sanctions.
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Use media pressure to get more.
This is what Richard Haass has been describing for 20 years as the «coercive transactional diplomacy» :
a bargain imposed by power, not a negotiation between equal states.
And this time, Berne arrives unarmed.
Why Switzerland is vulnerable: no doctrine, no backbone
The truth is simple:
Swiss diplomacy no longer has a strategy vis-à-vis the United States.
There are no :
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nor economic doctrine,
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or industrial policy,
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nor a clear sovereignist framework,
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or a counter-lobbying policy.
Switzerland is managing short-term crises instead of building a power strategy that is adapted to its size but faithful to its unique model.
Result:
a reactive, naive and under-informed stance in the face of an ultra-prepared American machine.
What Switzerland must do: 10 diplomatic levers to regain the initiative
1. Restoring total economic neutrality
Reject automatic alignment with US sanctions.
2. Putting an end to offshore tax havens (FATCA)
Suspend or renegotiate an agreement never submitted to the people.
3. Banning US clouds for sovereign data
Digital sovereignty must be total.
4. Gradually sell the 360 billion US securities held by the SNB
Switzerland must no longer finance the debt of an empire that imposes its rules on it.
5. Create a Swiss sovereign wealth fund
Based on gold, strategic investments and critical industries.
6. Put an end to the irresponsible opening up to American fast-food outlets
7. Strict control of foreign-funded NGOs and foundations
8. In-depth reform of infiltrated bodies
FATF, FINMA, EAR: democratic supervision essential.
9. Return to the only legitimate trade framework: the 1972 Free Trade Agreement
Balanced base, compatible with the Constitution.
10. Build a strategic alliance with non-aligned Asia and certain European states
Diversify dependencies, don't concentrate them.
A clear conclusion: Switzerland must stop being a protectorate
The «letter of intent» from Washington is not a friendly gesture.
This is a warning:
either you adopt our commercial policy or you pay.
And history reminds us that Switzerland has never survived through complacency, but through the clarity of its sovereignty.
As Nicholas of Flüe wrote:
«Don't mix other people's business with your own.»
Switzerland does not need obedience.
She needs courage.
And now is the time.