This lecture is not intended to trace the “history of neutrality” of Switzerland. Rather, the aim is to ask which framework conditions were considered indispensable for the maintenance of neutrality around 1815. It ties in with research on political and economic reforms, but also on the construction of national identities in 19th century Switzerland.
Date: 4 October 17:30: All Welcome
Place: Kyoto University, Law Economics Main Building Seminar Room 10 and on Zoom
By Asoka Bandarage. Sri Lanka has been faced with an unprecedented political and economic crisis since the beginning of 2022. The dominant narrative attributes the crisis to the confluence of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ukraine conflict, China’s ‘debt trap diplomacy’ and – most importantly – the corruption and mismanagement of the ruling Rajapaksa family. Western mainstream media celebrated the so-called aragalaya (struggle, in Sinhala) protest movement that led to the ouster of the Rajapaksas and upholds the IMF bail-out as the only solution to the dire economic situation.
By Hillary Briffa. Prior to independence from Britain in 1964, Malta’s foreign and security policy was historically determined by the prevailing colonial power of the time. Since 1987, reflecting the insecurity generated by the Cold War superpower competition and growing militarisation of the Mediterranean, among other economic and socio-political drivers, Malta’s constitution has defined the country as a “neutral state actively pursuing peace, security and social progress among all nations by adhering to a policy of non-alignment and refusing to participate in any military alliance.” Amid current debates over the continuing applicability and relevance of neutrality for contemporary security, the words ‘actively pursuing’ are instrumental.
A seminar talk by Pascal Lottaz exploring the political and economic interactions between neutral actors and the Empire of Japan
June 13, 2023. Temple University, Room 304. A talk at the Institute for Contemporary Asian Studies.
June 12, 2023. A seminar by Pascal Lottaz at Waseda University, Building 3 Room 602.
A Solution for Peace and Security in Northeast Asia?
Although Switzerland’s Federal Council rejected its Foreign Minister’s idea for “cooperative neutrality”, the new security doctrine it recently approved reverses parts of the alpine nation’s traditional neutrality concept. Preparations for collective defense with NATO and EU-states are underway.
British, German, and Soviet perceptions of great power politics in Turkestan, 1919–1933
