«In a nutshell, it's about living democracy.»

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«In a nutshell, it's about living democracy.»

Federal Department of Finance

Bern, 31.07.2024 - Speech by Federal Councillor Karin Keller-Sutter on 1 August 2024 in New York.

Dear Mayor
Dear Swiss community
Dear guests

I hope you will forgive my addressing you so informally - and my British accent!

Two years ago, a renowned Swiss economic historian warned against romanticizing the relationship between Switzerland and the United States.

The term "sister republics", he wrote, was misleading despite all the common historical ground.

The term suggested a closeness that had not existed for a long time, and it would be dangerous to think that the United States would show special consideration to Switzerland.

The historian is, of course, right.

A global power like the United States and a small, neutral country like Switzerland do not always have equal interests. And time and again they take different paths to defend them.

Nevertheless, here in New York, on today's Swiss National Day, I would like to honor our historical similarities.

The history of our two countries is first and foremost one of mutual inspiration.

Take the first sentence of the American Declaration of Independence of July 4, 1776:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

The founding fathers of the United States would probably not have written this sentence if they had not studied the work of the so-called Western Swiss school of natural law - in French, "L'école romande du droit naturel".

This school was an important movement of the Enlightenment in the 18th century, which established a modern natural law and concept of humanity.

It was a representative of this school, Jean-Jacques Burlamaqui from Geneva, who first coined the concept of the "pursuit of happiness", which became a central motif of the American way of life.

Seven decades later, it was the Swiss constitutional fathers who drew inspiration from the United States.

In 1848, they followed the insistent plea of the Swiss political philosopher Ignaz Paul Vital Troxler, to adopt the US bicameral system.

Troxler was convinced that - and I quote - "only by introducing the bicameral system as it exists in the Union Republic [meaning the United States] can the cantons be given a valid guarantee of their existence and independence, and can a centrality in the Confederation be introduced, whereby the nation as the embodiment of all peoples is meant and strengthened".

The decision to introduce the bicameral system in Switzerland broke a days-long deadlock in the Constitutional Commission and paved the way for the founding of the modern Swiss federal state.

Ladies and gentlemen

What is this common ground worth today?

The idea of democracy and freedom is under pressure.

In Europe, Russia is waging war against a democratic neighbor.

In the Middle East, the brutal attack by Hamas against Israel has plunged Gaza into a bloody war.

China's claims to power in the South China Sea are leading to dangerous tensions.

International debt has reached alarming dimensions and is increasingly jeopardizing the resilience of Western countries.

Albert Gallatin would be turning in his grave! [Perhaps this name rings a bell.] Gallatin was another Genevan who, for many years at the beginning of the 19th century, kept a tight rein on finances as US treasurer under Thomas Jefferson.

And I'm afraid it doesn't stop there.

Climate change, migration and disruptions in the working environment are unsettling people in our Western societies.

Populists are celebrating election victories.

This is no reflection on the voters, it is a wake-up call to moderate political forces!

A call to listen to the people.

I am convinced that they do not expect simple answers, they expect honest ones.

It is not about promises of salvation either, but about conducting the debate freely and peacefully - and about genuinely striving for the best solutions.

This also means: being open to compromises. As was Benjamin Franklin, another great American, who's convictions and actions were once condensed into the wise sentence:

"Compromisers may not make great heroes but they do make great democracies."

In a nutshell, it's about living democracy.

Which brings me back to what our two countries have in common.

The mutual intellectual inspiration was just the beginning.

It laid the foundation on which the United States and Switzerland became the first lasting republican democracies in our modern world.

What a legacy!

And it is a living legacy:

From their founding to the present day, the United States and Switzerland [overall] are two success stories.

The success of liberal democracies should not be measured only in terms of prosperity. But above all in terms of freedom, both personal and economic.

And the success stories of both our countries should inspire and motivate us to defend and nurture the legacy of our founding fathers.

This does not mean standing still. We cannot stop the future from happening.

But we can go on shaping the future based on freedom, democracy and the rule of law.

From the conviction that only democracy is able to secure our freedom.

And that only those who make use of their freedom are free, as stated in the preamble of Switzerland's Federal Constitution.

Dear Mayor
Dear Swiss community
Dear guests

It is a huge pleasure to be here with you today!

I would like to thank the Mayor, […as you may know, Taylor Swift recently came to Switzerland. She obviously enjoyed it. Why don't you come too? In any case, you are cordially invited! And you don't even have to sing if you don't want to. I also thank…] our Ambassador and all the women and men who have made this August 1st celebration possible, here in New York City's oldest park.

And special thanks to you, Chairman of the Bowling Green Association.

I don't know if this is the first time that the typical Swiss cheese dish "raclette" has been served here in the Financial District. You can tell me later over a glass of wine.

In any case, it is a very democratic dish if served properly:

One person, one slice!

In this spirit, I wish you confidence in the strength of democracy, the courage to embrace freedom and a healthy appetite.

Je vous souhaite à toutes et à tous un magnifique premier août, geniessen Sie unseren Nationalfeiertag, godetevi la festa nazionale, danke, merci, grazie - thank you for your attention!

Address for enquiries

Communication FDF
Tel. +41 58 462 60 33
Mail: [email protected]

Publisher

Federal Department of Finance
https://www.efd.admin.ch/en

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