Swiss Neutrality Ends: Nation Joins the UN
The Swiss voted to join the UN by just 10,000 votes — after staying out for 57 years while hosting the organization's European headquarters in Geneva. Right there in their backyard, diplomats from every nation negotiated peace treaties and human rights conventions while Switzerland watched from the sidelines. The September 2002 referendum passed with only 54.6% approval, ending a neutrality policy so strict that Switzerland had rejected membership in 1986 by a landslide. What changed? The Cold War's end made armed neutrality feel less like protection and more like isolation. Switzerland became the 190th member state, proving you can host the party for half a century before finally deciding to join it.
March 3, 2002
24 years ago
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