Trumps-Zoll-hammer: Swiss diplomacy underestimates the USA

The customs hammer of US President Donald Trump met Switzerland unprepared. This is no coincidence, writes Felix E. Müller, long -time former editor -in -chief of the “NZZ am Sonntag”. But has – unfortunately – tradition.

A Telephone of Federal President Karin Keller-Sutter with Donald Trump Sufficient, and Switzerland returned to the courant normally. The massive punitive tariffs of 31 percent against Switzerland are not from the table, but initially suspended. And if there should be negotiations on a permanent trade policy agreement between Bern and Washington, it is still completely uncertain what Trump will specifically demand from Switzerland.

There are actually crises to learn from them. It was only a good two weeks ago when the whole country fell into shock because Switzerland was one of the countries that Trump was concerned with the highest punitive tariffs. When asked how this was possible and whether the Federal Council had direct contacts with Trump or his advisory group, she said: « No, we don’t. »

Looking for the fire brigade number

It is the admission of a failure of Swiss diplomacy. This would be responsible for hearing grass growing in foreign capitals, anticipating possible unfavorable developments for Switzerland and developing action scenarios in the event that they should occur. But after Trump’s show in the garden of the White House, Bundesber looked like perplexed residents of a burning house who hectically search for the fire brigade.

Switzerland had failed to establish contacts with the inner circle of Trump in time. This is all the less understandable than his election victory was no surprise. And there was no doubt about his political focus; He spoke of tariffs again and again in the election campaign, and he made no secret from his trade policy nationalism in his first four years in the White House. So there were good reasons to seek the conversation with Trump’s advisors. But this has obviously not happened.

Switzerland conducted self -talk

Why? There is a front and a sophisticated explanation for this. Official Switzerland weighed to safety. She liked to list the arguments, which is why she would have to be spared any punitive tariffs: she was the seventh’s largest investor in the United States that she had created many hundreds of thousands of jobs there, she had abolished all the import tariffs for US goods, and the large surplus in the trade balance with goods would be compensated by an almost as big deficit in the service sector.

Of course, all of this applies. But the X-TE repetition of this reasoning was also unable to change the fact that nobody listened in Washington. Switzerland spoke to itself.

The current boss of Seco, Helene Budliger Artieda, undoubtedly has great skills. But knowledge of the United States and the political metropolis on the Potomac are not among her strengths, as she has completed her diplomatic career in places such as South Africa, Thailand, Nigeria, Cuba, Peru and Colombia. What was once considered the central criterion for the selection of a seco chief seems to have played absolutely no role in your case. It cannot be ruled out that the Budliger, which is close to the SVP, could be lulled by the narrative of an alleged friendship by Trump with Switzerland.

In any case, the Seco also failed to prevent good contacts with internal circles of the new administration. When she hastily traveled to Washington two weeks before Trump’s hammer stroke because things began to develop unfavorably, she was able to wrestle an appointment for the meaningless chief of staff in the Ministry of Commerce.

Traditional underestimation of the United States

Once again, it is noticeable in what regularity the crises in relationships with the United States are repeated. The official Switzerland always seems surprised, it is always outraged and then gives in and forgets as quickly as possible. She never draws teaching from it. According to this pattern, the controversy around the Ukraine sanctions, the affair about tax escape and banking secrecy or the dispute over the newsless assets. The fact that this pattern repeats itself allows only one conclusion: Swiss foreign policy does not allow the relationship with the United States.

This has a tradition at the EDA. The Foreign Ministry has been in the hands of Welscher or Ticino Federal Councilor since 1920 with the exception of a short period of time from 1961 to 1970. These mostly did not speak English and just avoided the Anglo -Saxon world, which was also culturally foreign to them. The diplomatic apparatus is also rather Latin.

Since quite a few, especially Welsche diplomats of the SP, are increasing, a certain disregard for the United States belongs to the DNA of the Foreign Ministry. This never enjoyed the foreign policy status that, due to her political and economic importance, should have come to her for Switzerland. Since 1946, ten official visits from EDA bosses have just taken place in the United States, about as many as in Romania.

Swiss diplomacy must wake up

In general, the EDA has almost only dealt with Europe and the EU for a good twenty years and also sees the customs crisis primarily from it: does it use or harm it to the planned new agreement?

For a long time, this was not negative because the trading diplomats could fill this gap. Since the knowledge of the USA has also taken away at the top of the SeCO, Switzerland’s relationships have become increasingly in the wrong direction. Because almost worse than the 31 percent shock was the fact how unprepared he hit Switzerland.

Swiss foreign policy must finally make the United States one of its focus; With a fraction of the effort that the EU policy costs us, this would be achieved. If she does not finally draw the right teachings from the recent incident, one thing is certain: the next crisis will definitely come.