ABSTRACT
This chapter investigates some of the basic principles of Switzerland's security policy from the viewpoint, to see whether that policy may represent one of several possible models to preserve national and international security. A country that honestly desires peace can make a contribution to peace without jeopardizing its own security. It can do so by taking purely defensive measures, which do not pose a threat to any other countries as long as those countries do not attack the first country. Military leaders in certain countries, in the name of "defense," call for the acquisition of offensive weapons systems that threaten the security of other nations. Self-reliance brings true security, without threatening or exploiting others. On the other hand, plans for intervention abroad to secure imports—for example, the idea of sending a rapid deployment force to the Gulf if the flow of oil should be interrupted—offer a very dubious contribution to national security.
