Why Always Paint Switzerland in Black?

Is optimism about Switzerland still justified? Patrick Nussbaum and André Crettenand answer yes in their new essay, “Switzerland Facing the Chaos of the World,” whose subtitle asks whether prosperity is really under threat.

They acknowledge that the argument may seem bold. Switzerland faces a turbulent world, driven by what the authors describe as destructive passions and threatened by predators of many kinds. Yet they point to the country’s history, arguing that it has repeatedly managed to solve highly complex problems. A difficult period, they say, does not mean Switzerland is lost.

Their position directly challenges a recent column by former ambassador François Nordmann, who rejected this optimism. Nordmann cited the condition of the Swiss economy as evidence that the country was not doing so well. Nussbaum and Crettenand respond that the figures do not support such a bleak reading.

The State Secretariat for Economic Affairs recently forecast Swiss growth of 0.9% in 2026, followed by an estimated 1.6% in 2027. The KOF economic barometer also rose to 106.7 points in August, above its long-term average. The authors concede that other indicators are less encouraging, but ask whether those figures should always be isolated and turned into a source of despair.

Their broader argument is that Switzerland has more cards in hand than its persistent detractors suggest. The essay, published by Slatkine, presents that confidence as a response to the tendency to portray the country only through its vulnerabilities.