Inter­de­pen­dence and inter­con­nec­tion – Switz­er­land as part of the global picture

Global uphe­aval has reached a level that could hardly have been expec­ted just a few months ago. The outcome of the US presi­den­tial elec­tions has shown Switz­er­land just how closely its economy, society and cultu­ral self-image are inter­con­nec­ted and inter­wo­ven. Of course, this also includes digi­tal infra­struc­tures – along with ques­ti­ons of tech­no­lo­gi­cal sove­reig­nty and resi­li­ence. This is not just about the heated debate about tariffs: the resul­ting gene­ral sense of uncer­tainty is more funda­men­tal, high­light­ing the depen­den­cies that govern the func­tio­ning of our society and our democracy.

Who calls the shots

This became parti­cu­larly appa­rent when Swiss compa­nies and educa­tio­nal insti­tu­ti­ons chan­ged their stance on diver­sity over­night. As a direct demo­cracy, Switz­er­land in parti­cu­lar has every reason to main­tain and streng­then its own role and inde­pen­dence. This is easier said than done. But is it really inevi­ta­ble for the back­bone of every modern IT system to be opera­ted by Micro­soft? We have to be able to ask these ques­ti­ons, and we should not enter into rela­ti­onships of depen­dence for the sake of mere conve­ni­ence. Conver­sely, it is ques­tionable whether we can even be inde­pen­dent with regard to our digi­tal infra­struc­ture – not to mention whether this is sensi­ble. The illu­sion of being able to achieve inde­pen­dence can be just as fatal as the reck­less­ness of finding secu­rity in the digi­tal monoculture.

Foun­da­ti­ons’ independence

The struc­ture of a foun­da­tion, in parti­cu­lar, could be one way of finding alter­na­ti­ves. Plus, it takes courage to break new ground. We need to under­stand the importance that inde­pen­dent digi­tal solu­ti­ons and chan­nels play in a resi­li­ent demo­cracy; the media is the ‘fourth estate’ in the demo­cra­tic state. But it, too, is incre­asingly conveyed via digi­tal means and is in compe­ti­tion with social infor­ma­tion media. Digi­tal infra­struc­ture is laying the foun­da­tion of all four estates to an ever grea­ter extent today. And we need to be aware of our own limits: no foun­da­tion in Switz­er­land is in a posi­tion to offer an alter­na­tive to Micro­soft. But simply streng­thening our digi­tal skills is an initial step towards actually iden­ti­fy­ing the problem, as the Hasler Foun­da­tion does.

A huma­ni­ta­rian tradition

The same applies to Switzerland’s deve­lo­p­ment coope­ra­tion, which is coming under pres­sure. Its many natio­nal and inter­na­tio­nal aid orga­ni­sa­ti­ons are the face of the country’s huma­ni­ta­rian tradi­tion. The fact that our parlia­ment – and, by exten­sion, we – is now calling this into ques­tion through inde­pen­dent decis­i­ons has conse­quen­ces for the long-stan­ding network in which Switz­er­land opera­tes. Mutual depen­den­cies are both beco­ming more appa­rent and less visi­ble. The effects of stop­ping USAID funding could be many times grea­ter and more abrupt, but Switz­er­land and other Euro­pean count­ries should nevert­hel­ess also be aware of the conse­quen­ces of their cuts. 

Today, 140 million people are refu­gees, more than ever before. Only a frac­tion of them flee to Europe, with the majo­rity seeking refuge in a neigh­bou­ring nation or a region close to their home coun­try. Local aid orga­ni­sa­ti­ons provide aid, but their work is depen­dent on inter­na­tio­nal support. If huma­ni­ta­rian funding is cut, there will be a lack of resour­ces to help refu­gees directly. It is not only direct aid that is dwind­ling. Local aid orga­ni­sa­ti­ons are having to lay off their employees, caus­ing know-how to be lost and struc­tures destroyed. The effects are devas­ta­ting and, unfort­u­na­tely, long-lasting.

Isola­tion

Global networ­king is intrin­sic to the system of deve­lo­p­ment coope­ra­tion and in the digi­tal world. This cannot be igno­red. In this networked world, decis­i­ons and their conse­quen­ces need to be conside­red and unders­tood accor­din­gly. These are not isola­ted acts: within a network, the conse­quen­ces have an impact in all kinds of direc­tions. Foun­da­ti­ons and non-profit orga­ni­sa­ti­ons can help to streng­then these networks. It’s not a task they can under­take on their own, but they can deploy targe­ted, colla­bo­ra­tive measu­res to help make society more aware of the importance of this network.

Depen­den­cies: Discuss in the network.