Security Policy and Politics

Switzerland’s security policy has broadened and deepened considerably since the end of the Cold War. The general threat perception and the strategic and operational response to it by a variety of actors have changed fundamentally. Current threat concepts emphasize the unpredictability and multifaceted nature of the threat situation, which arise from the large number of potentially relevant governmental, semi-governmental, and non-governmental sources of threat that extend beyond the military domain. Responding appropriately to this broad concept also requires a wide variety of security policy instruments and tools deployed by a complex web of actors from the government, society, and the private sector, who also interact with each other on several levels. This leads not only to a more pluralistic approach, but also to numerous interfaces with other policy fields and, ultimately, to numerous conflicts of objectives in terms of coherence, coordination, implementation, and legitimacy. The chapter discusses the challenges that arise against this background and shows how contemporary security policy has evolved and steadily changed to adapt to these challenges. Special focus is placed on the different actor constellations in Swiss security politics at the various levels and their relevant expertise. The final section outlines open questions and possible future developments that have arisen in the context of the coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine.