Taking the Plunge

Ever since its birth in 1291, when three Alpine cantons banded together for protection against Germany, Switzerland has treasured its strict neutrality in world affairs.* As early as 1674 the Swiss Diet officially pronounced the concept to be the country's guiding principle. The one time that Switzerland was forced to join an outside conflict--by leaping to the Austro-British side against Napoleon in 1815 six days before Waterloo--Swiss soldiers sent into France lost interest, turned around and went home. Neutral in two world wars this century. Switzerland is today not even a member of the United Nations.

Last week, the little land of mountains, milk and money took what many Swiss consider to be a historic plunge. After more than a decade of suspicious observation, it joined the 16-nation Council of Europe, an organization of representatives of European parliaments that debates such matters as social security and human rights, and talks vaguely about ways "to achieve a greater unity" in Europe.

Foreigners might consider this a modest enough venture into outside affairs, but it was bitterly debated before the federal Parliament at Bern finally approved the idea. "Why should we gallop into this Europeanization?'' shouted an angry legislator. "It should be done step by step." Citing the cost ($70,000) of joining the Council, Independent Representative Alois Grendelmeier of Zurich huffed, "Diplomatic missions are more than adequate for communicating with other states . . . our neutrality is getting dimmer and dimmer."

* Originally so that Swiss mercenaries could fight in the Continent's feudalistic wars without compromising their own land, later in order not to antagonize Switzerland's more powerful neighbors of modern Europe.

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