NVDB005_-_CH_3.013._Middle_Powers,_Strategic_Approaches_-_David_Gregosz-3

Diplomatic Briefing — KAS Cambodia and CICP

66 — DP Vol. 05

Middle Powers, Strategic Approaches and Rethinking in Times of External Threat

other hand, are states that can achieve a large, specific influence internationally or regionally, but are not able to establish global dominance. In this context, physical and material criteria are referred to according to the relative capabilities of such states, including population size, territory, economic and military policy framework data or their membership or position in international organisations, among others. On the other hand, their political self-image is also considered a decisive factor, according to which middle powers seek to establish niches in the international arena by means of regional influence, representing special foreign policy interests and values in certain areas, and especially by trying to make use of diplomatic capabilities. In contrast, small states do not have any independent international significance in terms of power politics. 4

European Middle Powers and Their Various Approaches. Is there Now a Rethinking?

Europe, with all its historical diversity, has a wide range of different middle power types, which often have their own foreign policy strategies. The following three examples serve to illustrate this: Switzerland, Austria and Poland.

Switzerland, geographically located in the centre of the European continent, claims for itself the decidedly neutral role of a politically and economically stable middle power with strong global interests. This country, with roughly 8.5 million inhabitants, is neither a member of the EU nor NATO, but instead relies on a broad international network and a politically, econom- ically and culturally multilateral dialogue with neigh- bours and global partners. Switzerland, which ranks 20th in the world economically, with a nominal GDP (2021) of 810,830 billion US dollars 5, gains its strength primarily from its globally oriented foreign trade policy. The principle of „Swiss neutrality“ is the country’s main foreign policy focus, meaning, as a credible actor in the global arena, it seeks international solutions in associ- ation with like-minded states. It deliberately refrains from pursuing a policy agenda based on power politics. Instead, Switzerland focuses on issues and regional priorities by means of a coherent approach, even in relation to the major powers. Nevertheless, part of the country’s national identity is that it relies on a stable

4 Georg Schwarzenberger, Machtpolitik, Eine Studie über die internationale Gesellschaft, Tübingen 1955, S. 65-80; Detlef Nolte, Macht und Machthierarchien in den internationalen Beziehungen: Ein Analysekonzept für die Forschung über Regionale Führungsmächte, German Institute of Global Area Studies (GIGA) (Hg.), Hamburg 2006, S. 28.

5 GDP of European countries 2021 - StatisticsTimes.com.

European and international environment to safeguard its core national interests - security, prosperity and independence. In the current conflict, this has led Switzerland, after a brief period of hesitation, to join the West‘s tough package of international sanctions against Russia, contrary to its previous balancing position. The reason for this is that its government does not want to undermine two important foreign policy goals that are about to be achieved: the consensus on a political framework agreement with the EU and its historical first candidacy for a non-permanent seat in the UN Security Council from 2023. 6 Therefore, diplomats claim that the time in which Switzerland can stay out of major geopolitical conflicts completely by referring to neutrality is over. On the contrary, neutrality in the modern era implies that a country can stand up against serious violations of interna- tional law. Thus, Russian elites‘ assets in Switzerland have been frozen, financial transactions with Russia have ceased with immediate effect, and the nation’s airspace has been closed to Russian aircraft. 7 In case the question of suspending commodity trade with Russia should also arise in the future, Switzerland‘s current political turn would be even more explosive, since 80 per cent of Russian exports are conducted through Swiss companies. 8 In this respect, the political reinterpretation of Swiss neutrality in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine is to be understood as a radically different approach.

In Austria, a similarly large country with a population of almost 9 million people and a nominal GDP of 481,209 billion US dollars (global ranking: 28) 9, the situation is different, as the country‘s middle power status is based on two different pillars. On the one hand, the Republic of Austria also considers itself a balancing power. This is due to the constitution in which the country in 1955 committed itself to „perpetual neutrality“. Thus Austria stands out in its role as an East-West hub and mediator between the industrialised and developing countries. It is not a member of NATO, but is nonetheless active in the United Nations and has experience with UN peacekeeping operations. It also attaches great impor- tance to participation in the OECD and international economic organisations and is actively involved in the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). A special manifestation of this multilateral

6 https://www.handelsblatt.com/politik/international/ukraine- krieg-sanktionen-gegen-russland-was-hinter-der-kehrtwende- der-schweiz-steckt/28127874.html.

7 Schweiz schließt sich EU-Sanktionen gegen Russland an - Schweiz - derStandard.at › International.

8 Schweiz spielt wesentliche Rolle bei Russland-Sanktionen - Wirtschaftspolitik - derStandard.at › Wirtschaft.

9 GDP of European countries 2021 - StatisticsTimes.com.