Switzerland

On Saturday, I leave for Aarau, Switzerland to attend the first global conference of academics and journalists who study direct democracy. Technology permitting, I'll file occasional reports on what I learn. As part of the trip, I'll be visiting the mountain canton of Uri, one of the original three Swiss cantons from 1291. It has as strong a claim as any to be the birthplace of the modern system of direct democracy.

This is my second visit to Switzerland on ballot-related business. I observed the Swiss referendum elections in the spring of 2005. Direct democracy in the United States was based on the Swiss example of initiatives, referenda and recalls. In the next few weeks, you'll be hearing from me in print and at a New America forum in Sacramento on Oct. 14 about the differences in the structure of Swiss and American direct democracy -- and how one lesson from Switzerland might be adapted to California to make our state's politics a little less dysfunctional.

In what is being portrayed as evidence of surging Islamophobia in the home of direct democracy, Swiss conservatives have qualified a ballot initiative that would add a ban on minarets to the country's constitution. Switzerland, a country of 7 million people, has more than 300,000 Muslims but only three minarets.

American direct democracy was adopted from Switzerland, which has had the initiative, referendum and the recall since the 19th century (and a tradition of direct democratic governance, through cantons, that is centuries old).

One of the many things that the Swiss have put to a vote is applications for citizenship. Such applications are voted upon directly at the local level. (Literally, if you apply for citizenship, you show up at what amounts to a town meeting and they make the decision right there). But the supreme court in Switzerland blocked such votes five years ago. In response, the conservative People's Party decided to sponsor a ballot initiative to reverse that decision and reinstate the local votes. One problem with the initiative is that it would not allow for appeals of citizenship decisions; the previous system allowed such appeals.

The result? This weekend, the Swiss voted the initiative down.

As the Japanese are wont to say, "business is war." Apparrently, that is how the Bush White House sees the recently-announced deal between Switzerland and Iran over a $42 billion natural gas contract. And, living up to the their own dysfunctional war planning record, the White House is now considering a retaliation against Switzerland where it hurts the United States most: by ending the Swiss sponsorship of the U.S. and Cuban Interests Sections. That will teach them not to mess with us.

Of all the pathetic evidence that the Bush Administration had degraded U.S. influence in the world, this is up there. Rarely have we seen how weak the man behind the curtain really is.

It also is an object lesson in global leadership. Part one of that lesson is that states will always seek to satisfy their own calculation of their national interests. Unless the interest equation is changed, inertia will rule in the affairs of sovereign peoples. The Swiss need gas, Iran has it. The Bush administration did not, apparently, care enough to insert themselves effectively in the Swiss decision loop.

Myth: An individual mandate is not enforceable.

Fact: Switzerland and the Netherlands have successfully enforced an individual mandate to purchase health insurance. Similarly, some American states have achieved close to 100 percent compliance with a mandate to purchase car insurance.

Enforcing a requirement to purchase health insurance will likely a take series of integrated approaches. Some possible models include: