Nations have their own heroes who have played a decisive role in the mythology of a country’s history. Be it a Thomas Jefferson or a William Tell. Switzerland calls upon the latter as one of the Founding Fathers in the fight against tyranny.
Faced with a modern day equivalent in the form of the Gadhafi clan, Switzerland is at its wits’ end. Having arraigned Hannibal Gadhafi in 2008 for aggravated assault and taking him into custody, something that Hannibal was saved from in the last minute in London, where he faced a similar assault charge, Switzerland faces an enraged Gadhafi clan hell bent on taking revenge for the perceived loss of honour and dignity. The concept of rule of law is not universally accepted around the world and Switzerland has been painfully reminded of the Realpolitik at play here.
Having now detained Swiss citizens in Libya on flimsy charges and unwilling to accept anything except a complete kowtow of the Swiss government, the episode ended in a stalemate of tit for tat. The Swiss government under the Schengen visa rules blocked visas for many Libyan citizens. This automatically prevents any member of the Schengen visa system from issuing visas to Libyans. Libya, which has strong economic ties with many European countries, however, played its economic trump card meaning that countries in Europe were losing out in trade with Libya.
The Swiss government has had to bow down to the pressure of other European states and has withdrawn its visa ban for Libyan citizens. A small price to pay, one could say. But this still has not freed the remaining Swiss citizen from leaving Libya. Helvetia’s quiver is empty in the face of Libyan might.