"We must preserve our special identity," says an influential columnist. "We must become normal," counters a leading politician. Many Swiss somehow want to fuse both these views-and keep their country ultra-independent and ultra-democratic, while nonetheless "opening up" to the world. With the decision to join the United Nations on September loth, you might think the normalisers were winning. Indeed, after that, the European Union too? Do not bet on it. Most Swiss are still wary of international clubs. After a referendum in 1992, they declined to join the European Economic Area. Then, in March 2001, they refused even to start talks to join the European Union. And though they voted in March 2002 to join the UN by 54% to 46%, the constitutionally necessary approval from the cantons was a much closer call. Few Swiss pundits foresee another referendum on the EU for a decade.
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