American Swiss Foundation

In January, the Swiss Federal Administrative Court (FAC) ruling blocking last August's US-Swiss treaty set Washington abuzz with new talk of off-shore accounts, tax evasion, and reworking the August agreement with UBS. The story was carried in the major US newspapers and, for a moment or two at least, caught Washington’s attention – even those outside the IRS and Justice Department.

Switzerland, with its longstanding humanitarian tradition and commitment to human rights, has been an outspoken supporter of President Obama's efforts to close the Guantánamo detention facility - efforts which have been slowed by debates about where the still more than 200 detainees should be relocated.  In an effort to help expedite this process. Switzerland has agreed to accept one Guantánamo detainee on humanitarian grounds.

The Swiss health care system could serve as a model for a U.S. system without "public option", writes Nelson D. Schwartz of the New York Times.

By Christopher Ruddy (’02), Editor, CEO and President of Newsmax Media, Inc. 

The UBS chapter and the resulting news headlines that sought to brand Switzerland as a "tax haven" took a toll on U.S.-Swiss relations. But the August compromise deal announced by the two governments will help refocus Washington and Bern on the positive aspects of their relationship. Indeed, Switzerland has enormous credibility in handling sensitive matters of international diplomacy, a fact the Obama administration values greatly as it seeks to broaden America's global outreach.