In countries where the state is underdeveloped, volunteer civic engagement is flourishing, as shown by this report from 2019 in a Burmese emergency service, among section chiefs in Sierra Leone and in the search for missing persons in Belarus.
The shortcomings of the militia principle enshrined in Swiss DNA would be even more pronounced in a more professionalized system.
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The association is a remedy for the inward-looking nature of democratic regimes, where the dependence on others that prevailed in feudal regimes has been eroded. It also enables its members to commit themselves beyond their personal interests, without having to go through the State.
Le Regard Libre carried out a survey to understand what motivates its all-volunteer team to commit themselves for over ten years and one hundred issues. Although specific, our experience offers useful pointers for other initiatives.
For business circles, the militia system is a key to the country's success. Marco Taddei, Director of the Union patronale suisse in French-speaking Switzerland, explains the benefits of this system for companies, despite the reluctance of some of them.
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The militia system is criticized far and wide. However, its critics miss its own logic, which, along with federalism and direct democracy, contributes to the institutional construction of Switzerland, and thus to the country's identity.
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Over the decades, the Swiss militia system has fostered mutual understanding between the professional, political and associative worlds, as well as the pooling of knowledge. This is also true for the culture of prevention among the general public.
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