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US holds up approval of French ambassador, FinCEN fines UBS and a Swiss minerals prospector is killed in the Central African Republic

US holds up approval of French ambassador, FinCEN fines UBS and a Swiss minerals prospector is killed in the Central African Republic

Last Friday, Swiss Federal Councillor and Defense Minister Martin Pfister spoke about Rorschach tests in Rorschach, according to Keystone-SDA. He mused whimsical, "what we’re doing today throughout the country is, in essence, nothing more than a Rorschach test—that famous psychological test with the inkblots."

Psychological tests with inkblots, you say? Switzerland doing "nothing more" than reflecting on inkblots? What has that got to do with anything, especially as temperatures are soaring, tempers are rising and power plants in six EU countries, half of which are Alpine nations, are being shutdown "due to lower river levels and increased water temperatures," according to Le Monde today? 

Well, what is a peace dove? Especially when it is placed in public spaces by the far-right to encouraging voting in favor of a referendum this September 27 that would enshrine a rigid interpretation of neutrality in the Swiss constitution? That far-right maneuver is promoted by Switzerland's largest party, the Swiss People's Party or SVP, Schweizerische Volkspartei in German. If taken at face value, the signs accompanying the peace doves read, "No War". A rather obvious Rorschach test if you believing in defending democratic values.

As a native English speaker, I will try not to be diverted by the name Volkspartei, which was widely used in the 1920s and 1930s as a populist strategy to market what became the National Socialists or NSDAP, the Nazis. Nor will I over reach or hang my hat on calling this Orwellian, however obviously so this contemptuous use of the peace dove is. SVP is naturally supported by Russia and Russia's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has endorsed the Swiss neutrality referendum in a post on X. What country is engaged in a brutal war of aggression of choice against Ukraine? Right, "No War".

Elie Wiesel was right when he said neutrality only helps the aggressor, never the victim. My position is clear, but in Switzerland, it is clear the country is experiencing a form of state capture. Russian support, its obvious finger on the scale, shows how far along this process is. The mask is off, so to speak.

So before I introduce the man, Philipp Wolf, I will be handing the reins of the Alpine Security Monitor to in the weeks ahead, let's have a brief lesson in active measures. Elsewhere these lessons were learned and internalized. But in Switzerland, where the wheel must be invented anew because privilege and peace have enabled a certain arrogance, this very public Rorschach test reveals we have moved into intermediary and late stages of state capture, the ultimate goal of active measures.

While this is not place to delve into the operational aspects of Russian political technology, in brief, this process occurs in three stages. First, a country is flooded with racist, hateful, divisive propaganda. Second, incidents are staged and divisive acts occur to divide the population against itself. The goal of this is to distract people so they turn against each other rather than safeguard their institutions. In the final stage, Moscow's allies are installed in positions of power and the state is captured.

If you are a basic person, the peace dove can be your Rorschach test. If you are slightly more sophisticated or cognizant of what the purpose behind this peace dove is, I will leave you to reflect where Switzerland finds itself in the process of state capture now and challenge Swiss readers to ask what they plan to do about it, if anything. Remember, as Orwell wrote in 1984, peace is war and freedom is slavery. "No war" is yes to Russian occupation of Ukraine and state capture of European nations.

Now, to the housekeeping of the great handover underway to the lovely and esteemed Philipp Wolf. In the weeks to come he will be slowly taking over responsibility for writing the Monitor while I will stay on as his trusted editor and advisor. I may occasionally return and pop in here when a reflection or five merits. In his lightly edited words:

I am Philipp Wolf, Chief Operating Officer of the Bern Security Dialogue. For as long as I can remember I always wanted to get to the bottom of things. I devoured books and interrogated adults. I was that kid that asked way too many questions. And to this day I want to understand why people act the way they do - or maybe even more important today in Switzerland and Europe: why they do not act.

Against this backdrop it is hardly surprising then, that prior to joining the Bern Security Dialogue and after having studied international relations and political science I worked as a journalist at the Swiss daily newspaper Neue Zürcher Zeitung, the NZZ. There I developed the premier Pro-Global subscription section before becoming technology editor. I wrote extensively about tech competition between the US and China and covered security related topics such as defense startups, drone warfare and disinformation.

As a journalist, whenever I covered drones or hybrid threats such as disinformation and cyber attacks, I realized how unprepared Europe and especially Switzerland are to counter these threats. That is one of the reasons why I joined the Bern Security Dialogue. Here, I hope to play a more active part in raising the public’s awareness of these threats and in convincing political and economic leaders to step up and act.

While I will bring you the weekly news on security and geopolitics in the Alpine region, I will also share my thoughts on tech and other security issues that tickle my fancy whenever the state of affairs allows.

If you have enjoyed what you have been reading for free, consider upgrading now to become a member or a warrior to support the critical work we do to elevate security policy in this critical region at the heart of Europe. If this was forwarded to you, welcome! You can address any comments or concerns to our inbox at amanda.rivkin@securitydialogue.org for now.

 

WASHINGTON, DC – US holds up approval for incoming French ambassador over X post

  • Politico reports Wednesday that the US State Department is delaying approval of the incoming French ambassador, Aurélien Lechevallier, a close ally of French President Emmanuel Macron, "amid a spat over human rights at the United Nations" following "a social media post from France's mission to the UN in Geneva that criticized Washington's decision to side with Russia and North Korea against the renewal of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk's mandate."
  • The July 25 post on X read, "The US used to be a beacon of human rights. Not anymore. Today, it stands alongside North Korea, Nicaragua, Mali & Russia, isolated. And the world no longer listens to it. #AmericaAlone".
  • The State Department said it is "very disappointed in the irresponsible and disrespectful rhetoric from the French". Türk is an Austrian national who has been in the role since 2022. Türk's criticism of US immigration policy and Israel's war in Gaza has clearly irked US authorities. For its part, "France has not protested publicly" the State Department's delay in approving Lechevallier for the ambassador's post.

 

WASHINGTON, DC – FinCEN fines UBS $145 million over money laundering matters

  • Swissinfo reports Monday that the US Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) fined Swiss bank UBS' US subsidiary $125 million (101 million Swiss francs or €109 million) "for inadequate anti-money laundering controls" and separately, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) imposed a separate fine of $20 million (16.2 million Swiss francs or €17.4 million).
  • The US financial authorities "accuse the bank of repeatedly failing to report suspicious transactions within the required time frame between 2019 and 2023."
  • The civil fine from FinCEN "is the highest penalty ever imposed on a broker-dealer for breaches of the Bank Secrecy Act."

 

DAMARA, CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC – Swiss prospector killed by 'armed bandits'

  • Swissinfo reports Monday that a Swiss mineral prospector and his Central African military escort were killed last Thursday "in an attack north of Bangui—the capital of the Central African Republic", with "military sources" attributing the attack to "as yet unidentified armed bandits."
  • The attack occurred in Damara, some 50 kilometers north of Bangui, though "The bodies have been transferred to the capital" since last Thursday. Central African Republic "judicial authorities" will reportedly "launch an investigation to clarify the circumstances and prosecute the perpetrators." The Swiss Embassy in Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon, is involved in "coordinating assistance measures as part of consular protection" with the Cooperation Office in Bangui.
  • The Central African Republic is rich in diamonds and gold but remains one of the poorest nations in the world.

 

LEIPZIG/HALLE AIRPORT, GERMANY – Drone hits plane, explosive drone defused

  • The Associated Press reports Thursday that "A drone with explosives was found at Germany's Leipzig/Halle Airport and the device was defused," presenting security officials in the country and beyond with a "new quality of danger".
  • Both runways at "the major freight hub were closed and several flights, including one passenger plane, were diverted to other airports" as a result of "a flying object" which was spotted nearby just before midnight on Tuesday. "An anti-explosives robot was deployed" to inspect an unknown "object near the south runway." The drone was initially spotted by an employee who alerted police. A "second flying object" also "collided with a freight airplane after it aborted a landing at Leipzig/Halle because the runway was closed." The New York Times reports Wednesday that the airport is used by Ukrainian cargo carrier Antonov Airlines.
  • German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt interrupted his vacation and told reporters at the scene that the incident was "a hybrid attack scenario", though he offered no additional details of the assessment of Germany's security services nor did he attribute the attack to anyone.

 

ZWEIBRÜCKEN, GERMANY – German court rules Israel Nazi comparisons protected speech

  • The Jerusalem Post reports Monday that a German woman was acquited of incitement for her comparisons of "Israel to Nazi Germany online".
  • The Higher Regional Court located in Zweibrücken had "compared the actions of the State of Israel to the methods of the Nazi regime." She had posted an Instagram story a chart that compared "the actions of the National Socialists with those of Israel." On one side was a Nazi flag with a visible swastika and the other side the flag of the state of Israel. She also shared a picture of "a Star of David with a swastika inside it." There were also the mobilizing hashtags, "#FREEPALESTINE and #GAZAUNDERATTACK."
  • Previously, "The Ludwigshafen District Court had previously convicted the woman on two counts of using symbols of unconstitutional organizations and fined her a total of €2,400" or $2,770. The Higher Regional Court instead opined "that the first post's table comparing the actions of Israel and those of the Nazis should be understood as expressing the user's opposition to the ideals represented by National Socialism." The court considers "the case ready for final judgment and acquitted the defendant of all charges".

 

LE PORGE, FRANCE – Wildfires cause blast of World War II-era munitions cache

  • The BBC reports Tuesday that "Wildfires in the south of France have revealed a cache of 400 historic shells and munitions in the village of La Porge".
  • With "More than 100 explosions" heard by residents "on the second night of the fire," the mayor of La Porge, Martial Zaninetti likened the blasts to "the sound of war". French media reported the caches included both French and German munitions such as "mortar shells and anti-tank shells".
  • "Demining operations" took place while residents were evacuated, but the displaced have since been permitted to return to their homes while "certain areas are still off-limits."

 

NICE, FRANCE – Two receive suspended sentences after livestreamer dies

  • France24 reports Wednesday that two livestreamers, Owen Cenazandotti and Safine Hamadi, known by their online monikers Naruto and Safine, received suspended sentences "after being convicted of repeatedly abusing and humiliating a man," Raphael Graven, 46, known by his online alias Jean Pormanove, "during online broadcasts that preceded his death."
  • The duo were cleared of responsibility for the man's death but "they were found guilty of violence" as well as "incitement to hatred for the insults they directed" at Graven/Pormanove. His death occurred in his sleep while the three slept.
  • The incident aired last summer on the Kick platform and "shocked" France as the country learned "how disturbing content aired on fringe parts of the internet can be."

 

VADUZ, LIECHTENSTEIN – Hackers breach financial databases

  • Reuters reports Tuesday that hackers broke into Liechtenstein's "register of thousands of companies, foundations and trusts" and "spent several hours inside the system, though it did not contain financial information" such as "data on assets, revenue and dividends of the affected parties," the government said.
  • Prime Minister Brigitte Haas said her country "does everything" to "minimize" the risk of such incidents occurring. Liechtenstein "is home to thousands of low-tax trusts". Swissinfo adds that "31,000 entities registered in the country" were affected by the data leak.
  • The hack no doubt "delivered a blow to the principality's reputation as a secure, discreet centre of international finance."

Stay safe, my peaceful doves!

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