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China’s railway infrastructure

48,000 km for punctual trains travelling at 350 km/h

by Dr Peter F. Mayer*

(28 November 2025) I covered the nearly 1,000 kilometres from Zhengzhou to Shanghai in 3 hours and 45 minutes. Sixty train pairs travel the route every day. China’s dense railway infrastructure is one of the cornerstones of its economic success, as economists such as Prof. Michael Hudson and Prof. Richard Wolff explain.

The great American bluff

by Felix Abt*

(28 November 2025) Behind the shiny façade of the US, with its record-breaking stock markets and AI rhetoric, lies an economy in which eight out of ten Americans can barely survive.

Switzerland–EU

Federal Council conceals power of EU court

If framework deal goes ahead, Brussels will have the final say – but Bern is glossing over this sensitive fact in its consultation process. Deceiving the people?

by Carl Baudenbacher*

(21 November 2025) On 20 December 2024, the Swiss Federal Council approved a package of agreements with the European Union (EU) without fully knowing their content. However, the institutional features were clear.

The agreements provide for the dynamic adoption of EU law by Switzerland, de facto surveillance of Switzerland by the European Commission and the settlement of disputes by a pro forma arbitration tribunal under the supervision of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU).

Introducing the “Leonhard Circle”

“Only where political power is decentralised, democratically limited, and manageable can the free participation of individuals be guaranteed.”

(21 November 2025) (CH-S) It is not only the founding of the “Freedom of Speech Alliance” (www.buendnisredefreiheit.ch) for Switzerland and Germany that has attracted attention recently. In Zurich, another high-profile association has presented itself to the public, which also represents the concerns of citizens against increasingly intrusive statehood:

Ueli Maurer (former Federal Councillor, SVP), Thilo Sarrazin (former Finance Senator of Berlin, ex-SPD) and Hans Georg Maassen (former German President of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution) presented the “Leonhard Circle” to a wider public on 27 October.1 This is an urgently needed step against the creeping decline of civic spirit, the rule of law, and the desire for peace beyond Switzerland’s borders.

Wind farms threaten Swiss forests and direct democracy

Long-term destruction of forests, unresolved disposal issues”

by Elias Vogt*

(14 November 2025) In around two years, the Swiss population will vote on two groundbreaking proposals: the Forest Protection Initiative and the Community Protection Initiative. These proposals concern the planned construction of over 1,000 large wind turbines in the Swiss countryside.

Journey for peace: Dialogue with Russia instead of confrontation

(14 November 2025) (CH-S) The “Swiss Standpoint” supports the cause of a journey for peace. Only when dialogue with others is sought is there a chance for genuine understanding. Anyone who is interested in the offer below can contact the organiser directly.